The History of Trampolines

The Eskimos who used to toss one another into the air with a Walrus skin originated the first type of trampolining some have said. Almost like the giant sheet that firemen would use to catch people jumping out of a burning building. There is some evidence of people being tossed in the air by a number of people holding a blanket in England. While these origins may or may not be the true beginnings of trampolining it is certain that at the start of the 20th century there were stage acts that used a "bouncing bed" to amuse audiences in comedy routines. The bouncing bed was some form of a small trampoline covered with bedclothes that acrobats used to perform their shows.

George Nissen and Larry Griswold built the first modern trampoline sometime during 1934. Both men attended the University of Iowa. Nissen was a gymnastics and diving competitor; Griswold was a tumbler on the gymnastics team. Both observed trapeze artists using a tight net to add more value to their performances. The two experimented by taking a piece of canvas and stretching it to an angle iron frame by means of coiled springs. Initially this invention was used to train tumblers but soon became popular in it's own right. During the late 1930s, George Nissan took a demonstration tour in Mexico and heard the word trampolin meaning diving board. In 1942 the Griswold-Nissen Trampoline & Tumbling Company was created and began making trampolines commercially in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

During World War II the industry grew rapidly when trampolines became an integral part of a physical training program to train aerial awareness to pilots and navigators giving them practice in orientation that had never been possible before. Trampoline training was one of twelve activities selected by the Navy to add to the aims and purposes of the Naval Aviation training. Trampolining and other sports embodied in the program would contribute to the mental and physical conditioning for an aviation cadet. Over thousands of cadets would take part in trampoline training at three Naval Pre-Flight schools located in Athens, GA; Iowa City, Iowa; and St. Marys, CA. Taken from The Naval Aviation Physical Training Manual issued by the Aviation Training Division of the U.S. Navy, 1944 are the following objectives for trampoline activities:

To Provide Aerial Orientation which would reduce the fear of falling, being upside down, revolving in midair, to learn balance and body control while in the air, developing a oneness with the plane, practice in relocation while revolving in various positions and to acquire self-confidence in the air.

To Aid in Effective Conditioning, which were vigorous developmental exercises for the legs. Muscle tension (continuous and alternating) in the arms, shoulders, and abs are involved in the arm lifting and circling and body control movements of bouncing. Also contributed to muscle stretching, increased vital capacity and increased fatigue-recovery abilities and aided in the development of well-timed, coordinated rhythmical movements.

Also during the development of the space flight program, NASA used trampolines to help train American astronauts educating them with the experience of the variable body positions used in space flight.

After the war trampolining would become part of the US Collegiate and AAU gymnastic competitions. The champion would usually be the person who didn't fall off or collapse of exhaustion after bouncing up and down repeating three or four stunts for three minutes. In 1956, Kurt Baechler began training the US Gymnastic team for the Olympic games in Melbourne. While working with the athletes he met George Nissen. The two worked together introducing trampolines and mini-trampolines into Europe. In March 1957 they gave their first presentation at the famous Sportschool in Koln-Mungersdorf. For three weeks demonstrations were held all over Germany and Switzerland up to two to three times each day of the week. When they returned to Cedar Rapids they had multiple notes and new ideas that included the making of a square mini-trampoline. Kurt Baechler's home of Gumligen, Switzerland soon became the headquarters of the Nissen Trampoline Corp. of Switzerland.

In the early to mid 1960s, a World Championship was organized. In 1964 the first man and woman, Dan Millman and Judy Wills Cline were crowned World Champions respectively. Also during this time the US Bureau of Product Safety (known as the US Consumer Product Safety Commission today) called together a group of trampoline manufactures and professionals to create a committee to develop the safety standards for trampolines. This committee is known today as the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials).

In 1979 Albert Earl Carter became the pioneer of Rebound Exercise with his book The Miracles of Rebound Exercise. Mr. Carter attended Oklahoma State University on a full scholarship as a wrestler. He was an all-around gymnastic champion in various states. In 1974 and 1975 more than half a million people saw his Gymnastic Fantastic professional team. When Mr. Carter recognized his good health and superior strength were connected with his work on a trampoline, he set out to establish why the human body reacted so positively to rebounding. Today Albert E. Carter is considered the world's authority on rebound exercise.

Trampolining became recognized even more when it made its debut known as trampoline gymnastics at the 2000 Olympic Summer Games. Irina Karavaeva of Russia and four-time world champion Alexandre Moskalenko of Russia (who ended a three year retirement to compete) won the gold medals respectively.

For nearly 70 years now the trampoline has made an impact in several areas. Because of the efforts of gymnasts, pilots, navigators and astronauts the trampoline has proved that it can be a valuable commodity for the human body. With rebounding exercise coming into its own, physical education instructors and fitness experts are using trampolines as part of overall fitness programs for people to enjoy using and start gaining the many benefits that come with using a trampoline.