Top Trampoline Facts
1. It is thought that the Eskimos, who used to toss each other up into the
air on walrus skins, carried out the first type of trampolining.
2. Circus folklore suggests that a trapeze artist named Du Trampoline first
saw the possibility of using his safety net as a means of propulsion. By the
nineteenth century, circus performers were using the trapeze net to jump over
rows of horses and elephants. A more likely derivation of the word ‘trampoline’
is the Spanish ‘el trampolin’, which means ‘diving board’.
3. During World War II, the US Naval Flight School developed the use of the
trampoline in the training of pilots & navigators. It was thought that trampolining
would help the crew with aerial orientation and muscle conditioning. Trampolining
has also been used extensively in the training programmers of the US and Soviet
space agencies.
4. George Nissen, an Iowan diver and gymnast, made the first modern trampoline
in his garage in the 1930s.
5. Research in the US suggests that trampolining is one of the best aerobic
activities that can be performed at home. Trampolining is also widely recognized
as a suitable activity for rehabilitation from injury.
6. The first ever televised British Trampolining Championship took place in
England in 1958.
7. Trampolining became an Olympic sport in the 2000 Sydney games. Competitive
athletes can propel themselves up to 30 feet into the air.
Tags: Trampolines