Trampoline – How they came into Existance ?

Trampoline history can be traced back to archaeological drawings in ancient China, Egypt and Persia. Crawling on the history of Trampolines, the first type of trampolining was done by the Eskimos who used to toss each other up into the air on a Walrus skin something like the sheet used by firemen to catch people jumping out of the windows of houses on fire. In Anchorage airport, Alaska, you can find postcards depicting the Eskimos being tossed up in a Walrus skin.

Trampolining History talks about centuries which encompass a variety of such incidents where it was used for some form of sport or rescue operation. These may or may not be the true origins of the sport of trampolining but it is certain that in the early years of the 20th century there were stage acts which used a "bouncing bed" on the stage to amuse audiences. The bouncing bed was in reality a form of small trampoline covered by bedclothes on which the acrobats performed mostly comedy routines.

But the real revolution in the history of trampolines came when George Nissan and Larry Griswold created the First Trampoline. Around 1935, Griswold, then the assistant gymnastics coach at the University of Iowa, and Nissen, a tumbler on the University of Iowa gymnastics team, "made regular jaunts to Bloomington, Illinois where numerous circus people had their winter homes. Among them were the "Flying Wards", some of the finest trapeze performers in the world. Griswold and Nissen worked out with them at the local YMCA, and frequently helped them make or mend their large trapeze nets. Nissen remembers the hours they spent in the basement of the YMCA, threading the long cords of the nets, using large javelin-head needles. This experience was one of several that led them to the idea of creating a trampoline.

Trampoline history took a major turn in 1936 when an American, George Nissen, invented the portable trampoline facilitating the growth of trampoline jumping as a competitive event. From 1947 through 1964, trampolining was included as an event in gymnastics competitions by both the AAU and NCAA.

Another landmark event in trampoline history was when the first trampoline World Championships were held in 1964 and trampoline was first recognized as a sport in its own right in the United States in 1967. In the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, trampoline history took another step forward with its debut as an Olympic sport.

Since then this industry has created waves in the worldwide industry. In US, the sale of trampolines has increased over the years as more and more people become aware of the benefits of trampolines. Today, almost every family owns a trampoline while new innovations and advancements continue to add to the existing rich history of trampolines as new achievements are made in the field of trampoline sport.

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