The exact origins of trampolining are unclear, but the introduction of the trampoline and the gymnastic sports activities recognized as trampolining in 2010 can be clearly traced back to the early 1930s in the United States.
History
University of Iowa students George Nissen and Larry Griswold built the first modern trampoline in 1935. Nissen was a competitive gymnast and diver and Griswold was a tumbler on the university gymnastics team. Their early experiments began after watching circus trapeze artists using a tightly stretched net as part of their act. Nissen said, "When we were kids, we went to the circus, you know, and I got the idea from the nets under the trapeze." The first trampoline was fashioned from a stretched piece of canvas which was then fastened onto an iron frame by means of coiled springs. According to Kate Brammal of the Kingston Trampolining Academy, the name trampoline came from the Spanish word "trampolin," which translates as diving board and was overheard by Nissen at a diving demonstration in Mexico. The Griswold-Nissen Trampoline and Tumbling Company was formed in 1942 and the Iowa-based factory began making the first commercially available trampolines.
Folklore
It's a popular belief in circus folklore that the trampoline was the invention of an artiste named Du Trampolin. The story goes that in the 1800s, Du Trampolin experimented with a safety net to develop a form of accelerated propulsion, but in the absence of any documented evidence, his story remains a myth.
Development
Originally designed for tumblers and gymnasts in training, the United States Navy Flight School began using the trampoline for pilot training exercises during World War II. The apparatus offered a practical means of practicing in-flight spatial orientation, and after the war, its use was incorporated into both American and Soviet astronaut training as the space flight program developed.
Sport
Competitive trampolining began in earnest in the early 1960s. In 1964, the first world championships were held in London, with Dan Millman and Judy Wills Cline of the United States becoming the first trampolining champions. In 1965, the International Trampoline Federation was formed and became the governing body of the sport, but in 1999, trampolining, gymnastics, tumbling and double mini-trampoline merged to become the International Federation of Gymnastics. Gymnastic trampolining became an Olympic sport in 2000 and the first gold medals were won by Russians Aleksandr Moskalenko and Irina Karavaeva. The trampolines used by current Olympic stars are high-tech versions of Nissen and Griswold's original design and, according to the West View Trampoline Community, they are capable of projecting athletes to heights of over 30 feet, allowing for multiple somersaults in the air.
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