Facts On Trampolining

The trampoline was invented in the United States. The word trampoline comes from the Spanish word "el trampoline," which means diving board. To enjoy yourself on the trampoline, stand in the middle and start jumping. To prevent trampolining injuries, follow safety precautions such as placing the jumping surface at ground level and only allowing one person to jump at a time.

Basics

Use the trampoline for gymnastics and recreation. The area for the jumper is piece of strong non-elastic fabric stretched taut over a steel frame. Coiled springs surround the fabric and attach it to a frame. When the jumper jumps on the trampoline, it propels him into the air.

Inventor

George Nissen of Blairstown, Iowa, is credited with inventing the trampoline. When Nissen was 16 years old, he began building prototypes for the trampoline. While attending the University of Iowa, he built the first successful model and took it to a summer camp where he was a counselor. An experienced gymnast, Nissen and two friends formed a performance group called the Three Leonardos that used the trampoline in their act. In the late 1940s, Nissen started his own company to manufacture the trampolines.

Olympics

The Syndey 2000 Winter Olympic Games marked the inaugural year for Olympic trampolining. Recognized as a gymnastics event, Russian Irina Karavaeva won the first gold medal in this event. Oxana Tsyhuleva of Ukraine won the silver medal and Karen Cockburn of Canada took home the bronze.

Mini-Trampolines

Mini-trampolines are also called rebounders. Fitness enthusiasts use this smaller version of the trampoline to workout. Jumping on the rebounder allows the jumper to get a low-impact cardiovascular workout that also targets the lower body and abdominal muscles.

Injuries

Medically treated trampolining injuries occur at a rate of 246,875 per year in the United States, according to the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons. People ages 14 and younger represent 186,405 of these annual injuries. In 2004, more than 89,000 went to the emergency room for injuries related to trampolining, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Most trampoline injuries occur during the spring and summer, with 90 percent of these injuries occurring at home, according to the Hasbro Children's Hospital in Rhode Island. Most trampolining injuries occur when multiple jumpers collide with each other. Other common ways for injuries to occur include attempting tricks such as somersaults, falling off the trampoline and falling into the frame or springs.