The History of Trampoline Gymnastics
Trampoline gymnastics is closely aligned with the power tumbling form of gymnastics. In the Olympic rules of trampoline gymnastics that predominate in the sport, competitors perform routines in a qualifying round and a final round. They must complete both a compulsory routine, which showcases specific, required skills, and an optional routine in the qualifying round, and an optional routine in the final. Judges dictate scores.
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Origin
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Larry Griswold and George Nissen, who were gymnasts at the University of Iowa, invented the modern, portable trampoline in 1936, sparking its entry into gymnastics as a competitive event. A trampoline gymnastics event was part of the gymnastics competitions of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) starting in 1947. Winners in the early years often were the competitors who managed to finish a routine without falling or collapsing in exhaustion, according to a history of the trampoline at JumpingonTrampoline.com.
International Interest
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Trampoline gymnastics began to gain an international foothold in the 1950's. It made its Pan-American Games debut in 1955 and began to catch on in Europe, partly through the work of Kurt Baechler of Switzerland and Ted Blake of Britain. Scotland became the first country to start a national federation for the sport in 1958. The inaugural Trampoline World Championships took place in 1964.
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Olympics
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The Federation Internationale de Trampoline, an international governing organization for the sport, was recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1985. Trampoline gymnastics became part of the Summer Olympic Games in 2000 at the games in Sydney, Australia. Two Russians won gold medals. Alexandre Moskalenko, a four-time world champion who had come out of retirement after a three-year absence from competition, was the men's champion, and Irina Karavaeva was the women's champion.
Power Tumbling
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Power tumbling relates to trampoline gymnastics because both focus on performing feats after launching yourself into the air from a surface. Power tumbling has a rich background in the United States, which has held a national championship in the sport since 1886. Initially, power tumbling was done on mats. Later, ski floors and spring floors were used to help the gymnasts elevate more. Today, fiberglass rod floors are the standard surface for the sport.
U.S. Participation
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The United States first recognized trampoline gymnastics in 1967, and the sport became part of USA Gymnastics in 1999, just ahead of its Olympic debut. Jennifer Parilla was the first U.S. gymnast to participate in the trampoline portion of the Olympic Games, competing in both 2000 and 2004. Logan Dooley became the first U.S. man to win a trampoline World Cup title in 2009.
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