Trampoline History

How Trampoline & Mini Trampoline Came to Europe

In 1956 a Swiss economist, Kurt Baechler, who was an accomplished gymnast at the time, was working in Los Angeles, California, when he received a telephone call from the US Olympic Committee, asking him if he would be willing to help train the US Gymnastic team for the Olympic Games in Melbourne.

Kurt then spent the next few weeks at the training centre, working with the athletes each day for 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon, whilst carrying out his professional work between and after the sessions.

It was during one of the training sessions that Kurt was introduced to George Nissen of the NISSEN CORPORATION based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They became close friends and soon afterwards George asked Kurt if he would like to work for him and his company, introducing trampolines and mini-trampolines into Europe, with the exception of the UK, where Ted Blake was already at work with Nissen.

On 3rd January 1957, Kurt flew to Cedar Rapids, set up the goals, worked out a marketing concept, and signed for Nissen. (Also working for Nissen at this time, as a promoter, was former US gymnastic champion, Frank LaDue).

Trampoline in the United States at that time was in its infancy. More emphasis was put on (difficulty) whilst (form) was totally neglected. There were no set rules, and the sport was rather dangerous to say the least.

Kurt, together with Frank LaDue worked out a basic introduction to trampolining, stressing the form in relation to gymnastics and physiology. For competition they developed a similar evaluation system as in gymnastics in order to make it simple for the gymnastic judges to judge trampolining. They also introduced the ten skills only routine at this time, working in the beginning as in gymnastics with A, B and C skills, attributing each skill with 1 point, and the total routine, provided the difficulty requirements were fulfilled, with 10 points.

It was also at this time that Kurt, under the guidance of Frank began trampoline (training) with daily sessions lasting 3 hours at a time.

The first priority in introducing trampolining as a sport was to inform, demonstrate and teach, both trampoline and mini-trampoline, as well as obtain as much information on equipment and the sport as possible. National Sports Schools, Physical Educational Departments, National Gymnastic Federations, as well as TV, Radio and the Press from throughout Europe were contacted, along with retailers, wholesalers, and gym-equipment manufacturers who might be interested in handling the equipment.

In March 1957, George Nissen, Frank LaDue and Kurt Baechler set off by air for Frankfurt, where they hired a car and set off for the US Air Force base at Wiesbaden, to pick up their equipment which had been flown in by the US Air Force. The trampoline was loaded onto the car roof rack, and they set off for their first presentation in Europe, at the famous Sportschool in Koln-Mungersdorf.

After a number of demonstrations of basic moves, i.e. twists, somersaults, etc., it was the turn of the students to try. The presentation was finished with a general discussion. The reaction could be described as moderate-enthusiastic.

For the following three weeks demonstrations were held all over Germany and Switzerland, sometimes 2-3 times each day, 7 days per week.

At the end of the tour they returned to Cedar Rapids with a multiple of notes and new ideas, amongst which was making the round mini-trampoline square.

Four months later the second tour of Europe was underway, this time with a specially adapted roof rack fitted to a Plymouth Station Wagon, which allowed for the loading and unloading of the trampoline within minutes.

Kurt's home in Gumligen, Switzerland soon became the Headquarters of the newly founded Nissen Trampoline Corp. of Switzerland. Equipment was shipped in from the States to Basel where Kurt and his team assembled the trampolines and mini-trampolines before dispatching them off to their customers.

Whilst the new company was being set up Kurt spent a great deal of time traveling between Europe and America in periods of about 3-4 months, all the time giving demonstrations and promoting the new company at the same time.

In 1957, at the Institute of PE, in the University of Freiburg, Dr. Heinz Bracklein organized the first International Trampoline Clinic. It was the same Dr. Bracklein who later influenced the elementary school programme of trampolining in Germany, and with foresight helped to improve competition rules and also help in promoting the sport of trampolining throughout Germany.

Other national clinics followed in Switzerland, Belgium, France, Italy and Holland, with the assistance of such notable gymnasts as Pierre Blois in France (the same Pierre Blois who serves at present on both the FIT and IFSA Technical Committees), Klaas Boot (Holland), Fre de Waele (Belgium), and Figone (Italy), all former National Gymnastic Champions of their country.

The lecturing and teaching of trampolining soon began to show positive results. Soon the National Gymnastic Federations throughout Europe, plus a number of other organizations began to teach their own instructors, stressing the form and especially the safety aspect of the sport.

In 1958, after a trampoline competition in Zurich, the first international Nissen Cup was held in the town of Wasen, during the month of August, and today this event is a regular feature on the FIT international calendar with cities and villages throughout Switzerland bidding to stage this prestigious event.

During the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Kurt made available two trampolines for the training of the divers, and it was here that the Tunisian Army Sports School based in Le Bardo made an order for 36 trampolines, which Kurt delivered personally to Tunisia shortly afterwards, and taking advantage of the visit to hold a one week clinic for the national sports teachers.

It was also in the early 60s that competitive trampolining began in earnest throughout Europe.

Demonstrations of the new sport continued throughout the early days with main sporting fixtures being targeted, especially soccer matches and gym festivals, in fact, anywhere were there was a large sporting audience, like the large Nordseehalle in Keil, where Kurt, George and Frank performed in front of 15,000 spectators. The International Symposium for Physical Education, organized by Dr. Recla of the University of Graz, also included trampoline, with George and Frank demonstrating the different moves, while Kurt gave the commentary.

The German Gymnastic Federation at this time became of of the leading promoters of trampolining. It was this federation, which at the two Congresses of the FIG in Luxembourg and Copenhagen, proposed that the FIG should take the new sport under its wing. Despite a certain amount of interest amongst delegates, the the Swiss FIG President rejected the proposal.

Again, it was the German Gymnastic Federation in 1964 who invited all active nations in the sport to an informal meeting to consider the formation of an International Trampoline Federation. Soon after this meeting, the Federation was founded in Basel with the then Vice-President of the Swiss Gymnastic Federation, Rene Schaerer becoming the first President of the FIT, while the Germany, Dr. Heinz Bracklein headed the FIT Technical Committee.

One year later, George Nissen financed the first (at that time, unofficial, but later recognized) World Championships in trampolining, organized by Ted Blake, who at that time was the then FIT Vice-President, in the famous London Theatre, the Royal Albert Hall.

It was Bob Bollinger of Rockford, Illinois who revolutionized judging of trampolining, introducing a system that is still being used today (with only a few modifications) separating the difficulty from the evaluation of the execution.

Today, the sport of trampolining is known throughout the world. The FIT has more than 40 International Federations in Membership with more seeking membership each year.

The sport owes a great deal to the hard working promoters and the many organizers from those early days, and none more so than Kurt Baechler, Frank LaDue and George Nissen, and especially George Nissen, who never gave up in his quest to bring the sport of trampolining to Europe. He not only gave his full support to Kurt and everyone else promoting the sport in Europe, but actively took part in the promotional tours himself on a great many occasions. Although he was economically interested, George Nissen dad as much as anyone else for trampolining, and he showed great foresight in selecting Kurt Baechler to head his foray into Europe.

(The following article by Peter River appeared in the FIT News, April 1994)