Trampoline Know-how: '4 x 4 is not for anyone with weak nerves!'
Apparatus developments and technical know-how in gymnastics are tightly connected to the total development of the sports form.
In a permanent exchange game the single disciplines place high requirements from competition and training apparati, like the apparatus manufacturers are in tight contact with the training and competition practices, as they can extremely influence achievement factors.
The newest example in trampoline gymnastics - the introduction"Time of flight" as the newest and third assessment criteria - also goes back to the constant improvement of the world best trampoline apparatus, as we found out from the President of the technical committee Horst Kunze and from the manager of the marketing leader "Eurotramp", Mr. Dennis Hack ...:
Development and risk and know how ...
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Dennis Hack, Manager of the German co. Eurotramp, whose apparatuses were not only in Beijing at the Olympic Games 2008 , but will also come to use in the upcoming European Championship in Varna (BUL) states: "Our tramponline "Premium 4 x 4" is, at the moment the most high-performance certified competition trampoline in the world!
'P r e m i u m 4x4'; FIG-tested!
Band width 4 x 4 mm...
In the measurements we were at the absolute achievement limit. Had the Premium 4 x 4 only been a little stronger, it would have failed the examination. In the past, the bands were 6 and 4 mm wide; today they are 4 x 4 mm wide, which displays clearly less air resistance."
<< The "4 x 4" is nothing for weak nerves!
The top gymnasts are however thrilled about the achievement increase and after a short period of getting used to the apparatus, they handle it well. Russia uses the sheets since a few months and they are amazed! Nigel Rendell from England says, ' that t will lift trampoline sports to a higher level....!' " - so Dennis Hack said.
Eurotramp introduces there with the most effective 4x4mm-vault sheet, which was ever certified by the Internationalen Gymnastics Federation FIG.
It offers for the "maximum allowed achievement" (see below) , such that the athletes reach the required exercise heights and can hold these with minimal effort and strength. No other competition sheet offers this level of effectiveness at the moment. For this reason the new 4x4 mm sheet will be implemented at all the World Cup events in the year 2010 aswell as at the trampoline European Championship in Bulgaria (Varna, end of April). ... so far Eurotramp!
To this, a few explanations...: The thrust properties of the used trampoline sheets are dependent on the used material, but also on their arrangement:
Latest one would use a honeycomb pattern with bands of 6 x 4 mm - as they were, for instance still used at the Olympic Games 2008, but for the World Championships in autumn, another 5x4-sheets will be used. But already for the European Championships in spring and for the 3 World Cups before the World Championships Eurotramp makes the 4x-hightech available for the athletes.
Dennis Hack in conversation with sports academicLudwig Schweizer (re.) (Uni Freiburg), responsible for certifications
Eurotramp-Chef Dennis Hack (li.) selbst prüft die Qualität seiner Geräte vor Ort, wie hier bei den Olympischen Spielen 2008.
By making the material of the strands thinner the amount of the reactive throwing power can be heightened, also by shifting the relationship band width - free space in between, which affects the air resistance. An unhindered increase of the thrust power of a tramponline sheet would however mean, that not only the measurable flight heights of the athletes, but also the risk of incontrol of the sports techniques and therewith the possibility of injuries also increase.
The resonsible sports federation for the regulations of a discipline - for instance the World Gymnastics Federation F.I.G., has to set reasonable boundaries, or limits.
* Pict. right>
much wanted FIG-certification stamp of the World Gymnastics Federation
TK-President Horst Kunze
The apparatus certification The President of the Technical Committee of trampoline gymnastics of the F.I.G, Horst KUNZE (Germany, Rinteln) states: "with the otherwise visually very similar builds, the sheet changes ofcourse feel very different for the competitors and lead to higher jumps for the top gymnasts. Ofcourse this cannot continue endlessly. Therefore the apparatus committee comes up with limit values. Apparatus, that pass these limits cannot be certified, so - are not allowed." The height limit in trampoline gymnastics is set as follows:
A bowl (weight: 60 kg with 40 cm diameter) is set to fall from a height of 4 m onto the sheet. The bounce then cannot go over a set measurement!
Horst KUNZE (FIG) said to the introduction of the new achievement criteria "F L I G H T T I M E" ** - see also >> GYMmedia-News 04th March 2010)
"The "Flight time" is measured of 10 jumps of an exercise each from leaving the sheet until contact is made again, by laser aided measuring instruments, so the pure flighttime. By intensive tests and measurements within the last 2 years, we came to the conclusion of adding this as a third objective, next to posture and difficulty.
This will lead to a much enhanced differentiation of the best, because in the past 1/10 mor or less were often dependent on luck or no luck and also subjectively tinted. The risk of one sided increases in achievement in the direction of extreme flight heights is not really fundamental in my opinion: This is limited by coordination of the jumps of the single athletes !"
Irina Karavaeva (RUS) - dreams of flying!
All in all an exciting development, of which the experts hope - with controlled risk - a better objectiveness of the achievements and a further increase in the attractiveness of trampoline gymnastics.
(c) Eckhard Herholz,
GYMmedia INTERNATIONAL
