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1913: Gymnastics Festival in Leipzig, Gymnastics
at the "Schwebekante" |
The Swedish Gymnastics (Pehr
Hendrik Ling; 1776 - 1839) integrates the balance
beam ("Balansribba"), too. R. Gasch calls it "Schwebekante"
(floating edge) and counts it to the main apparatus. Balance
exercises on this beam, that was combined with the "Schwedischen
Bank" (Swedish bench) is part of the "basic plan of
daily Swedish exercises".
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Physical Education:
Swedish Bench |
Later on this (low) balance beam was taken over into school's physical
education by German followers of Ling's system, (Hugo
Rothstein; first director of the Prussian Central Institution
of Gymnastics in Berlin), even though Rothstein lost influence because
of the "quarrel about bars" in 1863. Gymnastics pioneers Spieß
(1810 - 1858) and Kloß
(1818 - 1881) thought highly of this low balance beam as apparatus for
girls' gymnastics.
Still the long Swedish bench with its as balance beam constructed lower
part is part of the basic equipment of school gyms. The balance beam
became an apparatus used all over the world.
As competition apparatus
this low and narrow balance beam was never used.
When the German female gymnasts carried out their first national championships
in Leibzig in 1921, there was gymnastics on high bar, parallel bars
and vault, but no gymnastics on beam.
There was no change until 1934. Then, balance beam was integrated in
the programme of the world championships in Budapest - the first women's
world championships in history. There the beam - which was still known
as "Schwebekante" - was only 8 cm wide, so that it was a remarkable
feat of Hungarian Gabi Muzaros
who mastered a split on this narrow edge. The Italian 14-year-old
Elda Lividino stood far out of the
competition field with her 9,55 points and led a new way of rhythmic
art of gymnastics with her compulsory routine.
From now onwards balance
beam became a standard apparatus in women's international competitive
gymnastics. The routines tended
to include an increasing number of acrobatic elements. As a consequence
the wish for firmer foothold grew permanently stronger to enable gymnasts
to perform more difficult leaps and rolls.
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surprising that the beam's surface was widened from 8 to 10 cm.
Its sides were slightly rounded so that the middle of the beam
measured 13 cm in diameter. Now, a perfect stability of the
apparatus was necessary. The balance beam was not supposed "to
vibrate on the stands during usage" as it says in the little
Book of Norms "Measures, Regulations and Forms", edition
1965, page 30. The beam had to be adjustable between 0.80 and
1.20 m, in distances of 50 mm. However, the competition height
was generally 120 cm. Its length is defined as 5 m; and that it
is still today. |
1952: British Olympic preparation,
Margaret Neale
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The stability of the
5 m long beam had to be ensured
as well as a certain elasticity that is described in this regulation:
"At a height of 1200 mm and with a testing load of 135 kg in the
middle of the beam it is ought to bend a maximum of 8 mm" (Book
of Norms, edition 1965, page 31). Such precise regulations highly guaranteed
uniformity for international competitions; everywhere in the world the
balance beam secured equal opportunities which is one of the basic laws
of any fair competition in Olympic artistic gymnastics. The acrobatic
coined gymnastics on beam challenged designing engineers as well as
people responsible of the International Federation of Gymnastics.
In the Sixties it was mainly the then president of FIG, Artur
Ganthe, who demanded in the "supplementations..."
to the Book of Norms a purpose orientated design (especially in consideration
of the new and more difficult kinds of moves), better stability and
transportability, and in the interest of safety enough mats on the free
space beneath the beam.
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1964: Worldpremiere
of the
back flip, Erika
Zuchold (GDR)
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The tendency
of performing acrobatic elements on beam started with the courageous
deed of Leibzig's Erika Zuchold and her coach Ellen
Berger at the latest: Zuchold being the first
woman in the world to perform a back flip on beam (1964).
The technical
consequence following
these demands were already put into practise at this time: There
were four instead of only two stands as underconstruction (Book
of Norms 1965), two of them were installed at the beam's ends;
the two inner ones in a distance of only 75 cm to the end to
increase stability to a maximum.
Sheath
and elastic overlay on the beam's surface: In 1965
it was not mentioned yet. It did take seven years to
get the official agreement for a padded beam at the
conference of the women's technical committee in Stuttgart
(1973).
1987:
Original neckstand, 1/1 rotation >>
Daniela
Silivas (ROM)
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When somersaults and
free handsprings on beam became
increasingly standard, improvements of the beam had to follow as it
is stated in this demand, for instance: "The beam must have an
elastic overlay... In spite of a certain elasticity it has to ensure
a safe footstand and good balance. The sheath must be tearproof as well
as grippy and firmly fixed to the beam" (Book of Norms by FIG).
It is commendable that the beam's width of 10 cm was not changed despite
the progress in acrobatics with risky somersaults and handsprings.
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But
in times to come main emphasis should again be directed to further
progress of aesthetic, rhythmics, and expression. And: The surface
of the beam had become more "humane"! The hard wood
was replaced by an elastic overlay consisting of foam rubber (6
mm), plywood (5 mm) and the sheath of which it says in the Book
of Norms (edition 1974) that it must consist of an "appropriate
material of high firmness" "that allows a certain gliding
of the feet as well as good footstand and balance, and is hygroskopic
enough to take in a certain moisture."
<<
1981: First back flip as mount, Maxi
Gnauck
(GDR)
1991:
Aesthetic, Rhythmics, Expression -
Svetlana Boginskaya
(URS) >>
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In 1974 only "safety of footstand"
was mentioned, but in 1979 this safety is defined more precisely: Then
it says: "...To prevent injuries after falls the surface must be
designed to give in at least 5 mm at the maximum loading capacity at
the point of load incl. edges". The risk of injury is explicitly
mentioned: "The ends must be padded to prevent injuries.
(Translation/Webdesign:
Florian Schmid-Sorg)
| The
official WCh-Beam of Janssen&Fritsen: |
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Sources: "Der
Vorturner", 1927/28; "Das Turnjahrhundert der Deutschen",
Götze/Herholz: Beckmanns Sportlexikon A-Z, Leipzig, Wien 1933;
"Deutsche Turnzeitung", 1901; "Neue deutsche
Turnzeitung", 1961, J. Leirich; "Geschichte der
Turngeräte", J. Göhler/R. Spieth; "Mondsalto",
gymbooks Verlag 1994, A. Götze/J. Uhr; "FlickFlack...",
Sportverlag Berlin, A .Götze/H.-J. Zeume; "The History
of British Gymnastics", 1988 by BAGA.
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