Issue # 29 (Aug 1, 1959) Sir Edmund Hilary Bounces on a Nissen Trampoline

1959 is turning out to be a remarkable year for the Nissen Trampoline Company.

As always, there was a lot more activity going on behind the scenes than reported in the newsletters. Captions and photos provide a few hints...so to keep my blog readers up to date I've made a few additions and comments of my own.

Mr. Yamaguchi's (representing the Senoh Company) visit to the factory was just one piece of my father's plan for expanding the world of trampoline into Japan. 
For while Mr. Yamaguchi was in Cedar Rapids...we were in Tokyo!

By invitation of the Japan Gymnastic Association, the All Japan Intercollege Gymnastic Federation and the Asahi Shimbun (a large Tokyo newspaper), the "USA Rebound Tumbling Team" followed a whirlwind schedule providing 14 trampoline demonstrations throughout the country. 





Frank Endo was instrumental to the tour's success as well as the future of trampolining in Japan.
He did all the planning and detail work for our successful tour of Japan and went on to serve as an international gymnastics judge and officiate at the Olympics...here is a LINK to read more of his interesting life.

Just a few short years later, and with assistance of another notable: Phil Drips (a former member of the USA Navy Starflights Trampoline exhibition team) negotiations began with the Senoh Gymnastics Company to have Nissen Trampolines manufactured in Japan. 
 

YMCAs across the country continued to purchase trampolines for their youth programs. Seizing the opportunity to support this interest  my father and Frank LaDue personally taught the special session on "rebound tumbling" at the YMCA Physical Director's meeting in Estes Park.

(Remember, the lawsuit on patent and trademark infringements was still in progress in Chicago, so all references to the "trampoline" were now "rebound tumbling.)

In July, the "Nissen Trampoline Demonstration Team" was invited once again to attend the National Swiss Turnfest in Basel, Switzerland. Following the trip, Frank LaDue provided the Modern Gymnast magazine with photos and a colorful report of his experiences. 

Excerpt:
"It is impossible for an American to compare this event with anything we know of our own Gymnastic gatherings. The only things which we have encompass such a large number of people are the Rose Bowl festival or the Indianapolis Memorial Day Race. The big difference, of course, is that in these American events,  the majority of people attending are spectators, while here in Switzerland, the largest number come as participants." (Modern Gymnast, Sept/Oct 1959).

Mass calisthenics (Photo: Frank LaDue, Modern Gymnast - Sept/Oct 1959)

Sectional competition Bern Berna Turnvereine under the direction of Franz Meyer  (Photo: Frank LaDue, Modern Gymnast - Sept/Oct 1959)

Even Sir Edmund Hillary, who along with Tenzing Norgay was the first to scale Mt. Everest six years earlier in 1953, was caught on camera training on the trampoline.

July-August was traditionally the time employees take their much needed family vacations, and many at Nissen's were able to do this. But the increasing volume of sales and shipments caused four special folks to forgo their vacations, notably:Nadine Boll (office manager), Gen Downing (accounting), Gail Smith, Janice Huffman and Willie Holub (shipping).

 

Do these newsletters spark a memory? You are invited to share your own stories and comments below.

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"Nissen's - - a great place to work!"