Vol 3. #5 (June 1961) Japanese Gymnasts Visit Cedar Rapids

The Japanese men's gymnastic Olympic team won the team gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Now less than a year later, the all-star team was on a tour throughout the U.S.A. and you can bet that my father, George Nissen made sure the entourage made a stop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Everyone pitched in; from rolling out the red carpet at the airport, to a round of golf at the country club, to the traditional tour of the new Nissen Trampoline Company!

A crowd of 1500 packed into the Washington High School gym to watch a stellar gymnastic exhibition which included a special trampoline and tumbling show by several top U.S. athletes.

Here we have a great photo of the U.S. champions relaxing during the show. The photo includes:

            Ed Cole, University of Michigan (1959), 1959 NCAA Trampoline champion.

            Larry Snyder, University of Iowa (1963), 1960 National Trampoline Champion. 

            Dick Kimball, University of Michigan (1959) 1959 National Trampoline Champion

            and the Diving Coach at Michigan.

            Judy Wills, thirteen year old tumbling "wunder-kind" who was in Cedar Rapids just

            four months earlier touring with the Russian Olympic gymnastic team.

  

Bud Beyer (in the photo with George Nissen below) was an ace tumbler from the late 1930s and had been teaching at the University of Chicago. Now, in 1961 he joined the Nissen Company as Director of Promotions & Public Relations. Here is a LINK to nice article about Bud Beyer.

We also have a photo of a young 18 year old Gary Erwin. Gary became an athlete for the University of Michigan where he went on to win the 1963 & 1964 NCAA titles for trampoline. Following graduation, Gary won the 1965 World Trampoline Chapionships and then joined the Nissen Trampoline Company as a District Sales Manager.

Don't miss the small article on the page below that describes an exciting Nissen employee softball game. The pitcher, Paul Krider was my father's grade school P.E. teacher and was responsible for teaching Dad how to do a handstand. Years later, when Paul finally left the field of teaching, Dad hired him to work in sales and and as a liaison with the national school associations.  

But, what would YOU pay to have seen the "George Nissen front drop slide into first base?"

 Absolutely priceless!

 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!"