It was a visit to the circus that gave George Nissen the idea to build a tumbling device, later known as the trampoline. Today, trampolining is a highly competitive sport, where athletes leap 30 feet into the air, performing twists and somersaults. But it took Nissen four decades to see trampolining become an Olympic event. He got that chance at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney with his daughter, Dian, a national champion. The World’s Rebecca Kanthor has the story of the man who taught the world to bounce.
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