Acrobatic
Sports: So when you were developing double
mini tramp, you thought this was a 
replacement idea for the vault?
George
Nissen:Well that was one idea, but it was also
for another event in trampoline. We would take it to
shows and when we did demonstrations, like Egypt, we had a
double mini, and it was great for exhibitions.
Acrobatic
Sports: How did tumbling get involved in
Trampoline?
George
Nissen:In the 1930s tumbling was one of our
events in all our gymnastic meets; college, AAU, and even
Olympics. But then later, it was replaced by floor
exercise by the FIG and then USA gymnastic organizations
followed so as to conform with the Olympic events.
Then, when Sports Acrobatics was started as an
international organization, tumbling was one of the events
with its own set of rules based on the Russian and East
European Sports Acrobatic format. It was soon one of
the most exciting and popular events in Sports Acrobatics.
When the FIT (International Trampoline Federation)
realized this, they immediately began including a tumbling
event in their competitions. And for several years,
both organizations had a tumbling event with different rules.
Resolving this conflict was a problem that had to be
dealt with when they merged with the FIG to get into the
Olympics.
Acrobatic
Sports: So, how did the sport of tumbling get
started in the USA? I mean, you had trampoline and then
tumbling came into the sport later. How did that get
started?
George
Nissen:Really, we had tumbling in the Olympics
in 1932, when Rowland Wolfe won it, because
there was no free-ex then. It was out later because it
was not with those European classic traditional gymnastic
events. But even today, you can probably get many more
kids involved in tumbling than in any of the other gymnastic
activities. All you need are some mats. We had to
make competition for it. In Sports Acrobatics, they
could just run down the mat and do one pass. When I
went to school, it was the event that I really liked best.
We had longer passes, and we did five passes in a
competition.
Acrobatic
Sports: So, you took that type of tumbling
into the sport of Trampoline in the USA?
George
Nissen:Yeah. Then, the AAU (Amateur Athletic
Association) and the NCAA had a big battle for years as to
who was in control. The AAU had the national
recognition with the international FIT group, so they had the
power. They were amateur, and you had the
amateur/professional deal going on. So, they got the
deal. Some countries, like Japan, thought if you had a
paid coach, you were a professional!
Acrobatic
Sports: You mean, if I was a paid coach, my
athletes would be considered professional?
George Nissen:
Yeah!
Acrobatic
Sports: Oh, that is strict!
George Nissen:
Yeah, I know! They used that politically, like you had
the Democrats and Republicans. It was very political.
The best way I could stay out of the politics was to
make the best equipment I knew how to make, and not get
involved in the politics. I could have gotten more
involved when we first started trying to merge the trampoline
and Sports Acrobatics. They wanted me to be the person
in charge, and they thought I wanted to be president of the
whole thing, because that is how they thought politically.
To merge with Acro Sport was the plan and we knew if we
did, we could make it into the Olympics in Moscow.
Acrobatic
Sports: Was that 1980 or 1984? The ones
the USA boycotted?
George Nissen:
Yeah! I thought if we didn't get it there, they would
eventually start to split apart. So, we got the whole
thing set up and we got the Russians to OK it. They
sent the letter to the FIT in care of Ron
Froelich, but Ron didn't pass the letter around to
the rest of the executive members of the FIT, so they never
had a chance to even act on it. But then of course, the
USA boycotted the Olympics. However, 12 trampolines
were used in the opening ceremonies. Anyway, that is
how dirty the politics were.
Acrobatic
Sports: What was the primary goal of the
USTTA (United States Tumbling and Trampoline Association),
and what kind of governing power did they have?
George Nissen:
Well, you don't have much governing power over a sport
internationally unless you are recognized by an international
body. That USTTA was started in Cedar Rapids, with
Ronny Munn, and he was going to get it going
just to make a league and to have competitions not under the
college's NCAA or AAU. But then, it developed into two
split organizations, and one got International recognition
and the other didn't, so you have to get permission from the
one that is recognized to compete internationally. But
our purpose was just to get the sport growing!
Acrobatic
Sports: Yeah! And the USTTA did a good job of
getting it going. I remember we used to go to both
USTTA meets and AAU meets. Neil
Godbey, my coach, felt we should do both.
George Nissen:
That was the idea I had when we had AAU and USTTA. I
used to keep plugging the AAU to keep them going. So we
would have meets here and meets there. It was good for
everybody. It was like having General Electric and
Westinghouse; it was good for everyone!
Acrobatic
Sports: Your wife Annie was
an acrobat, and your daughters Dagmar and
Dian were involved in the sport of
trampolining. What was your family?s involvement
in the sport and in the Nissen Company?
George Nissen:
I was with the company, and I lived and breathed trampoline.
Annie was an acrobat, and I eventually
got her into the act, and we were doing a trio with
Frank LaDue. We went to Europe to
perform our trio trampoline act and to perform at many sport
functions and professional shows. She participated in
all our exhibitions. She never did real tough tricks,
but did some very beautiful and different routines. She
could do splits in the air. We performed at the
Gymnastrada and other big international sport
functions.
Acrobatic
Sports: So when you had the Nissen Company,
was she involved in the company?
George Nissen:
Not in a financial or manufacturing way. But she would
help with the clinics, and, of course, with
Dagmar and Dian.
Acrobatic
Sports: Did Dagmar ever
compete in trampoline?
George Nissen:
No, but she was very much a physical fitness person!
Acrobatic
Sports: And Dian did
compete; she competed at the same time I did [NB: She took
the 4th place at the 1976 World
Championship].
George Nissen:
Yeah, Dian did compete. She had
Eddie Cole as her coach.
Acrobatic
Sports: Oh! Eddie Cole
coached her. I did not know that! Did either of
your daughters get involved in the Nissen Company?
George Nissen:
Not more than doing shows. They were pretty much busy
with their school activities.
Acrobatic
Sports: Doesn't Dian work
with a trampoline program that helps people with arthritis?
It helps them with exercise and stretching?
George Nissen:
That is another deal I have to show you.
Acrobatic
Sports: Did you ever coach
Dian in trampoline or anyone else?
George Nissen:
Not much to say of! Only indirectly.
(George shows me a brochure of his
"Health-Bounce" trampoline for people to exercise on)
Acrobatic
Sports: I saw this trampoline at the gym I
work out at. They had them set up for the parents to
exercise on. They also had your Spaceball set up there.
I kept trying to get on it, but there was a long line
of kids waiting, and they kept telling me I was too
big!
George Nissen:
Yeah, you are too big! (Laughter breaks out)
Acrobatic
Sports: And Dian is working
with this "Health-Bounce" also?
George Nissen:
Yeah, Dian is in management at the San Diego
Tennis Club. It is a nice club downtown. She runs
their fitness program.
Acrobatic
Sports: What was known as AAU and USTTA
trampoline and tumbling in the USA has merged with USAG, and
the FIT merged with the FIG, how did you think those mergers
affected the sport?
George Nissen:
Well, it's all about the competition and international
recognition and the directors of them. Where there is a
big activity in trampoline and tumbling, and gymnastic is to
have the age-group competitions. We started going with
the age group competitions with the World age-group in
Hawaii.
Acrobatic
Sports: That was a great competition, just
loaded with competitors from other countries.
George Nissen:
There were other ones, but the age-group competitions are
what bring out the kids. Anyway, an association like
AAU or others like that, they don't care so much about the
participants, but only want the international recognition so
they can control the sport
Acrobatic
Sports: So, is that what it was about for the
USAG?
George Nissen:
Well, I don't know what they are now. They have control
through the international recognition. I am not up on
the grass roots with the clubs. If you would like to
take a little club and go to Mexico and compete with a
Mexican club, you can do that. But you can't say you
are a USA team unless they recognize you. They are very
jealous of that recognition. That's what the whole AAU
and USGF fight was.
Acrobatic
Sports: Do you think the USAG and FIG merger
was good for the sport?
George Nissen:
Yeah, I think it was. It is the final result of our 50
years of struggle to get it in to the Olympics.
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