Trampoling experts?

[seeker]

My dd is 11 and she trampolines quite seriously - she does competitions and things. She goes to two local clubs. They both seem very well run, I am happy with the coaching, the supervision and so on. But club A seems to have more accidents. In the past year there have been, I think, three broken bones and last week someone was taken to hospital with a suspected dislocated shoulder. Dd has had a couple of nasty falls - no bones broken, but winded and shaken - and all at the same club. As far as I know, there have been no accidents at club B.
Is club A just unlucky?
Does anyone know whether this is normal in trampolining? I know absolutely nothing about it as a sport- as far as I am concerned it's something you pay a shilling to have a go at on the beach!

It's possible they have been unlucky, but i think i would go and take another look at their set-up.

I trampolined seriously for years and our club never had broken bones, we had the odd winding/sprains but never anything serious. The coaches were quite strict and we had quite a few rules on club behaviour

Have you talked to your dd about this club? How does she feel about the safety aspects and general supervision?

good luck

Thank you - I knew there would be someone on here who could help! Could I be very cheeky and ask you for some ideas about what to look for? To my untutored eye it looks fine - good behaviour strictly enforced, nobody allowed to do somersaults until they've been passed by the coach as capable. And the children are very conscientious about "spotting" for each other while waiting their turn. Thank you in advance!

shinyhappytonks - are you about?

plaintive bump

Hi Seeker,

Sorry, RL has been very busy recently.

If it was me i would look at the number of coaches to kids. Do they look/sound confident/competent. Do the kids take notice of what is being said, or do instructions have to be repeated.

Are the 'go's timed or do they let the kids bounce until they are possibly overtired ? Is there safety rigging for somersaults? What condition are the mats in (holes, ripped patches, thinness), are there plenty? Have the kids been taught how to 'spot' properly. How are the trampolines laid out?

If its possible i would go and visit club B first, see if you can stay for the session and observe what goes on. Try and get a feel for the coaches and what they are doing. Then go and see club A. It may be obvious the differences, or you may find no difference - in which case club A may well have been unlucky.

Also, does club A cover a wider/narrower range of talent. It is possible that if they are all of the same standard or higher, that the tricks that they are doing are inherently more dangerous than a club that is more geared to 'tuck' jumps

Hope this helps

Thank you - sorry, didn't meant to badger you! I actually stay quite often at both clubs - too far to go home and I value some time with a cup of tea and a book. Both clubs meet your criteria and more - I am very happy with both of them. I think you're right - club A does have a wider range of abilities and they do tend to do well supervised harder stuff - I hadn't thought about that before. I think that club A has just been unlucky, but I will keep an eye on it.

By the way, is that move really called ` byriani?!

It is worth keeping a check on- I went to a school where there was a serious tramplining curriculum (ie the sports teacher coached the UK side at the time and it was all we ever did LOL) and ended up with serious enough back injuries that for 3 months in my twenties I couldn't walk further than my front door, and the injury (severe spinal disc scarring) is still dormant and always will be a risk. That was as a result of being 'pitched' against somebosy in competition and being allowed to continue far beyong my fitness level.

Oh Lord - now I'm worried again! Why can't dd love cross stitch or something safe like that!

Hi Seeker,

Cross-stitch is dangerous too sharp needles and all that !

Don't worry unduly - yes, it can be dangerous but if it is well coached and supervised, not unduly so. Just remind your daughter to never get overtired, bounce when she is unwell, and stay within her comfort zone.

If you mean a front somersault with a 1/2 twist, then its a 'barani'

One of my favourites was a 'baby fliffus' !!!!

Take care,
em