Off Topic Trampoline parks: Super fun...or super dangerous?

[rjb123]

There is one that opened in our area and the kids are DYING to go. I have not agreed to take them for several reasons: First of all, one of the coaches in our gym gave me tons of details on exactly why they are dangerous, even for gymmies, and said that she was a gymnast, she raised college gymnasts, and she would never in a million years take kids to one. Secondly, DD2 broke her leg on a backyard tramp, which ended all non gym tramping for our family. Finally, I am a nurse and have heard that our organization opened an urgent care/ er around the corner from this place, and is literally slammed pack with broken bones (and worse!) during this places' hours of operation. My kids may think that I am a mean mom, but they do all their jumping at the gym.

 

[rjb123]

Oh, forgot my other compelling reason- my parents. Back in the day, where they grew up, they had trampoline in gym (PE) in school. Their PE teacher broke his neck and ended up a quad from it. He thought that he could just do "whatever" on a tramp, ((false sense of security no doubt!) and it literally changed his life. Now, I know that gymnastics and other sports are dangerous (I ended up with the blade of an ice skate in my skull at a competition at age 9!! Another girl kicked me in the head) but when properly supervised and used in the right way, you minimize risk of tramps. If you have ever been in these places, you will know that they are chaos. Like the mall at Christmas crazy. It is an accident waiting to happen! there is no "one at a time" and "safety stop" instruction going on. makes me anxious just to drive by that place!!!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

I felt like the 'mean coach' when I advised a parent not to purchase a beam for her DD's birthday, only to discover she got her a trampoline instead . Next time I'll help the parent find a beam.

bwahahahahahahahahahaha...could have been a Corvette!

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

I've been the mean mom for several years. My husband has wanted to buy the girls a trampoline for the past 5-6 years, I keep telling him over my dead body. If he suggests it again this year, I will definitely point him to all this nicely compiled info! I know in my gut that I would never agree to having one and I'm glad that my instincts in this were right.
As far as the trampoline parks go, we do have one in our area and it's fairly new. I haven't allowed the girls to go there, nor will I. I have already heard about several injuries and with one doing competitive gymnastics and one doing pre-professional ballet.... I would just be plain stupid to invite injuries that way! I heard about some older girls in dds ballet company going and I seriously doubt that the boss would allow that. Doubt my gymmies coaches would be pleased either! Accidents can happen any time, any place but we don't have to seek them out...

 

[iwannacoach]

............ a doctor for her father so the backyard trampoline will never be approved. Of course, her solution is to dig a pit in the backyard and have a trampoline at ground level............

I think that would make it really safe, as long as she dug the hole really deep and then covered the darn thing with a couple of feet of dirt.

ugh............but...........umm...........crap.......

Sorry, but I couldn't keep myself from separating your well learned conclusions from the rest of your post. Really, I mean it, because your comments frame the entire issue exactly as it should.

If any of you have a backyard trampoline just walk out there and stand next to it and ask it if it cares about your child's welfare...... and when it ignores you and refuses to answer........

just say crap.....

and then flip it over until you have time to take it apart.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

I'm on an iPad so I don't know if it's just me.... But I find it really funny that the on-page ad is for "top rated trampolines with free delivery and lifetime warranty"...!

 

[iwannacoach]

I'm on an iPad so I don't know if it's just me.... But I find it really funny that the on-page ad is for "top rated trampolines with free delivery and lifetime warranty"...!

Yeah? Well who's lifetime are they talking about....

 

[Faith]

Over the last few years backyard tramps have become very popular over here. They're seen as a good, convenient way of getting your kids some exercise, combatting obesity etc. Most people are convinced they're safe, they have nets so you can't fall off . Kid too fat? Throw it out in the backyard for half an hour to jump on the trampoline, get a good parent award without leaving the sofa .

I refuse point blank to get one. Quite apart from safety, the ones you get here aren't that bouncy, so you can't really get enough height to flip properly. So the ones that learn on home tramps have that appalling technique where they just throw themselves round by chucking their head back or chest down, so the flip is low and travels.

I keep telling DD that at best she'll end up with terrible technique, at worst something broken. But whoever the PR company is they are doing some job. Even other parents think I'm mean and denying my kids some fun exercise

 

[Natasha]

I have to admit we have a backyard trampoline. My daughter loves to lay on it and do her homework. I like to take naps on it. My dogs love to lay under it in the shade. Once in a while someone actually jumps on it- but not often since flipping isn't allowed. We, like many others thought that since we bought it with the net that it was "safe." We actually bought it years ago mostly for our 2 non-gymnastics kids to get exercise...
In the summertime my kids do love to put a sprinkler under it though and jump which is lots of fun- but only jumps and seat drops are allowed- and only one at a time.

 

[wgagym]

"Furthermore, SKY HIGH SPORTS employees have difficult jobs to perform. They seek safety, but they are not infallible. They might be unaware of
a participant’s fitness or abilities. They may give incomplete warnings or instructions, and the equipment being used might become loose, out of
adjustment, or malfunction. There is also a risk that SKY HIGH SPORTS employees may be negligent in, among other things, monitoring and
supervising use of its equipment and facilities and in the maintenance and repair of its equipment and facilities."

Wow!!

 

[MaryA]

Coaches, if you have one of these in your area, please just tell your team kids that they aren't allowed to go. I don't know about anybody else's kids, but for mine that would be all it would take. If I were to tell DD that she couldn't go to one of those places, especially if she was invited to one for a party, she would whine and cry and make me feel (again) like the meanest mom EVER. If her HC or Optionals coach was to tell her she wasn't allowed, she would obey unquestioningly. Optionals have a "no swimming before meets" rule (even though Dunno says it's a myth and the coaches have never really explained WHY they don't want anyone swimming before meets) and DD would never think of breaking it. Coaches hold a lot of sway over these kids!

 

[coachmolly]

Trampolines scare the daylights out of me. I just hate the darn things except for very basic things. I had a backyard trampoline for a few years growing up and only did what I knew I could do - jumps, standing tucks, beam series. I didn't have any problems with it, but I was also an overly cautious kid. I've seen too many kids in my years as a coach that think being on a trampoline means they can do anything they want without getting hurt. To this day I can't do much of anything on a trampoline, even at a gym with a very qualified coach. When I was working at a gym that was primarily a T&T program the HC wondered why I would do nothing beyond back layouts/front tucks on their very high quality tramps and gravitated towards the rod floor instead.
The idea of a bunch of trampolines strung together seems fun for most kids, but like other mentioned, there are so many kids, mixed age groups, and all doing different things- I just can't imagine how it would be safe. I have some friends that go to these types of places to play trampoline dodgeball, I can't imagine having balls flying around in there on top of everything else that is going on!
If your kid is really into trampoline, sign them up for a class at your gym. Or take them to a well supervised open gym- the T&T club I worked out held them frequently with constant supervision. I think it would be just as much fun for your team kids to have a game day in the gym with pit races and the like- and the coaches would be there to supervise.

 

[lhmom]

Coaches, if you have one of these in your area, please just tell your team kids that they aren't allowed to go. I don't know about anybody else's kids, but for mine that would be all it would take. If I were to tell DD that she couldn't go to one of those places, especially if she was invited to one for a party, she would whine and cry and make me feel (again) like the meanest mom EVER. If her HC or Optionals coach was to tell her she wasn't allowed, she would obey unquestioningly. Optionals have a "no swimming before meets" rule (even though Dunno says it's a myth and the coaches have never really explained WHY they don't want anyone swimming before meets) and DD would never think of breaking it. Coaches hold a lot of sway over these kids!

That's what DD's HC has done. Once I told her that this place was open, she told all the girls that it was off limits. I figured that this ban was better coming from her than from me where my child is concerned.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

and i'm sitting here this morning laughing with all of you, and with those that bought the tramps and were snookered in to buying the "safety" nets. bwahahahahaha.

the fact is, 99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 percent of ALL injuries on any trampoline take place in or near the center and ON the bed. the nets are what we refer to as a "false sense of security". this means, once they open fracture their tib/fib or elbow joint, all the little pieces will be contained in and around their bodies for the paramedics to put in a jar for the surgeon. you wouldn't want them flying off and losing all the valuable body parts in the grass would you?

and more dark humor. if you all read my tramp history...and you understand that tramp parks are not new...the next guy that opened up 4 years ago in Cali, and the 1st since 1965, owns another business and has a professional license.

can you guess what he and his son do??? wait for it...........................................................................

they own a funeral home and are morticians! now that's what you call a "cradle to grave" service brought to you by THESE trampoline park owners!!

 

[iwannacoach]

WAIVER AND RELEASE OF RESPONSIBILITY

Well after reading that bit of comedy I can only how.....

.........on behalf of myself, my spouse, my children, my parents, my heirs, assigns, personal representative and estate as follows:.......

is even remotely possible when many of the parties named have no knowledge of that documents existence, or that it was signed.

In this section I wonder if the essential qualities they care about preserving are the income derived and lifestyle enjoyed resultant from their investment in their business operation.

I understand that such risks simply cannot be eliminated
without jeopardizing the essential qualities of the activity.

And I find it appalling that these businesses know these activities will result in injuries, but allow them to take place to make the activity more tempting to kids who have no appreciation of the risks. I think it's a stretch to call these things assumed risk when there's no qualifying standard of wisdom for the kids at whom they've aimed their marketing efforts.

Participants often fall off equipment, sprain or break wrists and ankles, and can suffer more serious injuries as well. Traveling to and from trampoline location raises the possibility of any manner of transportation accidents. Double bouncing, more than one person per trampoline, can create a rebound effect causing
serious injury. Flipping and running and bouncing off the walls is dangerous and can cause serious injury and must be done at the participants own
risk. Similar risks are also inherent in using the Foam Pit

.

I wonder in which these employees are better trained: spotting hazards and irresponsible/vulnerable patrons, or the process of conducting the brief orientation sessions that "educate" the customers as part of the waiver and release process.

Furthermore, SKY HIGH SPORTS employees have difficult jobs to perform. They seek safety, but they are not infallible. They might be unaware of
a participant’s fitness or abilities. They may give incomplete warnings or instructions

I really wish the operators of these learn from this quick learning chalkbucket member.

ugh.......

......but.....umm......crap.......

Well said!

 

[mom2three]

I have to admit we have a backyard trampoline. My daughter loves to lay on it and do her homework. I like to take naps on it. My dogs love to lay under it in the shade. Once in a while someone actually jumps on it- but not often since flipping isn't allowed. We, like many others thought that since we bought it with the net that it was "safe." We actually bought it years ago mostly for our 2 non-gymnastics kids to get exercise...
In the summertime my kids do love to put a sprinkler under it though and jump which is lots of fun- but only jumps and seat drops are allowed- and only one at a time.

we have one also... And i'm totally okay with it. Funny thing is it helps my DD with her homework too. Especially practicing for spelling tests. She likes to jump in between me asking her words. Gets some energy out. And great exercise. Totally winded me after a few minutes. And yes, I did the research before buying and, gasp, was still okay with it. There's plenty of things other people let their kids do, that I wouldn't. To each his own, we all tend to get paranoid over different things, based on our own experiences. Most of the studies point to 3/4 injuries from more than one kid jumping at a time. DDs gym has a rule that no more than 2 kids can jump at one time. Our home rule is one and it's supervised. So to answer the OPs question, we avoid the trampoline parks because they're crazy. They might have rules that state no flipping, only one kid on each tramp, etc, but they don't tend to follow them...

 

[Deleted member D3987]

hold on a moment mom2three. are you telling me that your gym allows "no more than 2 kids can jump at one time"?

if so, a clear violation of standard in our industry. don't ever say the name of your gym cause they will certainly lose their insurance.

(okay Dunno, don't lecture he says to himself while pulling on his hair on both sides of his head . )

geesh...

 

[mom2three]

hold on a moment mom2three. are you telling me that your gym allows "no more than 2 kids can jump at one time"?

if so, a clear violation of standard in our industry. don't ever say the name of your gym cause they will certainly lose their insurance.

(okay Dunno, don't lecture he says to himself while pulling on his hair on both sides of his head . )

geesh...

Yep, totally! Obviously not flipping, there wouldn't be enough room, but jumping, yes! You can lecture if you want, but i'm not sure if they're on here to see

Edited to add: of course I don't agree with the policy, just stating the irony that 3/4ths of injuries occur with more than one child, and the "supervising" gym still allows it.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

gotcha. understood. the ironies of life and gymnastics. or is it gymnastics and life. or are they synonymous...

 

[Aussie_coach]

Well we only have one of those places in the whole country and it is over a 20 hours drive from where we live. So that is a relief.

It sounds really fun, I would love to go to a place like that. But I would dread my gymnasts going or non trained gymnasts. They would just get too overexcited and try things that are not safe. Kids can't judge at what speed another person is coming at the, as well.