1932 Olympic tumbler Roland Wolfe
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Reminds me of some Cheer tumblers today.
Rowland “Flip” Wolfe will be recalled as the first and the only Olympic gold medalist in tumbling. He accomplished this feat at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. …
Had the International Gymnastics Federation recognized elements by naming them for one performer or another, a double twisting stretched back somersault might today be recalled as a “Wolfe”. He was the first to perform this element in the Olympic Games.
… Wolfe could also perform a double back. He related that he did not perform a double back in the Olympics since his coach was not a reliable spotter. He describes a pile of corrugated cardboard arranged loosely in one corner of the gym along with rags and other soft material. He would then attempt double backs into the corner!
… He had a famous teammate, Charlie Pond, who later coached at the University of Illinois.
World Acrobatic Society
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