Category: pits

History of the Ball Pit

Gymnastics foam pits were first. Ball pits soon after.

The invention of the ball pit (or “ball crawl,” as it was first dubbed) is widely attributed to Eric McMillan.

… In 1971, he was appointed chief designer of Ontario Place, an ambitious project that included a park, theme park, and the world’s first IMAX theater on newly built artificial islands just off the Toronto waterfront. Ontario Place was a visionary project, but it was missing something.

Striving for a more kid-friendly environment, the designer created The Children’s Village, a massive playground unlike any other, where youngsters could climb huge rope nets and soft pyramids, crawl through hanging tunnels, and jump on an enormous air mattress. “The Children’s Village opened in July 1972 …

McMillan did not install a ball pit in Toronto, however.

According to McMillan, that honor belongs to the ball crawl he installed in 1976 at SeaWorld Captain Kids World in San Diego, another of a handful of theme parks McMillan designed …

A brief history of the ball pit

How the indoor playground became a staple in our safety-obsessed culture

Gymnastics foam pit rescue

Do your Emergency Services know how to deal with a gymnast injured in a foam pit?

Thanks Avril.

Whistler Bounce Tramp facility closing

Pay for Play trampoline parks are far too dangerous, in my opinion.

People should do trampoline under supervision of qualified coaches.

Changes in insurance policies in Canada are driving some out of business.

Unfortunately, Whistler Bounce is one of them. This is the best and safest of any I’ve visited. It was custom built so snow sport athletes could learn flipping and twisting more safely than out on the slopes.

Popular trampoline facility Whistler Bounce was forced to close last month because of a dramatic rise in insurance rates, explains owner John Dunbar.

Whistler Bounce is closing down after almost seven years in business. …

Dunbar said that up until this year, insurance costs stayed relatively stable through the years of operation, at around $16,000 a year. But this year, that figure grew astronomically—to around $100,000 a year.

The decision to close was a “no brainer,” he said. “The decision was made for me. There was no way I could survive.”

According to a recent article in Canadian Underwriter, insurance companies are “jumping out of the trampoline business.” …

Despite their popularity, trampoline parks are not regulated in any jurisdiction in Canada …

Over at the Whistler Gymnastics Centre, however, they are not seeing the same dramatic uptick in insurance, though there have been gradual increases over the last 25 years.

“What’s different is that we have policies and procedures that we must follow, which our insurance covers,” said club director Tami Mitchell. …

Whistler Bounce closes its doors

Thanks James.