Terence Michael Blake (19 October 1921 – 6 March 1998) was an early

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

trampoline A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched between a steel frame using many coiled springs. Not all trampolines have springs, as the Springfree Trampoline uses glass-reinforced plastic rods. People bounce o ...

pioneer. Following the development of modern trampolines in the USA by

George Nissen George Peter Nissen (1914 – 2010) was an American gymnast and inventor who developed the modern trampoline and made trampolining a worldwide sport and recreation. Background Born on February 3, 1914, in Blairstown, Iowa, Nissen became a ke ...

, Ted Blake was a major contributor to their nascence in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

and in developing International Competition for

trampolining Trampolining or trampoline gymnastics is a competitive Olympic sport in which athletes perform acrobatics while bouncing on a trampoline. In competition, these can include simple jumps in the straight, pike, tuck, or straddle position to more co ...

. In his early years Blake went to the Latymer School in London and on leaving there held a variety of jobs before joining the army in 1939. During war years he trained as a Physical Training Instructor, transferring from the

Essex Regiment The Essex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment served in many conflicts such as the Second Boer War and both World War I and World War II, serving with distinction in all three. ...

to the Army Physical Training Corps in 1941 and rose to the rank of Company Sergeant Major Instructor (CSMI) by the time of his discharge in 1946. For most of his army life Blake was based at the Essex Regiment's depot at Brentwood. Having left the army, Blake spent the next 3 years attending courses to become a teacher. Starting out at the Loxford School in Ilford,

Essex Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...

in 1949 he soon introduced a single second-hand Nissen trampoline. Whilst at the Loxford School, Blake developed a trampoline squad of sufficient skill that they were invited to do a demonstration at the

Festival of Britain The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair that reached millions of visitors throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951. Historian Kenneth O. Morgan says the Festival was a "triumphant success" during which people: ...

in 1951. Blake remained at Loxford School until 1956 when he left to establish the UK operation of Nissen. Blake subsequently became Managing Director for the Nissen UK business based at their factory in Hutton Industrial Estate,

Brentwood, Essex Brentwood is a town in the Borough of Brentwood, in the county of Essex in the East of England. It is in the London commuter belt, situated 20 miles (30 km) east-north-east of Charing Cross and close by the M25 motorway. In 2017, the p ...

. Together with Kurt Baechler of Switzerland, Blake was credited with the introduction of trampolining to Europe. Being passionate about trampolining he was not only involved in their commercial development but heavily involved in developing the competitive

framework we see today. It is likely that Blake was heavily involved in the UK National Championships which are credited, in 1958, with being the first televised national championships. In 1964 Blake organised the first World Championships (financed by George Nissen) which were held in the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. That same year, following these first World Championships, he attended an inaugural meeting of prominent trampolinists in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

to discuss the formation of an International Trampoline Federation. This was launched as the (FIT) in

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boro ...

in 1965 and Blake became its first Vice-President, a position he held until 1967. So influential was Blake at the time that three of the first four World Championships were organised by him and held in London - at this time they took place every year. Having delivered at the Senior level, Blake continued to be heavily involved in promoting competition, and in 1973 working with Bob Bollinger and George Nissen created the World Age Group Competition, which now runs alongside the World Championships every two years. Blake appeared, however, to not always be comfortable with authority and in 1972 was scathing about the FIT he had originally developed, questioning why it was so

bureaucratic The term bureaucracy () refers to a body of non-elected governing officials as well as to an administrative policy-making group. Historically, a bureaucracy was a government administration managed by departments staffed with non-elected offi ...

and

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

oriented in an international publication of that time. One of few Britons so honoured, in 1976 he was recognised by the United States Trampoline & Tumbling Association for his major influence on developing modern trampolining by being added to their Hall of Fame. Blake left Nissen in mid-1980 having spent many years staving off the pressure from Nissen's then-owners to cease manufacturing trampolines because of fears of litigation. They had previously ceased manufacture in USA many years before for this very reason. Blake continued to give talks and lectures, however and soon became a leading light in the UK Leisure Management Industry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Ted Brentwood (Essex town) 1921 births 1998 deaths Military personnel from London British male trampolinists People educated at The Latymer School British Army personnel of World War II Essex Regiment soldiers Royal Army Physical Training Corps soldiers