Wheel gymnastics (German:
Rhönradturnen) is a form of
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 ...
that originated in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
. Wheel gymnasts do
exercises in a large
wheel or
hoop
Hoop or Hoops may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Hoops'' (TV series), an American animated series
Music
* Hoops (band), an American indie pop band
* ''Hoops'' (album), a 2015 album by The Rubens
** "Hoops" (The ...
known as the Rhönrad, gymnastics wheel, gym wheel, or German wheel, in the beginning also known as ayro wheel, aero wheel, and Rhon rod.
Wheel design
The large wheel consists of two circles in parallel, which are framed together with six spokes. Two are simple tubes, two are equipped with a handle and two have a footrest. The diameter of the wheel depends on the length of the gymnast, so that the gymnast can hold themself on the grips when fully stretched. The wheels are available from a diameter of 130 to 245cm. The wheels weigh between 40 and 60 kg. They are available in several depths and colors.
History
The wheel was invented in 1925 by
Otto Feick
Otto Feick (4 July 1890 in Reichenbach-Steegen, Reichenbach – 17 October 1959 in Schönau an der Brend) was a German people, German inventor and gymnast.
Biography
Feick was born in 1890, the son of a cooper. He worked as a locksmith a ...
in
Schönau an der Brend
Schönau an der Brend is a municipality with 1,378 inhabitants in the district of Rhön-Grabfeld in northern Bavaria, Germany. It consists of two villages: Schönau an der Brend and Burgwallbach.
Points of interest
* Gyrowheel Monument
The ...
. The grandson of a
blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
, Feick was inspired by the memory of an event from his childhood in
Reichenbach Reichenbach may refer to:
Places Austria
* Reichenbach (Litschau), a part of Litschau
* Reichenbach (Rappottenstein), a part of Rappottenstein
Germany
* Reichenbach (Oberlausitz), in Niederschlesischer Oberlausitzkreis district, Saxony
* Rei ...
, when he had tied sticks between two
hoops that his grandfather had made and rolled down a hill.
[
He filed for a patent as "wheel-gymnastic and sports equipment". He had invented the wheel in Ludwigshafen am Rhein 1920–1922, on the grounds of the VSK Germania, a sports club, of which he was the founding chairman. The patent was issued on 8 November 1925; the name "Rhönrad" has been registered and protected since 1926 (" Rhön" is the name of the mountain region where the wheel was invented).
The Rhönrad was featured at the GeSoLei ]trade fair
A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and ...
held in Düsseldorf in 1926.[
In 1936, this sport was shown at the ]Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...
in Berlin
Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...
, but was not presented as an Olympic discipline.
The focus of wheel gymnastics remains largely in Germany, but there are wheel groups in several countries and every 2 years the International Wheel Gymnastics Federation holds a World Championships competition.[ Former world champion wheel gymnast Wolfgang Bientzle moved from Germany to Chicago and runs his own company WHEEL JAM to educate and train people of every age to do Wheel gymnastics.][
]
See also
* Cyr wheel
* Sport in Germany
* Wheel of Steel
The Wheel of Death, in the context of acrobatic circus arts, is a large rotating apparatus on which performers carry out synchronized acrobatic skills. The "wheel" is actually a large space frame beam with hooped tracks at either end, within whi ...
References
External links
* http://www.usawheelgymnastics.com/
* http://www.rhoenrad.com/
http://www.rhonrad.eu/
Circus skills
Gymnastics
German inventions
Sports originating in Germany
1925 in sports
1925 in Germany
{{gymnastics-stub