Why I Hate My Rectangle Trampoline
Trampolines seem like a great investment for family fun and exercise. It allows everyone to get outside and take a break from their electronic devices for a few minutes. There are several main problems with them that cause concern however. The first is obviously safety. It is way too easy for someone, especially a young child, to take a spill and end up hurting themselves. Perhaps it is also easy for people to get hurt doing other normal exercise activities, but a trampoline seems to up the risk dramatically, especially on a rectangle trampoline.
The first problem is that the rectangular shape makes them inherently unstable. A strong breeze, or a strong, awkward landing could easily start the trampoline to start tipping over. This isn’t the case with round or square trampolines. These other shapes are designed to spread out the weight and force that might be encountered more evenly to prevent these stability problems.
Most parents are talked into purchasing rectangular trampolines because they are the same shape as professional trampoline used in jumping and trick competitions. It sounds really cool to tell people that you have an Olympic sized trampoline for your kids to jump on, but it is terrible logic to use that reason when you’re buying one. You didn’t put in an Olympic sized pool so that your kid could be a professional swimmer, so why would you buy a professionally sized trampoline? Do you really expect or want your kids to become professional trampoline jumpers?
The last problem with a rectangle shaped trampoline is that it seems impossible to find safety accessories. These safety accessories are absolutely necessary to prevent injuries and yet you can’t seem to be able to buy them anywhere. All you ever see in stores are trampoline pads and net enclosures for round trampolines. While that is helpful for people with the common round design, other people need safety accessories too.
