Trampoline park injuries cause jump in gymnastic and circus class insurance

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Finding a drop-in trampoline class or birthday party spot could get harder and more expensive, according to a business owner, after injuries at trampoline parks have left insurance companies a little jumpy.

Vancouver Circus School (VCS) owner Travis Johnson has had to remove the trampolines and bouncy castles from his Big Top Toddlers drop-in program and birthday parties. The second-generation gymnast says changes to his insurance policies could end up costing him up to 800 per cent more to offer recreational classes.

“It’s affecting a pretty large portion of my business,” he says. “My dad trained at the gym who invented the trampoline, so I’ve been around the block quite a bit with trampoline and it’s wildly upsetting to see my life’s work being attacked like this.”

His insurance, through SBC Insurance, doesn’t cover trampolines, while insurance through Gymnastics BC only insures students who are registered members paying fees. Gymnastics BC does not cover birthday parties, drop-in classes or circus classes.

Johnson says he understands why insurance rates may be higher at trampoline parks where customers are free to roam and do what they want within a set of rules, but anyone who attends his facility is guided by a trainer as part of a class.

“There’s educational trampoline and then there’s amusement trampoline and they’ve lumped us into one,” he says, adding it could also end up costing insurance companies in the long run. “Trampoline teaches so much when it comes to aerial awareness. We’re talking free-style skiing, stunts and anything about moving your body in the area. If trampoline can’t be taught or it’s really minimized, the amount of accidents later down the road is going to go up simply because people aren’t going to be trained as well as they should be for their activities.”

Johnson’s mother and Canadian National Trampoline Champion Valerie Johnson also runs her non-profit competitive trampoline club Shasta Trampoline out of VCS and he’s worried his ability to insure trampolines could put the program at risk.

Johnson expects he will have to replace drop-in classes with annual programs and he anticipates that will cause attendance to drop.

“It will be a smaller, dedicated group of students rather than the 1,000 kids that come through our facility a week,” he says. “If I’m going to charge a fee just to sign up, I’d like them to be there over the entire year. It’s obviously cheaper.”

In an email statement, Gymnastics BC says it is working with clubs and its insurance provider “to adapt to a new insurance reality.”

The statement says: “We are working collaboratively and constructively to find solutions that ensure the continued and enhanced safety of all participants while allowing our clubs to continue offering meaningful and fun programs, and to ensure our members are protected by a comprehensive and cost-effective insurance program.”