Wheel Gymnastics is one of the more recent competitive disciplines in gymnastics. It has been represented in Norway for approximately 10 years.

History:

The first Rhönrad (gymnastic wheel) was made in 1925 by a German railway worker called Otto Feick. The first international competition took place in Germany in 1930. After the Second World War it took some time before wheel gymnastics regained popularity, but from 1959 activity started to increase in Germany. The first European Cup was held in 1990. In 1995 the international wheel gymnastics federation, IRV, was founded and the first World Championships were held in the Netherlands. Since then the championships have been held every second year:

* 1997 Antwerp, Belgium

* 1999 Limburg, Germany

* 2001 Liestal, Switzerland

In 2003 Norway and Lillehammer have been awarded the championships.

INTERNATIONAL WHEEL GYMNASTICS

Wheel gymnastics is represented in the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, England, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States of America.

In Norway wheel gymnastics is a growing sport both in terms of the number of gymnasts and the geographic spread of the clubs. The most active clubs are in Bergen, Rygge, Skjåk, Sandefjord and Hadeland.

What does a wheel look like?

The wheel consists of two PVC-covered steel rings approximately 2.10m in diameter. These are joined together by 50cm long steel rungs. While the wheel rolls along the floor, the gymnast inside performs a variety of gymnastic and acrobatic moves.

COMPETITIVE DISCIPLINES

There are three competitive disciplines in wheel gymnastics:

* Straight-line

* Spiral

* Vault

STRAIGHT-LINE

The wheel is in continuous motion. While the wheel rolls in a straight line backwards and forwards along the floor, the gymnast performs a variety of moves inside the wheel.

A competition routine must contain at least eight wheel rotations plus a dismount. Each move can have a difficulty value ranging from A to D, A being the easiest and D the most difficult.

SPIRAL

The gymnast tips the wheel onto one of its rims and rolls on one rim throughout the routine (changing from one rim to the other several times during a routine). The wheel moves in a spiral and the gymnast performs gymnastic and acrobatic elements in the moving wheel.

VAULT

The wheel is set in motion by the gymnast, who then runs and jumps onto the moving wheel.

From the top of the wheel the gymnast performs a vault down onto a crash mat. The vault can vary from a simple stretch jump to a complicated somersault.