This black-and-white photograph shows the Springfield College exhibition team performing with a parachute in front of a large audience. SC Gymnastics Coach Frank Wolcott first introduced the use parachutes to gymnastic exhibitions. The history of gymnastics at Springfield College stretches nearly as far back as the school’s founding in 1885. Leslie Judd, widely considered a father of modern gymnastics, was the team’s first coach. Dr. James Naismith, the creator of basketball, was an early member of the team. The Exhibition Team has appeared before thousands of spectators in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In fact, in 1941 the team appeared before thirty-five-thousand spectators in twenty-five cities. For biographical information on Frank Wolcott, see: https://springfield.as.atlas-sys.com/agents/people/54.
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