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After entering the exercise room the appellant commenced the performance of some manoeuvres on the rings. This apparatus consists of two wooden rings suspended from the ceiling on parallel wires about eight feet from the floor and being about two feet apart. His classmate Chilton was standing by as a spotter whose function was to be present during the manoeuvre and to assist the person on the rings and, in the event of a fall, to catch the performer or at least to make contact with him and break the force of his fall. This function and the importance of spotters generally had been stressed by Jowett, and all witnesses called to give evidence on gymnastic matters agreed that spotters are essential to the safe conduct of these activities. There was evidence that the appellant’s class had been warned of the necessity of spotters and had received some instruction in their duties. They had also been told that a performer was to tell his spotter what he proposed to do from time to time, so that the spotter could position himself so as to be of service if required. The appellant finished his manoeuvre and dismounted from the rings. The spotter, who said that he considered the appellant was finished working on the rings, turned to leave and had moved away about fifteen feet when he saw “out of the corner of his eye” the appellant fall from the rings on his head. The appellant said that after finishing one manoeuvre and dismounting he had told the spotter that he intended to do a straddle dismount and, assuming that the spotter had heard and would be in a position to assist, he proceeded to do so. It should be noted that the trial judge rejected that aspect of the appellant’s evidence. He had never attempted such a dismount before—a manoeuvre that requires the performer, while swinging from the rings, to bring his legs up over his head and execute a backward somersault, releasing the rings at the appropriate moment, and to land on his feet on the mats below. He fell from the rings in the
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