Another Estonian Innovation: Kiiking!

Dave Kiil

As a youngster on the island of Saaremaa, I remember watching older kids gathering by the village swing (kiik) to show off their prowess trying to turn 360 degree revolutions. A few of years ago, during a visit to my childhood playground, our family group tried out a large wooden platform swing in the Village of Lümanda. We didn’t do any 360s but everyone, especially the younger and braver souls, enjoyed the experience.

While the venerable wooden swing is still around it now has a spin-off in the so-called changeable metal swing. An Estonian, Ado Kose, is credited with the development of the trapeze-like version in 1997. This means that the length of the shaft can be increased; however, the longer the shaft, the harder it is to accomplish a full rotation.

During competitions, the swinger attempts to complete a 360-degree rotation while fastened to the shafts of the swing for safety reasons. The men’s world record is 7.02 metres, (the shaft is 7.02 metres long!) whereas the women’s record is 5.91 metres. Both are held by Estonians and have been accepted as Guinness World Records.