Matt Miller was the one who turned me on to this technique. It's how they put together 65 boats at the worlds without shredding their hands.

Note that 1) My trampoline is relatively new ('98). It's also heat welded mesh (no stiching to tear out) and 2) the second picture was taken before the tramp was tightened and the mainsheet released. The sidebars do spring back some. They're not as bent as you might think - the perspective of the photo exaggerates the bend.