Trapeze

I wasn't much of a "dreamer" as a kid but we often went to the circus and I always wanted to fly on the trapeze. The swinging. The flying through the air. The catching. The bouncing on the giant net. Yes. I have always wanted to do it.

Well, thanks to the wonders of Groupon I recently took up trapeze. It is the most amazing thing I've ever done (next to marrying my husband and birthing my children). After seeing it come up for the tenth time in a couple years on Groupon, I turned to my husband last February and said "Once I lose more baby weight, I am going to do this." He said "ok."

The universe then sent me a new friend, Kristin, mother to Brady who was rapidly becoming Harrison's new best friend at school. After meeting up for a play date, I discovered that Kristin loved to trapeze and had been about eight times in a few years. I now had a partner in crime.

Veteran's Day Weekend I finally went to my first class and caught my "Knee Hang" trick. I immediately bought two more classes, I was already addicted. By November 30th I was back for more and managed to catch my "Heels Off" trick, although one handed (poor dude catching me, you can hear them say I was "late" jumping off the platform).

On Sunday evening (right after the Seahawks won the NFC championship), I donned my Seahawks 12th Man socks, hopped in the car with Kristin and caught my third trick, the "Straddle Whip." It took me some time to figure out the correct position to balance in the straddle upside down and on a couple of practice turns I was sure I would have serious net burns from landing with my face before my torso hit the net!

Oddly I also suffered a "snake bite;" I was whipped by the end of the the rope used to spot a flyer in a harness as I was standing in the safe zone on the sidelines watching. A very experienced flyer came down to land in the net and didn't need to be slowed down on the fall and the rope just whipped through the dude's hands and the tail of it lashed out at me. Evidently it doesn't happen to bystanders often, usually to the dude holding it. Lucky me! Not to worry, I think I literally signed my life away on some legal document.

Notwithstanding minor injuries and a many, many sore muscles and ripped up hands, I LOVE TRAPEZE.

I seriously day dream about it.

I can't get enough.

I refer to it as "trapeze crack." I never want to go to rehab.

Here is the Knee Hang, sorry the first minute nothing is happening, i need to learn how to edit videos properly.

Heels Off:

Straddle Whip:

P.S. I haven't nailed landings yet (enjoy my "ooof!"?). You can't really practice them because it's not the same until you are in someone's arms and released and once you catch your trick, you're lesson is basically over. They did teach me the basics of my next trick, so stay tuned for the "splits!"