My First Trapeze Class!
Sunday, April 17, 2011 
My sister was in town for the weekend, so we figured why not try a trapeze class? Even though I'm not the biggest fan of heights, I'm adventurous... After all, I've gone swimming with seven shark species, photographed manta rays from an open-top airplane, encountered venomous snakes in the rainforest and tracked a herd of elephants in Malaysia. Plus, growing up I was part of a competitve gymnastics team and, in my adult years, I've been a regular pilates student. So a two-hour trapeze class? Piece o' cake, right?
Yeah, not so much. Flying on the trapeze was one of the most TERRIFYING and THRILLING things I've ever done...
When we arrived at Trapeze School New York, I was completely taken back by how HIGH we were going to be in the air. The platform is 23 feet above the ground! We began class by getting fitted with a harness and learning about trapeze safety (fastening lines, climbing the ladder, holding the bar, jumping off the platform and landing on the net). My sister was a trapeze master from the start...
After our ground level introduction to our first swing, it was time to try out our skills in the air. The first tricks we were going to attempt was to swing out, hook our knees on the bar, release our arms and hang upside-down for another swing, get back to the standard position and then a dismount to the net. Thank goodness I wasn't first in line or I might've had a panic attack at the thought of swinging upside down from that high. Um, and please note that there were several young kids in our class!
But I chalked my sweaty palms and up the ladder I went, my heart was pounding in my chest. When I got to the top of the platform, a member of the staff adjusted my safety lines and reminded me to follow the verbal commands on cue.
I was absolutely terrified, but there was no time to think before my first swing. I jumped off the platform on command, flying through the air, trying to listen for cues and react without hesitation...
When I finally dropped to the net forty seconds later, I couldn't believe I actually survived my first trapeze swing. And even though I was scared, it was actually fun. As we improved on each swing, the staff taught us more advanced tricks, like a BACKFLIP dismount and a CATCH.
At first it felt like we were moving too quickly. Did the staff realize I was still completely clueless? But they were right – I was ready, even though I didn't know it at the time. I just had to listen and follow the commands.
I'll admit, I never got over the fear of swinging through the air, even though we had a safety harness on the whole time. But it was a complete adrenaline rush, and it felt awesome to try something so new and exciting. My sister had great flying form – check out her pointed toes and perfect tucks!
Today my ENTIRE body is sore – especially my abs and back muscles. And I'm already thinking about signing up for another trapeze class... Part of me is afraid of what other crazy, terrifying tricks they'll make me do! But the other part is thrilled with the feeling of accomplishing something I never thought I could do in a MILLION YEARS.
Would you like to see our trapeze highlight reel from our first class? Here you go!
5 Comments | tagged New York City, USA, challenges, community, culture, family, flying trapeze, personal, sports, travel | Share Article | Tweet | in fitness
Reader Comments (5)
congrats!! good for you! it's alot harder than it looks, I think. I tried it at Club Med vacation a long time ago...i couldnt let go to do the leg hook thing.
So cool! You're so brave. I'm not sure I'd have the guts to do this because I usually hate the feeling of falling (which is why I avoid roller coasters). But you make it look so fun and effortless! :)
How cool!! I would love to do a trapeze class!
COOL! Zoe just asked, "can I do that?" Great jobs SILs ;)
Friend! You never cease to amaze me. What fun! I wonder what mischief my 3 girls when get into together :) Great post, loved the video!! You look like a natural! Much love!