(Yes, that’s a picture of me!) I took a beginner level Flying Trapeze class at Trapeze School New York (http://newyork.trapezeschool.com/). It was amazing! Initially, when I saw the school from across the street, I almost chickened out. “What was I thinking” ran through my head as I hesitantly approached the Pier. Fortunately, it looked a lot less scary up close and the school had the most beautiful views of the sky and the city. “I can do this,” I kept telling myself.
When the class began, there was an instant sense of camaraderie amongst all of us first-timers. (Classes are small – no larger than 10 people – so that each person can get individual attention.) Our instructor Jeff gave us some brief safety rules; demonstrated what we would (try to) do; and tightly put on our safety belts. After marveling at my pre-baby looking waist, I realized that it was time to fly.
I volunteered to go first, so that I wouldn’t lose my nerve. I climbed 23 feet up the ladder, jumped off the platform and hung on the trapeze by my hands three separate times. It was scary to jump off the first time, but once I was off the platform, it was so much fun swinging back and forth and then letting go of the bar in order to fall into the net. I was a little disappointed that I wasn’t able to do some of the other options (like the knee hang, flipping dismount or catching), but my goal is to be able to do some of those things the next time.
Overall, I was really excited to step out of my comfort zone…I was flying! When I asked my fellow class members how they would describe their experience, they used phrases like “liberating”, “natural high”, “it helped me to let go”, and “an amazing experience”. In any event, I highly recommend this class!
