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Flying Trapezius
Jun. 2nd, 2005 07:24 amSo me and Couplingchaos and Debbie and Debbie’s Friend Sarah went to Flying Trapeze School, it’s set up in that new Jordan’s Furniture in Wakefield, the spacey white building with the glass façade looming over I95. The rig is set up on to the side of the main entrance, the platforms are about 50 feet up, looks impressive from the ground and even moreso from the top. They fit us with safety harnesses and showed us the basis hang, knees-up over the bar, hands down arch your back look up into the arc of your swing. No problem, I can do this. Then I get to the top of the rig and I’m holding the bar and looking out and down over the net and I hear them shout “Hup!” I know that means that means go – hop up and bring your feet up to clear the platform and swing like you’ve always wanted to join the circus. “Hup!” Uh…no. “HUP!” No way dude are you crazy? “HUP!” Just gimme a minute ok? “HUP!!!” Aw crap here I gooooooo!
The first few seconds of the swing are all I really remember, the oh-my-god out of body rush, forces pulling on the body and perspective shifting in ways completely unfamiliar and thoroughly unnatural. Then all I can think about is hauling my body up and getting my the backs of my knees over the bar, pointing my toes, locking my knees, releasing my hands and arching my back to look down at the world careening by down below. Then reach back up, grab the bar, legs off to hang from first position. Once I’m back to right side up I’m not swinging nearly so far but I start to have a real good sense of the vast empty space below me…sure I know there’s a net down there somewhere but it’s still a loooooooong way down. On the commands from the instructor down below I’m supposed to kick my legs forward then back then forward and let go of the bar tuck into a back somersault into the net below. It takes me a few tries to get the timing right and she has to do the old “Ok go!…Ok now GO!…now THIS time GO!!!” before I can let go of that bar but when I do by god I nail that somersault like a sonovabitch. After our first swing the adrenaline’s rushing just about as much as you’d expect, we’re all jumpy exuberant and oh my god we did it! My next two swings I get a lot better at leaving the platform on the first hup, and I’m trying to get a double somersault on the dismount – I never actually get the double, I unfold from the tuck just in time to faceplant into the net, but who cares it still feels great.
Then they tell us we can try the catch, an instructor is going to be on the other swing, timing’s real important on this one, go knees up hands down and remember to arch your back and look for him and let him grab your forearms first, remember to straighten out your legs and release the bar, otherwise you both are gonna look real funny. This time I honestly don’t remember a thing except looking up searching for the guy who’s sposed to be there, feeling him catch my wrists, looking into his eyes and hearing him say “Gotcha”. Flying through space and letting go in midair, casting off all ties to the earth to rely on another human to catch me, that’s a flavor of trust I’ve never tasted before; it’s deeply affecting in subtle ways…I’m not sure I can describe it. But what amazing stuff.
The first few seconds of the swing are all I really remember, the oh-my-god out of body rush, forces pulling on the body and perspective shifting in ways completely unfamiliar and thoroughly unnatural. Then all I can think about is hauling my body up and getting my the backs of my knees over the bar, pointing my toes, locking my knees, releasing my hands and arching my back to look down at the world careening by down below. Then reach back up, grab the bar, legs off to hang from first position. Once I’m back to right side up I’m not swinging nearly so far but I start to have a real good sense of the vast empty space below me…sure I know there’s a net down there somewhere but it’s still a loooooooong way down. On the commands from the instructor down below I’m supposed to kick my legs forward then back then forward and let go of the bar tuck into a back somersault into the net below. It takes me a few tries to get the timing right and she has to do the old “Ok go!…Ok now GO!…now THIS time GO!!!” before I can let go of that bar but when I do by god I nail that somersault like a sonovabitch. After our first swing the adrenaline’s rushing just about as much as you’d expect, we’re all jumpy exuberant and oh my god we did it! My next two swings I get a lot better at leaving the platform on the first hup, and I’m trying to get a double somersault on the dismount – I never actually get the double, I unfold from the tuck just in time to faceplant into the net, but who cares it still feels great.
Then they tell us we can try the catch, an instructor is going to be on the other swing, timing’s real important on this one, go knees up hands down and remember to arch your back and look for him and let him grab your forearms first, remember to straighten out your legs and release the bar, otherwise you both are gonna look real funny. This time I honestly don’t remember a thing except looking up searching for the guy who’s sposed to be there, feeling him catch my wrists, looking into his eyes and hearing him say “Gotcha”. Flying through space and letting go in midair, casting off all ties to the earth to rely on another human to catch me, that’s a flavor of trust I’ve never tasted before; it’s deeply affecting in subtle ways…I’m not sure I can describe it. But what amazing stuff.
