**bonus**: flying trapeze class

So I am way behind in updating other things I have done on my 101 list, but hope to get some more of them up in the next week or so. I'm still on an adrenaline rush since this event just happened today. I'm sort of afraid if I don't post it now, I will block most of it out when the hand trembling stops.

I decided when I signed up for this event that if I actually went through with it I would add a **bonus** category to my 101 so I could post it. I'm not ready to replace other goals right now, but am finding myself inspired to do other things because of this list and this one was too fun terrifying not to share.

I went with 3 other friends to a Flying Trapeze class taught by Richie Gaona who is a fourth generation circus performer and has been performing with his family since he was 5 years old. Mind you, the set-up you see in the picture below is in his backyard. Yes, seriously. What a kick-ass childhood his kids must have had with this as their own personal backyard jungle gym!

Overview of the net, trapeze, and tiny ass platform 30 feet up in the air

The pre-flying instructions consisted of 2 steps:

1. First, we stood on a small board on the ground which was the width of the trapeze platform. We learned how to reach out while keeping our body stiff like a board by holding on to a trapeze that was tied a few feet off the ground around a tree trunk. Clearly, this wasn't to practice our flying skills, but just to get a feel for where our feet should be, what it felt like to have someone hold us in place while we reached out for the trapeze, and to learn the commands that Richie would be yelling at us.
2. The second training instruction was to climb a small A-frame ladder and do a couple swings on a trapeze that was probably 2-3 times as high as a playground trapeze bar. On the second swing, we reverted to our childhood ways and showed that we could swing our legs up over the bar and hang upside down. We were instructed on form and showed how to arch our back and reach out.

Next up was to chalk up our hands and climb to the top of the ladder and maneuver onto the platform. This was seriously the scariest part for me every single time.

Me climbing up the ladder - my heart still races just looking at this. I really was terrified.

After climbing the ladder, it was time to step onto the platform and maneuver around a pole. To do this the flier had to hold on and step around one side of the pole while the bar holder stepped around the other side. Once the flier is in the middle of the platform, the 2 people at the top hooked up a safety rope to each side of the harness which was just a tight fitting belt around the waist with a loop on each side for the safety lines.

Me during this part of the process can be seen in the first video. I am grateful that you can't zoom in because the look on my face is one of sheer terror. I wish I were kidding. I was trembling...literally.

Once in position, the person to the left holds the bar somewhat within reach. I say somewhat as my arms are sucky short. The person to the right moves in behind the flier and holds them around the waist so they can reach out to the bar without any back bending. The rest is all done on command by Richie who is the holder of that safety rope. I like Richie...a lot.

For attempts 1 and 2, our lesson was to just learn how to swing and when to put our legs forward or backward and how to properly fall. Falling is so counter intuitive. You are to put your legs out and fall on your back into the net. I wanted to land on my feet or with my hands supporting me which are both no-no's. Fortunately there is that whole safety harness thing. Did I mention how much I love Richie?

My feedback was that I had good form and was asked if I was a dancer. It was quite apparent that they have never seen me dance and I didn't have the heart to tell them that I am grossly uncoordinated and was kicked off a dance floor while trying to learn line dancing...probably the only born and raised Nebraskan who can say this.

For attempts 3 and 4, our lesson was to swing out, put our feet up over the bar to be hanging at our knees at the outward part of the swing, let our hands go at the return part of the swing (when we were nearest the platform), fly while hanging upside down for the swing back out, get back into hand hanging position on the swing back and drop on command on the next swing out.

My feedback again had to do with good form and how comfortable I looked in the air. My trembling hands after each of my fly attempts was a source of amusement for many, but I still kept going back for more...Bitches. I'm not quite sure what that says about me. My net dropping still needed some work at this point. My only defense was that it is just not natural to fall 30 feet onto your back. I don't care how many nets are there. Again, safety harness and my new BFF Richie.

For the first 2 attempts, my camera was tucked safely in my bag. I was trying so much to focus on hiding my shaking hands that I forgot to even get it out. For the 2 knee flying attempts, the friend entrusted with my camera had apparent operating malfunctions which were met with claims that someone clearly swooped in and deleted just the pictures of me when nobody was looking.

So for attempts 5, 6, and 7 I switched it to video which seemed to work out just fine. Fly numbers 5 and 6 were to repeat the upside down hang, but instead of going back to a hand hang position, we learned how to let go and grab the hands of a very experienced trapeze performer flying on a second trapeze. The ending was that we were supposed to turn back and grab our own trapeze...right. Here is attempt #6, my second chance at performing this "trick". If you listen closely, you can hear me hulk groaning as I fall into the net. I wish I could say it was because I was disappointed that I missed the bar, but this escaped my mouth without any thought from my head. That sheer terror thing again...

And to see the trick performed in completion, here is the video of my friend Karl (the one who had camera issues). This was his third trapeze class taken with Richie. I'm just sayin'...

Attempt #7 was to swing into a back flip and land in the net. I bombed this one horribly. To be honest, I think my head wasn't in it. I was finally starting to calm down after my 6th fly thinking that we were done so getting into it again didn't come together all too well.

I want to say that I would go again next week, but I think for that to happen I am going to have to figure out a way to forget how it felt to climb the ladder and be on the platform. In the air was so much fun and if there were another way to get up there I would be on it. I guess all in all I am happy that I completed the class and attempted everything they asked us to.

My hands have almost stopped shaking. Almost.