double backs in gymnastics

Here are my double backs and a double full (backflip with a double twist) off of tumble track at gymnastics. I was pretty excited to throw the double backs after so many years. The double fulls came back pretty naturally. So fun. Here's my video.

Circus

Our circus went very well. I did all my tricks and acts well (except for pole). The net pole started moving while I was on it and I couldn't control my handspring bc I was moving when I wasn't supposed to be. Oh well!!!
The night was gorgeous and there was very little wind. Perfect!!! I allso caught my trick that I flew in the dark even though I can't really see at night.
Tim and I had fun with our acro act. Made it funny and cute :)

Here are the videos I have for the circus so far.

Day of new tricks

So we had fun trying out new stuff. I wanted to get an uprise and a cut-away so those were my new ones for the day. Both of which I did some screaming for. Here's the video:

Fulls

I decided to start learning fulls (backflip with full twist) off the trapeze. It's very different from throwing them off of floor in gymnastics. I learned that you have to twist with your hips and feet rather than with your arms, whereas your arms drive the twist on floor. But here are some attempts at fulls (good thing for a spotting belt):




I like the angle on this one and have some fun leggings on. So circusy :)


Then a great butt shot angle. :) You can see the twisting much better.

I twist pretty fast, but they still feel pretty slow compared to floor. And I still don't quite know where I am in order to do a good catch to the catcher with one of them.

Out of safety lines

I flew my layouts today for the first time out of lines. I was scared at first and couldn't get myself to just go (it was like how I got too chicken to do a backhandspring series on balance beam and would just stand up there refusing to go). I finally just told Tim to hurry up and hand me the bar before I thought too much about it and I just jumped right into the swing  (which is way better now) right into a fast over rotating layout. It made me scream but fortunately I know how to open up and stop rotation so I still went to my back. At least I land them safely. By the third it was georgeous (at least it felt like it). I was completely straight and had a nice swing into it. And the landing in the net felt so light and soft.


But I did it. I did my layout with no safety lines!!!

Saturday and Monday Flying

I'm pretty happy with the progress I'm making on my swing. It's such an important basic skill to have for flying. A good swing will make a great flyer!!! Anyways, I still have a ways to go but I like my progress. It's not as easy as it looks bc there's so many components. All physics though :).

On Saturday I have on video my layout and my half turn that I'm learning. I want to get to the point where I can half turn to the catcher. Layout is at position 1:45, and the half turn at position 3:48
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJHG_RJ6-6I&feature=g-all-lik

Another good day flying

Here's video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXzhynoTwwM&feature=g-all-u
I'm at 0:45, 2:05, 3:09

layouts are getting better. Splits still letting go early, and my swing needs work on the double. I did get a good swing into the double at the end but it wasn't on video.

caught 2 tricks

I caught my tricks today. A layout and a splits. Yeah!!! You can see the video from this morning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSN8Tee8v7k&feature=g-all-u
Mine are at timestamp: 0:45, and 2:45

Weird pole trick

I've been trying to get this weird cartwheel mount type of trick onto the pole. Here's a video of it being spotted by the lovely Allison Meine :-). If you notice I can do the first part (which is scariest) but then I get stuck and can't figure out a graceful way to actually get onto the pole. Very awesome looking trick when done right. I AM DETERMINED!!!

Today gymnastics went well. I finally got up the nerve to throw my backflip with full twist on the trampoline. It was messing with my mind before. Now I can make myself do it. Yeah!!!! Some of Tim and my circus tricks are coming along too so hopefully we'll be ready for Aug 18th when we perform. I really want a handstand above his shoulders but we are iffy on that one. It's hard to balance, but so beautiful to watch. So we'll see if we add that move in or not.

July Open house

Flying trapeze open house was interesting to say the least. We didn't have many people but there were a few young kids that had a lot of drama. One girl got to the top, grabs the pedestal and starts screaming. Tony had to peel her fingers off and let her go. She liked it enough to go up 4 more times. BUT she did the same screaming panic every time she went up. Geez!!!

Abby did her first knee hang trick. Yeah!!! I was so excited.

Afterwards we flew some. I caught a layout to Jon but the person holding my ropes pulled too hard right when I caught and it jerked me pretty hard causing my swing to stop dead. My ribs are sore today. This is evidence of why it's important to spot ropes correctly.
Also started trying to throw my double backs to the net and open up with my body as if I'll be going to a catcher. It's hard timing the open up at the right time.

I also landed an aerial at gymnastics on Saturday. Yeah...getting some stuff back.

Gymnastics

It's been 15 years, and I finally did a standing backflip again. They used to be so easy for me and now it takes so much work and muscle I haven't built up yet to get it around. I'm very sore today.

I'm enjoying open gymnastics. It's been good to help build my strength back up. My arms are catching up quickly from bar work. Tumbling is very painful though so I don't do much of it.

Bar work will help with flying though so I'm all good with that. I always did like bars the best.

Saturday- good flying day

I caught another layout (bummed it wasn't caught on video). This time  it was to Jon, another one of our catchers. I also am trying to get comfortable with a splits before taking it to the catcher. I finally got one good splits which was good enough for the day. Skinned the back of my leg though on a previous splits when I didn't get all the way through the bar and my leg scraped it's way through.

Still working on my swing too. That thing is irritatingly difficult to get right. Kyla gave me some good advice to help with my take off: squeeze your butt. Ha go figure!!! It helps.

Learning to spot

I've been wanting to find ways to be more independent while flying and working at the rig. The less people have to help me do stuff the less burdensome I am in the long run. So I asked if I could learn to spot by using the rope lines today. These lines are used on flyers to keep them from falling and getting hurt until they learn a trick solidly.

Kyla bravely showed me how and had me start spotting her since she is very safe without lines, although I messed up the timing and she wasn't even able to get into her splits on the bar. I figured out you don't want to pull on the ropes as they fly back towards the platform otherwise you could kill the swing. Dylan let me practice on his swings and a layout, and so did Bruce. Then Bruce says I'm doing a double and I was like "WHAT???" and off he went. Both of us survived and it was fun. Took me off the ground when I grabbed the rope at the very end.
I love how Bruce is very go getter with me. Let's me try everything, and totally believes in me. Reminds me of my coach Matt in gymnastics back in 1994.

I mainly worked swings and a splits today. Nothing fancy but I'm trying to focus on basics and the swing is very important. I want to get it down and my timing is so off it feels. Plus shoulder and back pain is pretty prevalent too. The splits are so problematic for me. All in my head. I find it ironic that I have no fear and will chuck a double back with no fear and a crappy swing, but I hate splits which is very basic.

shoulder injuries

I have found that since I started flying my shoulders have been getting more and more painful. My chiropractor says it's scar tissue. My guess is from gymnastics and then not using them all these years. So now I'm trying to keep up with exercises to exercise them. A number of flyers on my crew have shoulder surgery scars and I really don't want the smae thing. So I'm doing what I can to exercise them and ice them after practice.

I can no longer extend them completely during a swing and just hanging on the bar is painful. But apparently if I stop exercising my scar tissue will just build up and then when I go back to training it'll hurt all over again. So I just have to push through. But hey, for an ex-gymnast that should be easy as pie.

first double

Just for fun I wanted to see if I could throw a double back and how it felt compared to doing one off high bars in gymnastics. Well it's still tons of fun and exhillarating. Of course when I spin it I can hear the wind whistle through my hearing aids. Bizzare!!

Well the swing was pretty lame and totally not good. I have no kickback, the take off was bad, and the only reason I made the flip is because I know how to flip and compensated by increasing spin speed. Although it's weird being that high off the ground to start with and I was suprised I still knew where I was in the air and could stop rotation at the right time. I figured I'd be lost in mid flip. I guess I have still retained my aerial awareness.

Pole Workshop w/ Hanka

I went to a pole workshop taught by Hanka from the Netherlands. She was telling us about how she teaches pole at the university which would be heresy here in America. I think it's too bad pole is treated with such disdain here, bc it really has nothing to do with strip clubs and such. It's a beautiful aristry of grace, style, prose, strength, and skill on essentially a vertical bar. Much like gymnastics.

Anyways the workshop was hard and I am very sore today. But I did get a video of one of our easiest moves we learned. My form leaves little to be desired but I still did the move. :-)

While I'm at it I thought I'd post a video I made in Hawaii on a pole I found on the beach.

Caught a layout

I'm so psyched!!! I finally caught my first layout to the catcher tday. I did lose my grip with one hand and while Bruce and I tried to hang onto each other Physics won in the end. I peeled off and got a nice net burn. But I don't care. I caught the trick and that's all I care about. The burn was inconsequential compared to my excitement. :)

I wished I had it on video but I don't. I got the miss before that one on video. My timing was off and the swing was bad. If you noticed I barely had a hard kick back and my toes were too close to the bar on the downswing causing me to break early and therefor release too early. So I wasn't higher than my catcher. My form was crappy too. Although the layout itself was nice form...but that's bc I'm a gymnast and know how to do flips.

I feel good about my catch though on the last one and that's what matters at the end of practice.  Ending on a good one!!!

Here's some layouts I was working on last week. Unfortunately my timing was still off and I was unable to catch them. Also for some reason I'm not getting good height on the backend of my swing. Perhaps moving up to a higher riser would help. But I have to be even more conscious that my take off is correct and not fall forward.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4idJkH_zFbs

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjRYW32D-KQ

Disappointed set back

I find myself disappointed. I need to pace myself and stop trying to rush myself to learn everything so quickly. I'm messing myself up trying to speed through the learning process. My swing is suffering and I haven't caught a single trick since open house. So I decided today to print out a log book and go skill by skill and force myself to start from the basics and get comfortable doing the easier stuff. Then I can work myself up to the harder stuff. I'll be all the better for it.

OK so that means a basic knee hang and hopefully do it out of lines. I need to practice safely falling to the net out of lines too. 

Perhaps I can still treat myself to a fun trick at the end of practice before going home. I really want to catch those layouts. Patience Patience Patience!!!

Pole pics in Hawaii

On my trip to Hawaii last month I had the good fortune of finding a pole on the beach. Odd place for one right??? Well I guess It was part of a training set and there was a lot of other gym equipment for people to use while doing a morning workout.
Anyways I decided to show off some of my tricks in the lovely sunset. Here are a few pics. An Outside leghang and a flag.

Attempt Splits to catch. Common catch the thing!!!

I am doing a splits to catch. The attempt was for a backend rather than a two part splits. For some reason when a catcher is at the other end I get all psyched out and do a lousy job of catching. It's all a mind game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGKy7vs-_Sw&feature=player_detailpage

You can see I totally dove off the platform. Very bad!!! I had to learn to do take offs correctly bc that take off right there kills a swing and runs the risk of causing you to peel off the bar. This video was about half a month ago and my take off is much better now.

June 2012 Open House

Our Imperial Flyers Open House went well. My kids and Matt both went up. It was so cute watching my kids hang on for dear life and then smile BIG after landing. They were just getting the hang of swinging.

As for me, well it's only been a month!!! But I am getting really close to catching a layout to the catcher. My timing is off. Timing is so critical and easy to mess up. I finally have my swing down much better and a good take off so at least my swing isn't being completely deadened/dampened before executing the trick. A really good swing can make a flyer a really good one, so I'm working hard on making it better everytime I go to practice.
I am really trying to restrain myself and have patience. Being a gymnast spoiled me and I just want stuff NOW. :-)
I am moving very fast so I should be nice to myself about it. Most people wouldn't dream of learning a flyaway in a month, much less to a catcher. So what the hey!! I'm already ahead of the game.

Flying Trapeze

I just recently joined Imperial Flyers, the oldest trapeze group located outside Denver. Having been a gymnast in the past I caught on quickly and find myself constantly playing moves in my head that I want to learn ASAP. I know I know...patience is a virtue! But I just want to get up and knock my socks off! It's so exhilirating and tons of fun! I have almost no fear and when I do it's such a rush to stare at it straight in the face. But I'm being waylaid by rips. Two nasty dime sized ones in the middle of both palms. Grrr! Made practicing pole a bit of a challenge. I just don't have a lot of calluses yet. With work feeling like such a drag bc my experiments are failing all over the place, it is nice to have something to look forward to that I'm actually somewhat decent at.