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.