Its nearly impossible to put into words an activity that I love so much, that has transformed my body and mind, and made my college experience what it is, but here is a lame attempt.
For starters, yes, I do trapeze.
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I actually don't remember much about my first flying experience. I was 4 years old on vacation at Club Med in Ixtapa, Mexico.
11 years later I decided to take the plunge again, on vacation at another club med resort.
While I was older, and a tiny bit less afraid, I was still far from comfortable, or even remotely good.
I continued to get more comfortable and a little bit less afraid of flying and flew on vacation for the rest of high school
My first ever catch in Cancun, senior year of high school.
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Its hard to describe the sensation, but flying is freeing. While you are up there, you cannot think about anything except for the trick you are doing and what your body needs to do in order to execute that trick.
For a girl that spends a lot of time over thinking and analyzing, I realized that flying was a way I could be free of this overactive brain.
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I flew at Trapeze School New York for the first time at the end of my senior year with a friend from vacation. I had just been accepted to NYU and was thrilled that I would be able to do trapeze while in college.
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it took me until the end of freshmen year at NYU to return, but once I did I was hooked. I went back the next day, and signed up for a 10 week intensive in the fall.
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That first 10 week intensive set in stone my love for trapeze, and introduced me to my best friend Samantha.
during that fall semester I looked forward to every Thursday, learning a new trick, jumping a little bit higher, and learning how to let go.
Its amazing, really, but I find that the critiques I get at theater school about not being able to let go and being tense directly correlates with what happens while flying.
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At the end of that 10 week intensive I had fallen in love with the throbbing hand pain, the chalk and the adrenaline rush so continued to fly weekly.
I began to gain strength-- mentally i had a new sense of what I was capable of as a person, and physically, well my arms and back didn't look to bad either.
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I signed up for more 10 week intensives, and began to meet more and more people, in love with the adrenaline rush. Since arriving at college I have felt out of place, but here I found my clique. Although I am the baby of the Thursday group (I have been a devoted thursday flyer now for over two years), age doesn't matter. job doesn't matter, background doesn't matter. Its about coming together and seeing what we can do. These people are amazing and inspiring
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Thursday is still my favorite night of the week, and when I don't get to fly my week doesn't feel complete. The group has expanded, and all of us have progressed immensely in our skills. We have theme nights where I get to finally live out my college dream of theme parties.
While my college experience at NYU has been less than typical, because I decided to attend this university in manhattan I have been able to pursue my love of flying.
At trapeze school new york I have found a safe haven where nothing can harm me. No matter how stressed I am, everything is better when I'm covered in chalk.
I am so grateful I decided to come to this college where I can fly weekly.
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My hands may be permanently calloused, my wrist destroyed, and I fractured my pinky on a catcher once, but I freaken love trapeze and i love these people.
So i encourage everyone to face their fears and take the plunge.
there is nothing more freeing than the sensation of flying.
(and the back muscles rock too)
and unlike in life, there will always be someone there to catch you when you fall. if not, there's always a safety net (my carrie bradshaw moment...)
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