Quitting trapeze

I've really been struggling with trapeze classes. It's a lot of complicated movements. Every move has 8-or-so steps that I have trouble remembering so I've really been debating whether I should stick with it.

I should stick with it, because I quit everything. And if I stuck with it, I could potentially get better at it. How do I get better at something I can only do for an hour a week? If I stick with it, I can take more classes and go to open studio. I could also take silks, which looks super fun, after two classes.

The problem is that I feel super busy. I do Canopy on Monday, Aerofit Tuesday and Thursday, and Tumbling Wednesday and it's just too much. I need to drop something and I think Canopy is what I'm going to drop.

It's the easiest thing to drop. I can just not sign up for the next session. Aerofit I have a yearly contract for. And I just love tumbling.

• I don't love trapeze
• I could spend my time doing something I love
• It's expensive
• Not enough instructor time
• Not for me

1) I don't love trapeze. I thought I might. I remember playing on the trapeze like contraption on the playground when I was a kid. I could hang upside down. It came naturally. I was good at it. It was fun. Trapeze for me is a source of bruises and frustration. It hurts. I can't do the moves. And I don't come out of the class excited, floored or thrilled. I just trudge on to Aerofit to get a real workout.

I loved Aerofit first class. I thought this was so fun. I bought a membership a few days later. I knew immediately that jumping on a trampoline was something I enjoyed. I tried to drag all of my friends there. I leave feel de-stressed, happy, euphoric.

I love tumbling. Coach Megan and Robert are awesome. They have great energy. I have so much to learn—but there's always things I can do. I can do a one armed cartwheel. I'm decently flexible. I have fun at the classes. Even if there are 20 people in the class, I can get a few minutes of attention or help from someone else. I always leave happy. I wish I could put a gymnastics gym in my basement.

2) I could spend the time and money from trapeze at Pure Barre, at rock climbing, at the outdoor trapeze place—or at any of the new classes I need to try. My time is valuable. It's only an hour a week, but it makes me feel a little overwhelmed.

3) It's $153 for nine classes. That's pricey. Pure Barre has a $100 first month unlimited deal. That's 2.4 months at the climbing gym. That's almost 4 flying trapeze classes. That's a lot for nine hours of instruction.

4) I get about 30 seconds of instructor time a week. Classes begin and end promptly at the scheduled time. There's no chatting before class to the teachers. They disappear after class so you can't talk to them about something that you couldn't do or wanted to try next time. I'd rather take private lessons—and really it might be worth it. $30 for 30 minutes, is the same price as about two classes, but I could potentially learn more. I'm really struggling in the big class and the complicate series of movements.

5) I think it's just not for me. My brain doesn't work like that. My body does't move like that. I have no trouble hanging upside down, but

Everyone just raves about Canopy. And yes, it's amazing what some of the people can do. There's a cool kid cred you get for saying you take classes there. It's an awesome hipster thing to do. But it's me. It's jut not for me.

But their customer service is nonexistent. They don't return emails. The classes and big and too expensive.

Me. I have trouble remembering all the moves. It doesn't suit me.

Trapeze hands

Trapeze hands

Today was my third trapeze class. We learned catcher's hang (from higher up), trapeze swings (run and hang on the trapeze) and a few new moves.

We started the class with a review of last week's moves: skater, bowsprits and catchers hang. From a hang like when you first get on, we out one of our feet down (forgot the name of this move). You bring one knee to your nose and then let it hang and arch your back. This move looks really pretty (my partner could touch her feet to her head.)

Dolphin—starts out like the hip balances from last week. Fold yourself over the trapeze and the balance yourself (like a balance) but with hands and feet up. From dolphin, you can fold yourself over into arrow (feet wrapped around the rope, head below the bar, an inverted arrow). From there, you can bring your hips up into catcher's hang.

We also worked on tree frog. You hang on the trapeze, hands closer together, on the trapeze, and bring your feet on the outside, also up the trapeze (butt up too.) This one just feels weird.

The hardest part of these moves is remembering what to do next, where your foot or hand goes. But it's getting easier.

We ended the class with the trapeze swings. You just run with the swing and then hang off of it for a while (with your feet up).

We had a bunch of new people in this class. Three, then four and then a few more trickled in. We'll see how it goes.

For now, I have some calluses that are starting to look impressive.

Aerial Trapeze Class

Our class was not this advanced.

Today was my first day of aerial Trapeze class. Everyone in Athens raves about Canopy and I was ready for something different so I decided to give it a try.

It was as first classes are. Go around the room and say your name, stretch, learn about the equipment, and do some tricks but not too many.

The class was a diverse mix of people—all women. A few were younger. I'd say most were 30s and 40s. There were 14 people in all.

After stretches we partnered up to work on the trapezes. First, they showed us how to lower a trapeze from the wall, take it off the caribiner and adjust the height. It was all complicated and will definitely take me a few classes.

We had partners and we took turns practicing all of the skills like getting on the trapeze. You don't simply sit on it. (My logical brain was so confused.) You start on the floor and bring your knees over and pull yourself up. We practiced sitting on the trapeze and swinging playground style. We did knee hangs—both from a low trapeze with your back on the floor and then later from a higher trapeze when you could actually hang. We practiced laying back on the trapeze, standing on the trapeze (It was shakier than I thought it would be) and something that might have been called star pose—with one foot and hand on the rope, and the other two out. We tried leaning back from standing and getting down from that (think one footed squat, while balancing on a bar) and then doing a skin the cat to get down from the trapeze. The end. That was class.

Trapeze seems complicated—there are a lot steps, and placements to remember (grip your thumb around the bar, keep your thumbs up like in thumbs up, pike this way etc.) It doesn't seem overly difficult though. I wasn't tired or winded afterwards. And perhaps I was expecting it to be more fun? (Like trampoline, acro or gymnastics. All super fun for the first class.)  I guess it could be more fun later.  For my first class, I wasn't wowed. But then again a good foundation is important. We'll see how the next class though.

Canopy Saga

I've tried since February to take classes at Canopy studio, which is a local aerial arts facility. They teach trapeze classes, silks and more.

I've know about them since college. Their classes are pretty popular in my liberal little college town.

My neighbor talked about wanting to take classes. I thought it sounded fun enough and I said I was happy to tag along. After a pretty lengthy delay, they told her they had no openings when classes resumed March 17, but she could take expensive private lessons.

This happened again with their new session of classes months later.

Finally, their fall session has openings. I email the day the newsletter comes out—asking if I can take a class (new people have to get permission to take the classes. A popup tells you this when you try to sign up.) And I don't hear anything back.Nothing. After about two weeks I email them again. I keep running into Canopy people, who all say it's so fun.

I'm pretty mad at Canopy at this point and give up on taking the class. They have awful customer service and must not need new customers. (A coworker tells me she once stopped by for more info and they wouldn't help her.) I decide there's an  acro yoga class on Monday, I'd probably rather take.

The Friday before classes start they email me to go ahead and sign up. !!!

I wasn't going to sign up. But then I thought it was this hard to get a spot, when am I going to get the chance again? So I signup. It's$153 for a 9-week class. That comes out to $17 a class, which is kind of pricey. But I am looking for something different. We'll see…...