Adrenaline Rush!

Trapeze Camp: Day Two.

Sunburst is thoroughly enjoying herself.

After three turns swinging upside-down on the fly bar today and practicing her back flip into the net, Sunburst was finally ready to fly.... straight into the catcher's hands. And she made it!

There's nothing like the adrenaline rush you get when attempting AND succeeding at such a daredevil task. Sunburst made her way down off the net and was positively glowing. She was so amped! She jumped up and down, grinning ear to ear, and started pestering the coaches to let her go again. It was by far the coolest thing she had ever experienced.

It appears as if I'm raising a circus freak.

The Flying Trapeze rig is set on frames 32 feet in the air (about 4 stories high.) The kids have to climb a 24 foot ladder and hoist themselves onto the pedestal, a 1'x5' board, suspended 16 feet above the net. From the pedestal, they grab the "fly bar," which is anchored to a steel bar 15 feet away, and fly out over the net. At their lowest point, they hang only 20 feet above the ground. If they get enough momentum, they can reach about 30 feet above the ground.

The kids swing forward once, and on the back swing they can flip their bodies into position on the bar, depending on what trick they are attempting. On the next forward swing they need to have their hands thrown straight out and back and their bodies arched backward looking toward the "catcher."

The catcher swings on a bar, called the "catch trap," 25 feet away from the fly bar. It's a matter of skill, patience, and timing. If everything goes well, you make the catch. If not... well, the net is anchored 8 feet above the ground.

Sunburst can't wait to go back tomorrow and do it again.