But only hours after asserting to the nation that I've loved every one of the sports I had tried out thus far, I had to admit defeat. I had met my nemesis in gymnastics.
Rose had once again declared herself willing to come along - frankly, if she hadn't, I don't think I'd have gone. Whilst with all other sessions I thought I might be the weakest in the room, with those one I felt like I couldn't even make it to the room.
Nervously giggling we placed our stuff into open cubbyholes, silently praying that the people in the gallery would leave soon. At the same time, we were admiring the pre-teens flipping and vaulting in all directions around us - there is no denying, Gymnastics is a mesmerising sport, beautiful to watch. And gymnasts make it look so effortlessly elegant that perhaps I forgot a little bit the sheer amount of hard work they must have put into training for years of their life.
The warm up started off quite similar to the others - some running, some stretching, some stretching, and then some stretching which is unlike any stretching I'd ever seen before. I tried my best to touch my forehead to my toes and wrap my elbows around my ankles and to bend my fingers backwards.. . If nothing else, I know that I've had a good stretch.
It was the end of the warm-up-session that brought back my childhood nightmares: One by one we were to make our way across the floor in different ways: Cartwheels, handstands, roundups... Rose successfully joined in and even managed a headstand! But as for me... Was it worse to watch muscular bodies float faultlessly across the floor, knowing that I would never be able to replicate anything even remotely similar, or was it the moment my turn came and I couldn't even do semi-organised bunny hops? Was it when the ground chose to not swallow me up?
What do you call the feeling that tells 8-years-old you that the teacher made the team "pick" you? That feeling.
But this, too, passed, and it was free exercise time. Hooray, I hear you say! Trampolines, rings, bars, pummel horses (which I for a brief moment mistook as weight-lifting equipment - who knew there was such a thing as floor-level pummel horses? Luckily Rose stopped me just in time before I tried lifting it). I didn't know where to start or what to do.
Here's my bit of wisdom learned: There are things you can give a go. Things that you can make yourself do. But there are other things that take years of practice, skills that need to be honed, muscles that need to develop. So although the massive open gym looked fun - without a coach I simply didn't know what to do with it. So after an aborted attempt at looking graceful on a beam and a couple of obligatory jumps into the foam pit, we decided to leave early for the first time in this project.
But only to give me more hours to recover before the next adventure... Yoga!
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| Rose cartwheeling across the floor |
So could gymnastics be the new thing for a new you?
1. Make sure you are prepared - make sure you have socks without holes and leggings without see-through. Or maybe just be very confident.
2. If you can, book yourself onto a class. Unfortunately around here there are no adult gymnastics classes, and other places I have looked at do adult sessions for people who are training for specific things. The Walk-In session sounded great, but if you don't know where to start, it's a little overwhelming.
3. Be prepared to start from the beginning: I used to do gymnastics as a young child for a short time, and I guess somewhere in the back of my mind I thought I'd have some kind of magical muscle memory. Apparently that doesn't suddenly kick in 30 years later.
4. If - like me - you struggle with feelings of shame and embarrassment, then this might be a tough one. There is no lights-out, back row, loud music or loads of participants to hide behind. There's a gallery, and people watching.
5. Have a plan, and work towards it. I think if I had done my research, decided on the apparatus I'd be focusing on maybe even done specific exercises to build up relevant muscles, I wouldn't have come home feeling like the bottom of the foam pit.
6. If you are looking for a social club, then this might not be easiest place to start. The warmest welcome came from the admittedly hilarious receptionist who tried to calm our trembling bottom lips with lighthearted banter. Other than that, no-one was there for small talk. This is not a criticism - once the free gym time started, it was obvious that the other participants knew exactly what they had come for and were prepared to work hard for it. And how I envy them for their determination and focus! I am only pointing out that - if you are not training for the Olympics - it may feel a little lonely. I'd would suggest you take a Rose-alike along.
7. Laugh it off. Be prepared to fall over / lose your balance / get it wrong. If you feel that gymnastics is the thing for you and you're prepared to put in the work, I'll be all for you. I'll be your loudest cheerleader. But for me, this has been the first session where I think "I do not want to go back there. Not even a little. Not even ever"
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| Possibly the most graceful I had been all evening |
