Last night was picture night at circus, so we aren’t really supposed to
learn anything. However, I did get a skill! A few weeks ago, we started working
on pullovers. This is essentially the same as a parallel bars skill in
gymnastics where you grab the bar, do half a chin-up, pike your feet up and
pull to get your hips over the bar. A month ago I couldn’t do it.
Three weeks
ago, the coach told me if I couldn’t do it, I could jump onto the hoop and
do twice as many controlled pull-downs (the second half of the skill, where you
go down the same way – it uses the same muscles, but is easier because gravity
helps) as everyone else. This led to an amazing set of bruises across my lower abdomen.
Last week I tried, and I could do it if I put my feet on the sides of the hoop
as I went up in order to get my hips high enough.
Last night, I pulled over, all
the way! Four times!
Also, I learned skin the cat, because it's on my conditioning list, so it doesn't count as a new skill.
Going the other direction (to get down by not just falling off) is the hard part.