Spot me

For almost a month now, we've been taking Girl to a gymnastics class every Saturday. I use the word "class" loosely since at her age, it's less about organized instruction and more about sanctioned self-expression on bouncy surfaces.

Our warm-ups consist of parents and children running around in a big circle. During this phase, the absolute glee in Girl's face could animate a hundred gingerbread men. RUNNING! WEEEEE! After stopping, the rest of the children perfrom rudimentary stretching exercises led by the instructor while, invariably, Girl dances maniacally in the center of the circle. She does her endzone football player dance. Her George Jefferson C'mon Weezie! dance. Her mentally imbalanced Flashdance dance. Meanwhile, I am jumping into the air, modeling a proper tuck jump (lifting knees to chest). Joles! Look! Mommy! Jumping!

I think I just might be the only parent who is uninhibited? flexible? spastic? enough to demo this jump. So I make sure I jump very high. And use proper arm positioning.

I know she can't possibly do it. The girl can't even plain-old-jump let alone tuck jump. Running down the long trampoline and actually making it to the other end without eating tarp is about all she's mastered. But! I! Still! Jump! Every! Time! Because! It's! Fun! WEEEEEE!

I have to admit that I may love the class more than she does. I sneak a walk on the low balance beam when no one's looking, swing on the rope, bounce off the mini-trampoline under the guise of showing Jolie how it's done. Just setting foot on that super-cushioned floor makes me want to jump up and down and turn cartwheels. Hell, it makes me want to do a running round-off back handspring. I've admitted multiple times to Husband that I really, really, really have the urge to do a back handspring when we're at gymnastics and he always tells me, I'll call the ambulance for you. The man has no faith.

It's true it's been 10 years since I did any sort of self-propelled backward body-launching but am I really that inflexible now? Do any 32 year olds still flip (and live to tallk about it)? Must I face the fact that I am older and my body just can't do some things anymore?

I started taking gymnastics late in life, 9th grade, which was a serious disadvantage since by then, my frontal lobe had fully developed, planting the fear of breaking my neck and face-plants into my head. I had to play mental tricks on myself in order to believe that jumping up and backwards into the air would not end up badly. Tricks like delusional thoughts and psychotic breaks. And even when I became semi-proficient at jumping up and backwards into the air, I still would have times of becoming psyched out. Over-thinking. Scared. Just one more spot, this time I mean it.

If you ever watch little children doing gymnastics, they just throw themselves into things. Full-force. A running start. They may not master what they set out to do, but they know they are safe. They are well-spotted. But as we get older, we grow a little more cautious. And guarded. And inhibited. There may not be someone strong standing next to us, guiding us through the air and helping us land safely. We may have been hurt before.

I suppose it's a good thing, an evolutionary advance, to have that inhibition holding us back. You know, Darwin and all, but it's also too bad that it's harder to make a running start and take a blind leap of faith without fear pressing us so close to the ground.

For me, I'll start small. A cartwheel.

And if two large massively strong people spot me, I would so throw myself up and over. It would still be fun. Even if I didn't do it on my own.

Comments

[jen]

i have the flexibility of a cow. Perhaps goes with my ship dancing style.i envy your jumping.

[Brunch Bird]

I love this post. Happy jumping.

[Penny]

I showed Oee a cartwheel the other day. Little did I know how many groin muscles would be screaming from my loins, reaching up to slap me onto my face three quarter ways through the turn.I used to love gymnastics - funny isn't it.. you never think you won't be able to do something. It's great that you still can!Go Girl!!

[Waya]

I can totally picture you having so much fun jumping up and down. I can't do a cartwheel to save my life! I used to be able to do a split but with this new belly, it's in the way and that damn sciatica pain is killing me!

[Angela]

heh heh - isn't that one of the HUGE joys of parenting: (re)discovering what we just don't normally do as adults? Trampolines, swings, slides, clay, cut-and-paste, more-than-normal silly dancing.....Growing up, I developed a huge fear of launching myself - nay, even bending - backwards. Diving backwards into the pool? No problem. Backbend? No way. Back handspring? No possibility.Yet, from a spectator point of view, handsprings are such cool, joyous moves. Even the word "handspring" sounds happy! At the same time, if we don't hear from you for awhile, I'll suspect that JP had to go through with his promise.....

[Anonymous]

Agility has never been my strong point.. and I have no sense of balance. I trip over my own feet. That means... no jumping. However, I must admit it would be fun to watch a 32-yo woman jumping up in the air with abandon. :)Peace, ~Chani

[acumamakiki]

god i love to jump. i'm all jumpy when we go to my girl's gym classes and i don't care who looks although i've never hurled myself knowing full well, i'd never make it. i lived to jump on my bed, we allow my daughter to jump on hers. in fact, the one thing she wants for christmas from my dad is one of those mini trampolines and i made sure the weight load was for big kids (yeah that would be me).

[Jenny]

Yum...Two massive men helping to throw me around the room. Oh wait...is that what we're talking about?Lost my train of thought.

[KC]

Jen- That floor is magic. Anyone can jump and be suspended in air for a second...you can jump too.Brunch bird- Hi again, and thanks! Sorry--can't find picture of JP projectile yuking. It may be lost forever. This makes us very, very sad.Penny-I never said I wouldn't pull a thousand groin muscles in the process of my gymnastics pursuits.I'm banking on it.Waya-Hopefully the only splits you'll be doing during these nine months are banana's!Angela- you're totally right about those things....except for the more-than-normal silly dancing. You don't know me very well, do you?TG- maybe JP can take a picture next time...acumamakiki- very cool- mini-trampoline. Maybe a future self-portrait?Jenny- I like your image bettter.

[Anonymous]

Just so you know. I'm a 45-year-old mom of 4, and I still do flips into the pool from the deck.