Week 3: Day One
I went to a level one class the other night that was me and about 6 or 7 other guys. Yes, the ratio is a little off. I don’t know why more girls aren’t doing this. It’s freaking awesome. Anyways. We did a warm-up with some rows, squats, hand-stand kick-ups and rolling forwards and backwards. Once we were all warmed up, we started working on parkour rolls... so basically rolling when you hit the ground from higher-up instead of splatting when you hit the ground. If our roll looked good enough, we could move to higher platforms to drop off into our roll. I was fine with the medium-sized drop but then I was sent over to the higher one which was several feet above my head (I’ll get the real height next time I’m at the gym) and I freaked out. You want me to just fall off of that? Yeah, you can do it. Uh uh. And then it hit me. Wait, but first I have to get on top of it. Yes...yes, you do. I can't do that. (top-outs/wall climbs are part of my parkour training but I haven't quite built up the upper body strength to master it yet).
Luckily, some of the nicer guys took turns giving me a leg up instead of watching me struggle to pull myself up. Once I got up there, I sat for a minute having a stare-off with the ground. It was taunting me. Okay, I thought, hit the ground on the balls of your feet, punch forward, and do a perfect parkour roll. You got this. After what felt like several minutes, I just threw myself off the wall and flew towards the ground, surprising myself with a pretty good parkour roll. I asked one of the guys in my class if I looked terrified while doing it. He said I looked excited. Perhaps I’m crazier than I thought.
To wrap up the class, we had to balance on the balls of our feet on a railing for 2 minutes without holding on - and for every time we touched, we were rewarded with 10 seconds of a handstand. Who even thinks of this stuff? You’d think that was enough for me, but oh no, I wanted to stay for the intermediate class. Who wants one hour of intense parkour when you can have two? I’ll feel it later, I promise.
First we worked on more rolls on much harder surfaces. I have bruises to prove it. Then we set up an obstacle course. That’s right, my workout is like playing don’t-fall-in-the-lava as a little kid. Okay, maybe a teensy bit more difficult. Although most of the guys were much faster than me on the course, I didn't feel like the runt of the class. I was so excited that I could do it period that I wasn't worried about the kid running the course at just over 3 seconds (seriously, dude?)
To wrap up the class, we had to balance on the balls of our feet on a railing for 2 minutes without holding on - and for every time we touched, we were rewarded with 10 seconds of a handstand. Who even thinks of this stuff? You’d think that was enough for me, but oh no, I wanted to stay for the intermediate class. Who wants one hour of intense parkour when you can have two? I’ll feel it later, I promise.
First we worked on more rolls on much harder surfaces. I have bruises to prove it. Then we set up an obstacle course. That’s right, my workout is like playing don’t-fall-in-the-lava as a little kid. Okay, maybe a teensy bit more difficult. Although most of the guys were much faster than me on the course, I didn't feel like the runt of the class. I was so excited that I could do it period that I wasn't worried about the kid running the course at just over 3 seconds (seriously, dude?)
Accomplishment of the night: jumping from a block to a raised balance beam and back on the balls of my feet without falling
Things to work on: rolling rolling rolling and more rolling... with minimal bruising.
Awww...this reminds me of when you and Alex were wee ones and we used to walk into town to go to Clipper City Gymnastics! Guess some things just stick with you!
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