New Poses

Back to back lyra practices are tough. But perhaps necessary. With strength training, one can increase weights or do more sets. I can't add weight to the lyra. I can't practice longer (there's really only one practice time per day, and it's an hour). What can I do? Back to back practice days. That's what I did today. I had my private lesson yesterday. Went to practice today.

This is called french gazelle. It's still way rough. But I'll get it. It's actually a short sequence. Sink down into dragonfly. Straddle back balance. Into french gazelle. Back up into reverse lion and out. This hurts my back, but eventually my body will get used to it.

Inverted prow. I LOVE this pose. I think next practice maybe I'll try it on the higher hoop. It feels pretty solid.

Eclipse

My week has been...fickle.

Eclipse on Monday. Drove about 45mins south to see totality. So worth it. Hubs and I found a little church in this country town. We were by ourselves, no crowds. Laid some towels on the ground of the parking lot, watched with our special glasses. Then WOW! A total eclipse is breathtaking. We had just over a minute of full spectacular glory, before we had to put our glasses back on.

We were in a rural residential area and could hear a crazy guy at a house down the street shouting, the world is gonna end! Good times...

I started my period that same day, so I wasn't feeling lyra practice. But I went anyway that night. Boo. Lots of negatron voice. Lots of discouragement. Lots of despair.

Private lesson today...I asked my teacher for a pep talk as only she can give. She didn't disappoint. She showed me how to do ball inversion on silks. Something else I can add to practice, besides knotted straddle. I tried two or three times and couldn't. She kept reminding me to catch my foot on the silks to hold it, but I kept forgetting. She asked if I had it in me to try one more time. Of course. I tried really hard to remember to catch my foot on the silks and almost did but instead just ended up folding back into ball. I jumped, of course, but I did it. Without a hoop in the way, maybe I can work on the mechanics of inverting.

Then I learned a new pose. I requested this, had seen it online and thought perhaps I could learn it. My first try, I got about halfway. My second try, I got all the way up. Startled myself, as I wasn't expecting to get it so soon. Then she offered to take a photo. Ain't it pretty? When I found it, it was called standing bridge. But she calls it inverted prow.

Saturday is BEACH time! I see myself relaxing in the ocean, drinking adult beverages, with my favorite human.

Straddle

Yesterday's practice was a bit rough. We had four students. I've never been to practice time with that many. It became a bit like musical hoops. Or like some family gathering where if you leave your seat (hoop), you lose it. I have to wipe sweat almost between every attempt and usually re-chalk. By the time I'd do that, my hoop was taken.

And I was the worst. I'm so tired of being the worst. Everyone could invert cleanly. I worked on straddle. I got on video probably my best attempt ever to date; however, there's a bit of a swing, which I need to correct. I'm thinking I'm lacking lower core strength for that final push up into stack.

What Derby Gave Me

There's been some ugly in my derby, particularly this year. This has helped...

I thought it would be helpful to focus on what derby brought to my life, rather than get mired down in regretting that I'd ever put on quad skates.

• Got me in shape. Seriously. When I first started years ago, my endurance was shit. Someone recommended C25k. I kept getting stuck around week 4/5, so I just decided to run intervals. And running intervals does wonders for my depression. Plus, now my endurance is decent. I know I'm not going to die.
• Confidence to wear quirky outfits. It opened up a world of cute leggings, tights, booty shorts, colors, and the confidence to rock them. Wear whatever the fuck you want!
• Hooping. I'm not sure I would have found it (again). As a teenager, I had a cheap hoop, and would have my mom time me to see how long I could waist hoop. I could go for ages. But it never occurred to me to do anything more with it. When I was skating with that rec league in 2015, I was researching ways to improve my core. And hooping came up.
• Thus Lyra. If I hadn't found hooping, would I have found Lyra? I'm not sure. Certainly not when I needed it the most. Lyra is fixing what derby broke.

Cyr Wheel

Third hoop apparatus to try, mebbe?

Lyra Progress

Mood is improving as I get closer to my period.

Monday, it was: fucking inversions, what's the point of even DOING lyra if I can't invert, I should just quit.

To Thursday, it was: but look at all the OTHER cool moves you can do, so pretty! The inversions will come.

I brought Angel to the higher hoop for the first time!

I played with this sequence.

I worked on straddle back balance.

And finally some progress on this. I first starting working on this in June. Never could get past putting weight on the top of my foot. Ouch. It still hurts, but I was able to come out of the hoop for a bit.

Aerial Moon

so pretty!

inversions & bad moods

Really awful practice session last night. I think I'm blaming my period. I know, cliché. But I have been doing research about the effects of increased progesterone on strength performance in women. Progesterone is elevated during the luteal phase. Basically post ovulation, before menses. And it's a thing. Performance suffers during this time. And I'm smack dab in my luteal phase.

Didn't stop me from forgetting this last night. About halfway through, I wanted to quit. Until I remembered and cut myself some slack. I've been tracking my own cycle, more detailed. So that I know when this is happening. Hopefully.

I took video of inversions. Basically a starting point that I can refer back to one day, remember when I couldn't do these? But I don't know when that day will come.

Straddle

Ball (no idea why the video appears white, but it plays, I promise)

Pullover

I worked on a sequence that was short and rushed because I was just running out of strength.

This pose is pretty...the highlight of the evening...

Cube

This is technically a lyra, just a different shape. But how cool are these chicks? Way cool. Acroyoga AND a cube duo performance. Stellar!

Bloom V

How did I never hear about Bloom? I've been to burlesque shows. I've been to irreverent LGBT OneVoice shows. I was in roller derby for years. Lots of alternative folk. My people. But I never heard of Bloom, and this was its fifth year.

My dream is to one day perform in Bloom. As I often say lately, maybe next year. I'm not trying to diss my skills. But it takes a lot of skill to perform. Hoop. Lyra. And the mental game. I'm not ready today. But maybe next year...

There were three shows. Friday, adults only. Saturday afternoon family friendly (barf). And Saturday night, adults only. I went to the Saturday night show, obvs.

This means, I missed Satya's performance on Friday. She's my amazing teacher. I was bummed to miss it. But behold, a video. awww yisss.

I was also pleased to stumble across this video from the Saturday family friendly show. I want to get to know this woman. Is that creepy? I don't know her at all. But any woman that's not your "typical aerial size" is inspiration for me. I don't mean to insult her. I think she's lovely, both in appearance and in skill. But being a similar shape and size to her gives me hope for my future skills.

Here is my practice buddy at last year's. I've seen her post this year's performance, but it's not a linkable link. Bummer.

I know two others who performed. One on Friday night, which I would love to find. And another Lyra performance from Saturday, which I would love to watch again. When I find them, I'll post them.

Lyra Saturdays

Great session today! I had a private lesson on Thursday. I learned a few new moves. This is scary to let go. But I finally did. Look at what I can do with no hands!

Also working on my stack. My back is getting straighter in straddle dismount. I can only hope that helps the eventual inversion, which is still elusive for me.

I also learned a new move called mill circles. I got it on video today, mainly because my BFF wanted to see.

Best ever pike beats to seated! I got wayyy in the hoop, no problem.

And then a sequence. This was at the very end, so it's a little clunky (imho) because I'm tired, yo, but I wanted to see what it looked like to go from bird's nest into pike. So pretty...

Progress is Progress

What a fabulous practice last night! Started off a little discouraging. Stupid inversions.

I worked on a sequence. It's nearly three minutes! My hands were sweaty. It's clunky. But it shows some definite endurance improvement.

Bit of mental progress. I was working on amazon into lion. Coming out of lion used to freak me out a little, one handed grip, sudden bodyweight drop. But last night, no fear.

Worked on this difficult transition. Dragonfly roll, which is in itself four moves, added a fifth with angel.

And then this! My first time able to get into seated from momentum swing. So glad I happened to have the camera going.

Shorts

Bucket List Update! See link at the top of my blog. I created a fitness-ey type bucket list. Things I aspire to do one day. At Bloom last Saturday, I wore super short shorts with tights underneath...IN PUBLIC! I wear booty shorts and tights to practice all the time. But as "real" clothes? Never. I had it on my bucket list. And now I's done it!

Behold! Not bad for knocking on 40.

Front Balance

I've been working hard on this. On the baby hoop. It's fun when I show my teacher, and she's wowed. She says she has some intermediate students who can't do it this well. I guess this is my "strength"? When she says everyone has their strengths and weaknesses...

Anyway, after not being able to attempt this Saturday on that super high hoop (too skert), I forced myself today with my favorite medium height hoop. It was still scary. But I kept reminding myself, it's just like the baby hoop because I can do it without touching the ground. Totally mental. This was after several tries, of course, but not a bad attempt...

Also, don't have video of this, but I made progress on my momentum swing to seated. I tried it three times. On the third try, I managed to almost sit. I felt the hoop slide across my butt. I was tired, though. I'll keep practicing this and try to get a video of me doing it, maybe. Eventually, the idea is to swing up into ball at the top of the hoop. But I'm not ready for that just yet...