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Sky’s the limit for Springbank-based trapeze club

Those interested in the circus arts can fly high and safe while learning and experiencing the circus sport of flying trapeze

West Rocky View County residents can swing like a circus pro thanks to Springbank-based Rocky Mountain Flying Trapeze – the first and only trapeze club in Alberta.

The non-profit organization, established in 2018, aims to provide the community with affordable and sustainable flying trapeze instruction, so “all who love to fly have a place to gather to learn, encourage, and motivate each other,” according to its website.

As such, the trapeze school is hosting open fly sessions in conjunction with the Calgary Medieval Faire and Artisan Market from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Aug 27 and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Aug. 28 at the Wild Wild West Centre, across from Calaway Park.

Those interested in the circus arts can fly high and safe while learning and experiencing the circus sport of flying trapeze, according to Lucy Boulton-Mills, a board member and one of six co-owners of Rocky Mountain Flying Trapeze.

“People can just show up and just take a swing,” she said, adding both young and old participants alike are encouraged to take part, regardless of physical ability.

“I myself am no spring chicken. I have arthritis and my hands are just so much better in the season when I can swing,” she added.

Those interested in attending will be expected to pay a fee of $10 for their first fly and $5 for the second, according to Boulton-Mills. 

She added there are innumerable health benefits to acrobatic sports such as trapeze.

“It’s good for your mobility and your wrists and your posture,” she said.

“It’s just super, super good for you to hang like that. It just really helps everything and it’s just a fun sport.”

Boulton-Mills said trapeze is a sport for everyone and is not just geared to elite athletes and gymnasts, though she acknowledged those with a gymnastics history may have an edge over those who don’t.

“There’s an awful lot of kids that go into gymnastics when they’re young and if they’re not going on to competition level, they just seem to stop,” she said. “And if you have ever done gymnastics, trapeze is just the sport for you because you’ll have an immense foot forward because you’ve done so many of the things we have to do in trapeze.”

She said participants who have never done any sport are prime candidates too, as trapeze does not require great core and upper body strength, as some people might think.

“When you’re doing your positions, because of the swing, you do the hard things when you’re weightless, so when you swing out on the bar at the very front, there’s a point where you don’t weigh anything,” she said.

“That’s when you get into position and the same when you head back to the platform, that’s when you do another part of your position typically, so it’s really not that you have to be strong.”

According to Boulton-Mills, the only limitation for attendance at the upcoming sessions is for kids under the age of six, who are barred from the activity for safety reasons.

As far as an upper age limit, she said there is none, adding the organization had a participant in their mid-70s that came out to try trapeze last year with their family and grandkids with great success.

The trapeze artist said from the moment students leave the ground to the moment they return, they are hooked up to a safety harness, with little chance of injury other than a pulled muscle for those who are out of shape.

“Everybody complains they’re terrified of heights, but I’d say the vast majority get up there and it’s scary the first jump, and then after that, there’s a certain percentage of people who are so hooked they never want to stop doing it,” she said.

Boulton-Mills added the organization tries to encourage participation from people who may not otherwise be able to afford trapeze classes, offering special rates each year and often finding ways to give back to the community.

“Everything we do, we don’t take any pay for it. We volunteer our time because we want to bring the sport to the public because it’s just such a fun thing to do and we’re all super enthusiastic about it,” she said.

Boulton-Mills added her son has a diagnosis of autism and has benefited from practicing trapeze, and the organization has teamed up with the Autism Asperger’s Friendship Society to provide fly sessions.

The organization’s season runs in the summer months only each year, with the 2022 season running from June 1 to Sept. 4. There are also a limited number of 90-minute classes due to staffing limitations, so attendees are encouraged to book their spot earlier in the year.

The group also hosts lessons for private parties by demand, and a frequent flyer class for people with a more advanced skillset who are looking to perform the sport at a high level.

Depending on their upcoming event’s success, Boulton-Mills said Rocky Mountain Flying Trapeze may look to host more open fly sessions each summer for those wanting a taste of trapeze.

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