If you’ve been inspired by The Greatest Showman, or perhaps want to get fit doing something that raises both your adrenaline and your heart rate, All Bars Flying Trapeze Club is an experience not to miss.
Taking place in Pittville Park on various dates throughout May, June and July 2019, this summer is the perfect opportunity to try your hand at this thrilling activity, on the UK’s only full-size outdoor flying trapeze rig.
Speaking to Ian Chodera, owner of All Bars Flying Trapeze Club, SoGlos finds out everything you need to know before you start flying!
For more information, visit allbars.net directly.
How did you first get into flying trapeze?
I was looking for something to get my teenage daughter out of her bedroom and a bit more active, and somebody suggested a trapeze class. So, we went along, and I basically fell in love with it, and she didn’t like it very much!
That was over ten years ago, and over the years got into more and more ‘circusy’ stuff, and I ended up going away on holiday to flying trapeze clubs. I saw how these other people were operating, and I wanted to be able to do more myself, closer to home.
Initially I wanted to get the flying trapeze in my own garden, but the neighbours didn’t approve of that! So that’s when I started looking for ways to do it outdoors, as a business.
What is it that you love about flying trapeze?
It’s the adrenaline rush. It’s trying to do something that’s quite scary, so it’s actually a challenge to be braver, and to challenge yourself to be more active and dynamic. All of the tricks are quite different, so there’s always something new to try. There’s nothing else quite like it.
What can people expect the first time they come and try flying trapeze?
They can expect to have a go on a full-sized flying trapeze rig, identical to one they’d see in a big top in a circus. It’s a massive structure, that’s over 10 meters high and 20 meters long.
We warm people up and get them into safety belts, and then get them up on the platform. We present them with a flying trapeze bar and we let them jump off!
They’re completely safe as they’re in harnesses and they’re over a big net, then we’ll challenge them to try and do some tricks. Things like knee hangs and somersaults. And if they come back for another session, we’ll get them trying more advanced tricks that they’d see at the circus. The very best people might be expected to do a catch!
Do people need to have a certain level of fitness to take part?
It helps to be fit, flexible and active, but it’s really about bravery and willingness to try.
Physically, you need to be able to hang by your arms for at least 10 seconds or more, and you need to be less than 100 kilograms.
We recommend that children under eight don’t take part, because although they can try, they don’t tend to follow the instructions so well, so they don’t get as much from the experience.
Have you taught people who’ve got a fear of heights?
We have had people terrified of heights come along because they almost want to get over their fear and get out of their comfort zone. We’re pretty good at getting them to complete their first jump, but getting them up the ladder to the platform is often the hardest bit.
Once you’re swinging through the air, everyone loves it. And once you’ve done it the first time, you’ll want to try again, because of the adrenaline kicking in!
It’s great once you get past the fear.
For more information, visit allbars.net directly.
