> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Leaps of faith, good fun - URL: https://www.smdp.com/leaps-of-faith-good-fun/ - Published: 2008-07-29T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T20:23:04.000Z - Author: Guest Author - Tags: local, Pier, #archive-import *Leaps of faith, good fun* *By NORA SORENA CASEY Special to the Daily Press* SM PIER The beach looked so distant from 32 feet above the pier, the white mesh net looked a little slender, but the handle bar felt reassuringly sturdy. I jumped. I rushed through the air. The woman below yelled instruction — knees up! Arms down! Arms up! Kick back! Let go! — and I did my best. As I kicked, pulled and finally released I was exhilarated by the rush of air, the speed of the swing, and the feeling of grace when I landed the moves and falls. At the beginning of my two-hour trapeze lesson from the Trapeze School of New York I was trembling from fear as I climbed up the ladder to the high platform and tried not to look down. Two hours later I was trembling from adrenaline and fatigue as I back-flipped down from the mesh net. In between I learned how to jump, how to swing from my knees, how to get caught by a trapeze artist (which proved a little too tricky for me), and my favorite, how to back-flip down from a swinging trapeze. I also got to watch a group of nervous strangers become confident and cheerful friends. Friends who all loved learning how to swing on a trapeze. The reasons that brought us all to the trapeze school were different, although by the end we agreed that the experience was worthwhile. The two-hour classes cost anywhere from $47 to $65, depending on the time. “I’ve always wanted to do it,” Allegra Vassilopoulos, on vacation from New York, said. “I’ve always seen it on the Westside highway \[in New York\] and I’ve never had time to do it so when I saw it yesterday I said, I’m doing it!” Stephanie Go had tried out a few swings a day before and had so much fun she signed up for the whole two hours. She is only in town for a week but by the end of our lesson she was trying to figure out if she could fit in another class Monday morning before her flight left. “I come down to work with the Spine Institute and instead of being at work I’m doing this,” she said. I looked up at another person swinging out over the net and at the group of tourists standing together outside of the trapeze area watching us. As I sat and stretched in between swings, I was happy to be on the inside of the trapeze school’s walls. The amusement park looked tame in comparison to the rush and freedom of the open swing. Working on the trapeze was more than just a thrill, though. It is physically difficult, whenever I succeeded in a move I was proud. We spent a short amount of time learning the jump procedure. After that we learned on our feet — or off them in the air. People went up to the platform one at a time, where a staff member helped clip them to safety cords, and got in position to jump. During the swing a staff member on the ground managed the safety cords and called out instructions and support. In between jumps we all watched and cheered on our class members. Learning together brought the group a sense of unity during our unique experience. “I’m confused, I don’t know how I feel about it” Silvia Campoblanco, who was talked into it her friend, said. “No, its fun.” Campoblanco steadily improved throughout the lesson, as did her enthusiasm. She descended from her last swing, which involved swinging over and then dangling from the arms of the staff catcher, to cheers and congratulations from the group. “I tell you what,” Campoblanco said, “I have a whole new world of respect for circus people.” The most inspirational member of my group was Sara Zucker, a 6-year-old girl with long blonde hair and pink pants who was enjoying her sixth lesson. She seemed a born trapeze artist and did not suffer from the same fears of heights or death that initially concerned the rest of us. I wondered absently if she would enjoy the lessons so much she would live the dream of many children and grow up to work in the circus. While members of the class enjoyed the lesson, they weren’t the only ones having fun. Dean Chapman currently works as a trapeze artist, and he loves it. Chapman has been with the school since April, and helped them to construct the rig they are using on the pier. He had worked as a camp counselor, and his experience with rope courses and climbing helped him get into trapeze work. “Every day I deal with the person who is stepping out of their element,” Chapman said. “I watch them go from the beginning when they’re scared out of their minds to the end of class when they’re just having the time of their life.” After doing as many as three lessons a day, Chapman now has the hand callouses, stomach muscles and tan to prove his dedication. My own two hours of work made my hands are a little raw and my shoulders a little sore, but everyone I’ve talked to is jealous. It feels good to know that they have a right to be: I just learned how to swing on a trapeze, and it was a thrill. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 29, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/072908.pdf?ref=smdp.com)