Junior pursues unique trapeze passion

Junior Celia Kohler looked down at the ground 30 feet below her. She knew it was risky — at just 7 years old, people told her she was too little. But being the daredevil she was, she breathed a sigh, closed her eyes and took a giant leap of faith.

“It was fantastic and I got hooked,” Kohler said.

Kohler now returns to the same place she first tried trapeze, Cancun Yucatan, Mexico, for a two-week vacation during part of every summer and while there, she practices trapeze. It is a sport that runs in the family.

“My mom used to do trapeze, but my brother is scared of heights and my dad is not flexible,” Kohler said. “Trapeze is definitely a form of gymnastics so there is definitely an element of flexibility.”

Trapeze is a sport she practices and performs for fun, although the lack of trapeze centers around Saratoga makes it difficult for her to practice at all during the rest of the year. 

The trainers at ClubMed, a trapeze and water skiing club in Mexico, all recognize and help instruct her, and she picks up where she left off the previous summer every year. She also performs at ClubMed.

In the 10 years she has been practicing trapeze, Kohler has faced some mishaps. Three summers ago, she attempted a Rollie Pollie, where a trapeze artist sits on the bar, then flips off the back and assumes a parallel position to the net in the air with arms stretched toward the catchers.

Kohler's wires crossed, and she ended up in a tangle.

"They talked me out of the tangles," Kohler said. "They basically told me where to put my arms and legs to get back onto the bar in the position I was supposed to be in."

In addition to the Rollie Pollie, Kohler also performs tricks like the splits, where an artist does the splits upside down, and the Bird’s Nest, during which an artist arches upwards with legs overhead.

Kohler gains confidence through practice free falls under ClubMed instruction. 

“Like for horseback riding, once you fall then you know it’s not that bad,” Kohler said. “But before you fall, you’re freaking out.”

Trapeze is an unusual sport for students to pursue, but Kohler feels drawn to it. She even hopes to continue in college.

"It's is an amazing sport. It's fun, not too complicated but it can be so beautiful if you do it right," Kohler said. "And the flying through the air and trusting your partner that he'll catch you is a rush."