Flying Trapeze!

Experience the excitement of an outdoor Flying Trapeze class, designed for individuals seeking a unique and thrilling activity. Lessons are taught by Head Coaches Penny & Don! These are the same experts that brought you their award winning & nationally recognized Gymnastics, OLYMPIC Trampoline, Power Tumbling, and Dance programs. In their combined 30+ years of experience, they’ve taught kids, teens, & adults of all ages. Some of their students include Elite Gymnasts, prospective Olympians, & Cirque Du Soleil Artists. Their friendly and approachable nature allows them to teach everyone from scratch, Including YOU!

You’ll learn fundamental techniques and build confidence as you take flight!

This class is suitable for Beginners and Advanced students alike, Ages 6+. Please read the requirements below for more details. 

*Requirements:

• 1) Weight Limit. The weight limit is approximately 185 lbs. (Talk to us if you’re on the edge or a little over, as we may be able to work with you as long as you satisfy requirement #2 below). This is the weight limit for spotting, not for the equipment!
• 2) Strength. If you are close to the weight limit, you must be able to hang from a low-bar for 25 seconds without slipping off to ensure your safety on the high trapeze. You may be asked to demonstrate this on the low bar.
• 3) Kids under 18 yrs old. New students who are under 18 years of age must have a parent/legal-guardian accompany them on the 1st visit in order to fill out the proper paperwork and sign the waiver. If you have been here before and already have your paperwork filled out on a previous visit, you can ignore this Requirement.

*Price of Flying Trapeze Class:

• 1) Member Price.
  • Only $ 30 per class
    • Bundled packages are available for members on request, to help you save even more money than this! So if you’re a member of our school, ask us about our Flying package.
    • Definition of a “Member” = Students who are currently enrolled in one of our many monthly indoor programs (YES, including any parents who routinely partake in Adult Trampoline/Tumbling/Gymnastics classes)! Even people who are enrolled in our Fitness Program. Also, Long-term private lesson students who have been taking routine private lessons with us, for at least the past 2 months). Talk to us if you have a question of whether you or a family-member qualifies as a School Member.
• 2) Non-member price.
  • $ 50 per class
    • (Note: only a 30.00 deposit is required to reserve your spot online, the remaining $20 is due at the start of your flying class, on the day of. For your convenience both Cash and Cards are accepted).
• 3) Our Gymnastics competitors.
  • Special low price (since participating in Flying classes in spring, summer, & fall months is a mandatory requirement to remain on our competitive gymnastics team – we’ve kept it unbelievably affordable for you – talk to us for details). Our TEAM gymnasts are expected to take at least 1 Flying Class per week (on the average), but you are allowed to take more if you wish.

*Class Duration:

90 Minutes on the average. However, if classes are small, the instructors have the right to shorten the class time to 60 minutes. If classes are full, instructors also may lengthen the class to 120 minutes! The 90 minutes includes the 5-min stretch time in the beginning and walking over to the trapeze rig. Note: Catching may or may not be available in every class, dependent on the staff available for that day. However, there are always basics and fundamentals that you can work on, even without catching.

How do classes work? We give you a skill or exercise to practice, depending on your skill level and what progression you’re on. Students then take turns practicing that skill or movement. Coaches will coach you through the skill/trick/movement. Very similar to taking turns on the trampoline in our gym. Turns take a little longer vs. trampoline/tumbling because there is a ladder to ascend. If you’ve ever been to a Springboard Diving class, this is VERY similar (except you won’t get wet or cold haha).

*Attire:

• Comfortable form-fitting workout clothes are recommended. Avoid loose or baggy clothing.
• Socks are needed for foot protection on the trapeze bar and abrasive net. Bring regular socks -or- SOFT soled Ballet shoes/soft Trampoline shoes/Gymnastics shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty.
• Try to remove all rings, as these can pinch your hand when you grab the bar. If you have a ring that is stuck on your finger, that’s fine.
• If you have a belly-button ring, you must wear a shirt that covers your waist, because our safety-harness needs to go over your shirt in order to not get caught on your belly-button ring.
• Long hair should be tied back in a ponytail.
• Don’t put any lotion or sunblock on your palms or hands. This can make you slip off the trapeze bar! But we encourage sunblock for the rest of your body.
• Optional:
  • Sunglasses
  • Water or Sports Drink
  • Sunblock for your face & body (just NOT on your palms please! Wash your hands if you accidentally get lotion or sunblock on your palms).

*Location/Meeting Point:

All students should Park their cars and MEET INSIDE our Gymnastics & Trampoline building. Here is the address: USA Trampoline & Tumbling Academy, 800 Flanders Rd, Mystic CT 06355. We are located in BUILDING # 13 (up the hill, and towards the right). We have restrooms and changing rooms that you can use inside the building. All classes will begin with a 5-min group stretch on the spring floor INSIDE THE Gym. Then we will walk over to the Outdoor Trapeze Rig together as a group – it is a quick 45 second walk. At any point during the trapeze class, if you need to use the restrooms or lavatory, please feel free to help yourself back inside the building/Gym.

** If you’re new, please arrive 10-15 minutes early to sign waivers & paperwork. Students under 18 yrs of age need to bring their parent to the 1st class to have their papers/waivers signed.

*** Please do NOT be late, the group will leave WITHOUT you after stretching/warm-up ends.

*Safety?:

It is super safe. All participants fly with 1) safety harness, 2) over a large net, and 3) attached to safety lines/ropes held by an Instructor. A Trapeze coach will also assist you on the take-off platform. You will also wear a harness that is connected to an auto-belay device as you ascend the ladder. The ladder is bolted to the platform at the top.

*Spectators, Friends, Family:

YES! Feel free to bring your family and friends! It is FREE for spectators! Spectators should bring/carry their own chairs; we don’t have enough chairs for the spectators. Furthermore, spectators must still abide by the same safety rules as the students, which include:

• Absolutely, no walking underneath the net!
• Limit yelling at or distracting the flyer/student. Please let them focus, or you may ruin their concentration & their turn.
• Stay off the equipment, unless you are student participating in the class.

*Weather Policy:

In most cases, rain leads to class cancellations. So it’s important for you to check your email regularly, especially the day before your scheduled Flying Trapeze lesson, because we watch and monitor the rain forecast in Mystic Connecticut meticulously. If rain is predicted on our local weather channel, in most cases we will email you the day before (sometimes the evening before) and notify you of any class closures, and give you options. We will give you credit (in most cases), or a refund in other special cases (such as if you live far away and can’t make another date). In many cases, we can coordinate with you and move your class reservation on a better forecasted day that very same week, possibly even the next day if it works for your schedule.

In the rare instance that you are already in the middle of a Flying Trapeze class with us, and it unexpectedly starts raining, then don’t worry, we will move the class INDOORS, and finish the lesson as a special Trampolining class, as an alternative. In many cases, we can even continue working a similar Flying Trapeze move, but on the trampoline instead. The two sports are cousins.

*Fear of Heights? We can help! But No Refund policy

We will help you overcome your fear of heights! That being said, if you get nervous and back-out of the class, or want to climb back down the ladder, you are more than welcome to do so, however we just want to warn you that we have a strict NO REFUND policy for backing out of a class. You can back-out at any time, because we will never make you do anything you don’t want to do, but we also will not refund you. Sorry! You’ve taken up a spot in the class even if you do not go through with finishing the lesson. Thank you for understanding!

*What if I am Pregnant?:

First off, CONGRATULATIONS! But women who are pregnant may not participate in flying trapeze classes, due to the safety harness worn around the waist. We’ll see you and your little one in a few months!

*Shows & Performances?:

Now you’re talking! That’s actually what we used to specialize in! But don’t get ahead of yourself. Keep training consistently, and we can put you in a show/performance if you wish. You have to be consistent and learn the basics first. It can take several years of training to learn how to perform a skill/trick perfectly into the arms of a catcher, then return back to your bar, then return back to the platform. What you see in Cirque du Soleil may only take a few seconds, but it takes years to master.