Student of the Month

Stephanie: i wanted to do roller derby for a long time (and i also have the best derby name in mind EVER -- Tara Toma, do NOT steal it) but i could never get into it b/c i kept freaking out about knocking out my teeth, so when my friend lauren emailed me a link to the bumbershoot website, it seemed like it'd scratch that same itch. she and i signed up together about a year and a half ago, and though it wasn't for her, it was obvious immediately that it was perfect for me.

Flannery: i saw Circus Flora and i always wanted to do circus like in Circus Flora. when i grow up i'm going to be a circus girl!

Stephanie: trapeze! no question.

Flannery: slings.

Stephanie: until i sat down to really think about this, i probably would've said it was the complete lack of competitiveness -- but i think it really goes beyond that to the atmosphere that i suspect is very carefully created by the coaches, an atmosphere that makes even the idea of competition or comparison seem insane. it's so wonderful to be in a place where everyone WANTS you to succeed and where everyone celebrates your progress unreservedly.

Flannery: i like the apparatuses and getting to play and climb and use all my energy and muscles.

Stephanie: truth? i think about hanging in the air! for my job, i work in oncology clinical research (which i love), and i periodically binge-read comics and expend a lot of mental energy on metatextual analyses of the marvel cinematic universe.

Flannery: i do gymnastics and piano and i go to kindergarten and play with my friends.

Stephanie: my mom's chocolate chip cookies.

Flannery: any kind of lollipop.

Stephanie: my junior high/high school art teacher, mr derleth, used to have us repeat after him: "i can't draw YET like i'd like to be able to, but with practice, i'll get better and better." some of my trap pals have heard me say this, i'm sure, b/c it applies equally well to aerial. i also spend a lot of time thinking about the benefits of failure and working on something that doesn't come easily -- and i remind myself that there's value in the process, not just the end product.

Flannery: i tell myself to remember when it was hard to do a trick i think is easy now and to keep going.

Stephanie: back walkover. it definitely doesn't get enough love! honorable mention goes to iron fanny (which i guess is more a transitional move) b/c sunny and i have decided to rebrand it the Margaret Thatcher. i don't think i actually have a least fave!

Flannery: butterfly on slings is my FAVORITE! i don't have a least favorite trick.

Stephanie: oh my god it would HAVE to be sunny b/c she is my aerial heart and my beautiful cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too pure. plus my trap 2 and 3 (and 4!) pals are all my ladybros and dudeladybros and i just can't choose!

Flannery: mom!

Stephanie: the day i realized i could pull myself to standing AT WILL at any point no matter how many times i'd already done it that day. i have specific memories of feeling like i'd:
- never be able to do it at all
- never be able to do it consistently
- never be able to do it more than 3 times in a given day
- never be able to do it with good form and yet I CAN.
honorable mention to the day brittany and i did our first crossback straddles a couple months ago, b/c i had no idea i was even close to being able to do something that cool.

Flannery: when i first learned butterfly and kris let me flop back into the fabric and it was so fun and i wanted to do it AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN.