What? No Apple?

For the past little while I have been dropping hints about new and exciting career opportunities. Well, the first step in what I hope to be an enduring adventure is just about up and I feel about ready to share.

For the last week, I have been teaching at the Lido circus school here in Toulouse. For me, this is quite an honour, and just plain cool. I was, of course, a circus student not too long ago. As a student of circus, I was made aware of other well reputed circus schools around the world. To find myself now teaching at one is pretty mind blowing. I suppose it seems silly, but it makes me feel that much more professional and that much more like I'm leading a successful career.

The experience has also been incredibly powerful on a personal level. I've coached before, but nothing like this. I've always worked with young kids (between five and eleven) on a mostly recreational level. When I coached Kindergym (beginner's gymnastics) I never did the coaching workshop and hadn't actually done gymnastics for a number of years. And while I could do all the tricks, I had no real memory of the learning process and therefore no memory of the key hints a coach would provide. Plus, when it comes to working with five-year-olds, the coach pretty much physically manipulates the child through a lot of the movements.

Then there was cheerleading. Yeah, I had cheered for six years by the time I started coaching, and I was certainly old enough to know what was what and remember the way I had learned the basics. Plus I actually did the coaching workshop this time. But there were three of us coaching ten girls. And a lot of cheering is teaching choreography, which was a shared responsibility, and as for the pyramids... well... I could give the flyers first hand advice, but I didn't have that same insider knowledge with the porters.

And now, here I am being asked to teach something that I not only do in the here and now, but also something I'm very good at. I remember all (most) of the great tips that have been passed on to me from the various coaches I've had the good fortune of working with, plus the secrets I've figured out on my own along the way. Plus, my student would be an adult working toward a professional level! And frankly, when it comes to German wheel, I know what I'm doing.

So to find myself being asked to give a stage was very exciting, but also, mildly terrifying. You see, as much as I know what I'm doing, I've never coached wheel. The only time I ever really tried was during my first year of circus school. My boyfriend at the time also did German wheel and asked me to spot this one move. Already, I was terrified of the wheel coming toward me (those things are big) and was unsure of the height he needed for the move in question and would basically stop the wheel every single time.

Not too successful.

Having only that under my belt, I was a little nervous going in. But then, this girl I would be working with... she's never had a coach except the acro coach who would sometimes step in despite having no knowledge of wheel technique whatsoever. So really, how advanced could she be?

It turns out she's advanced enough to deflate my ego a smidge. Or at least, provide me with more of a challenge than I was expecting. I have one class remaining and while I'm looking forward to having my mornings back (coaching in the early mornings plus shows at night has been brutal), I think I'm going to miss it. But if I've learned anything (and I have, and will be sharing those things in the near future), it's that I really like coaching wheel. Its a good thing too, considering what the spring has in store...

But these are stories for another time.