Although I wish I could give insight into an obscure but highly followed world like that of astronauts, I’m afraid I cannot. Instead you must settle for an account of the little-known but fantastic world of acrobatic gymnasts. Unfortunately, this world is of my past, not my present, but nonetheless I have some vivid memories of the time. I suppose I must start out with a quick explanation of what acrobatic gymnastics is. The way I can best explain it to an outsider is a mix of gymnastics and cheerleading, with more the serious nature of gymnastics and more of the partnership aspect of cheer. Although there is an audition of sorts to get on the team, that process was a fairly easy one for the small and flexible. Instead the hardest test in the sport was the Nationals competition. Each pair or trio had to work their way up from little local competitions to States, then Regionals, and then Nationals, or for the very talented, Worlds. At each competition level, your trio or pair had to score high enough to make it to the next competition. Making it to Nationals was not guaranteed, but if your team was good then most of the team would make it. At Nationals, the competition was intense. You had to compete against the many talented groups for a spot on the podium at awards.
My last Nationals was held in Orlando Florida. This season, I was partnered with my friend Summer, which was a somewhat odd pairing as I had by this point gotten quite big and was not some tiny kid that was easy to hold or throw in the air. Nevertheless, I was still quite flexible and good at handstands and flips, so we were competing at Level 7. In each routine, one has to perform certain skills within a dance routine. The routine is then scored out of 30 based on performance/artistry, execution of skills, and difficulty of skills. I was very nervous to compete at this level with our size disadvantage and even though I had competed for so long, I still struggled with smiling and performing.
After running through our routine many times on the back floors, we stepped up to the real floor. They announced our names and all eyes were on us as we walked to our spots. Our teammates cheered, and we breathlessly waited for the chime that would start the music. Then, all of a sudden, we were off. Striking poses and gracefully gliding around the floor, smiling as hard as possible. We made it through two skills and we were halfway there when the tight pull of nerves got to us. We were doing a skill where I climbed up to Summer’s hands and she threw me into the air, but one of my feet slipped out of her grasp and I went up half the height I was supposed to. My heart fell. I knew we had no chance at a spot on the podium anymore. We knew we couldn’t let it bother us so we continued on trying to do our skills the best possible to make up for our mistake. We struck the final pose, looking up at the enormous venue’s ceiling and industrial lights, before heading off the floor. We rushed to our coaches who hugged us before we waited tensely for our score. 26.45. Good but not good enough to get us on the podium. We were sad but not too sad. We had still scored well all considered. We got back on our uniforms and got to hang with our teammates - playing games, drawing, and cheering them on when they performed. We may have technically failed our test, but we had shown that two similar sized people can still do well at pairs. Moreover, we made bonds with each other and our teammates that were stronger than ever.
Process
I was stuck on the idea of how unique an experience going into space was and what the most unique activity that I had done was - Acrobatic Gymnastics. When I was thinking about it I kept coming back to the amazinng idea of weightlessess that was somehow present both in space and in Acro. Thus, the idea was born in my head:
Response to In & of Itself
In & Of Itself
This film was spectacular in many ways. Foremost, the way that one’s expectations are constantly subverted. In the beginning, the show seems to be a dark story/play, but as the dark story ends, we realize that it is only part of something greater. The audience is left to connect the different memories in Delgaudio’s life. As he gets labelled and as he is forced to find his own way to survive. He seeks to awe and bend the mind, but not in a way that is inaccessible. He many of his cards bare, but keeps a few tricks to himself. In the same way that Delgaudio wants the audience to see identity as complex and multifaceted, the show/film is similar. It is a magic show, a Ted talk, a story, or an autobiography. It is being able to believe in the impossible for a moment. Delgaudio reveals that labels can change who we are as we seek to become or avoid them. But most importantly, that humans are never as two dimensional as a label. We are always more than one identity because of our connections and our aspirations. We can feel connected to the ones we love most or even a moment and time. Moments are more than isolated pockets in time, they are affected by the yesterday and they impact the tomorrow. Even with a million different things between us, there is still connection through the human experience of living within a society.
I found the identity theme within the film to be a little cliche and almost like he's trying to preach, but I thought he presented things in a very unique way. The book was so interesting. I like the concept that time is connected and continuous - the present is connected to the past and the future. Another part I found so interesting is the way he is so used to subverting expectation. From his story mixed with tricks, one can feel the way that a kid was forced to grow up and find a way to show the world what to think of him rather than just sitting by and letting the toughness of life weigh on and crush him.
To represent this, I made a forum that will be similar to the book from this movie. It follows the idea where time is continuous - there is a yesterday before each moment and a tomorrow after.
https://ecmassey13.wixsite.com/my-site-1/forum/the-neverending-story/where-things-began-today