The Satisfaction of the Trapeze
Year 9 Camp 2015
200 of our Year 9's have spent this week on camp at Forrest Edge near Waroona.
Rung by rung, my shaking feet tread higher and higher up the pamper pole.
It's no mistake that the frighteningly wobbly structure is referred to as the 'Pamper Pole'.
As one by one, my group members climbed further to the sky, persistent shouts of encouragement and a large amount of chanting (as well as some atrocious Katy Perry singing by yours truly) took place.
The group rallied on its friends and fellow campers forward, upward and toward satisfaction.
Half-way up that monolithic tower, people began to shout out more and more words of encouragement.
'Can I have some singing?' I asked to the crowd, without looking down of course.
'What would you like?' Yelled Miss Thompson.
'Some Katy Perry would be nice!' and with the poorly strung together lyrics and the broken notes, I reached the top platform.
Sitting on my knees on the top carpeted surface of the tower my heart decided that it would now let out its beats through my cranium.
Shaking, and more fearful then I would now like to admit, I slowly and incredibly carefully, lifted my foot so the sole of the my muddy shoe sat trembling on the platform.
The pole swayed left and right. I looked down at the dirt below me and forward at the magnificent view.
My head turned upwards to the trapeze that I was expected to reach.
'Oh my gosh.' I thought to myself. 'Its so far away'.
I lifted up my other foot and with surgical precision, lifted my arms out so I could stand up straight and vertical.
The tiny platform let out a creak.
I transferred my attention to my friends in the crowd, who while flailing their arms began the count down.
On 'one', I would have to leap right out.
Over the edge.
'THREE!' I began to shake a little but bent my knees so I would be ready to jump.
'TWO!' I examined the wooden trapeze and noticed how slanted it was.
I Hope its not slippery.
'ONE!!' I looked around.
And after a fleeting second of recollection I launched myself, arms out, toward the wooden pole hanging down.
My sweating hands clung to it and my kicking legs dangled over the crowd.
Clapping and cheering met with the profound feeling of accomplishment.
My arms gently let go and I slid down with the harness guiding me.
Landing on the ground, with not the slightest element of grace, I pumped my arms in the air and smiled.
The satisfaction of the trapeze.
And the joy of smashing our paradigms and rescuing ourselves from our own comfort zones made year nine camp a charmingly friendly experience for me and all of my classmates.
It was truly three wonderful days that will sit in many many minds, for a long long time.
Oscar
