Because Sometimes You Just Want to Be a Stuntman

Preparing to Leap

I love adventure. All types of adventure. I'm usually on the hunt for all kinds of new things to do but I'm not opposed to repeat themes. If it's something fun, of course I'm going to revisit it.  

Scary, exciting, different - they all have my name on it. I like to call myself the entertainment coordinator. I usually plan things for me but I don't exclude. I'm all for people joining in on my excursions. 

Sure, sometimes they do. Mostly, they don't. I'm used to being a solo rider. Like the time I decided to brush up on my trapeze skills. Not one person joined in. I had a few friends that said they wanted to come along, but in the end, it was me, with my cameraman. Thanks Mike.

I'm used to this. I don't mind. I'm never going to miss out because I'm a solo rider. I need adventure. Need it. It keeps things exciting. So I'm constantly searching for new things to do. 

I always try to find a new experience, an unusual exploit, before I go back to something I've already done. I almost ignored my guidelines when it came to the trapeze. This was, to date, one of my favorite undertakings.

I discovered the trapeze in San Diego. Encinitas to be exact. I was so excited that I even had a few friends share in my enthusiasm. Until it came time to book. Then I was solo flyer. Literally. Well, technically I was solo adult flyer. Nothing says adventure like a class full of children and me. Lone adult.

But I forged on. Up the ladder to the platform and off I went. Swinging, flipping and the best of all, the catch and release. I'm not going to lie. It was hard, but the fun far outweighed it and was worth every ache I felt the next day.

After I moved back to NYC from San Diego, I wanted to go revisit Trapeze School. My logic was "different area, different experience" but I knew I had to wait. I had to find something new. Something different. The search was on. 

Trapeze School, San Diego, CA

Then one day I found it. My hunt had yielded the ultimate. STUNT SCHOOL. I had found the jackpot of city adventures. Not only was I going to learn how to be a stuntman, I was going to jump off buildings! 

Through Living Social, I had found a place called Hollywood Stunt School. I was in and this time I was going with a friend. My cameraman Mike was up for the challenge.

There were two options (technically, yes, but for us, it was never an option) - Trampoline or High Falls. I knew what we were choosing. High Falls it was.

Because sometimes, you just want to be a stuntman.

The Pros at Work at Stunt School

We were going to learn the proper way to fall from 20 and 30 feet. There was also a 40 foot platform but that wasn't for beginners. We started off with a table fall into a crash mat so we learn the proper technique. Baby steps.

The class had about 15 people in it - people who came for different reasons. People like us who were fulfilling their stuntman dreams, people who were just trying something different and then there was the woman who was deathly afraid of heights. No joke. Terrified.

Everyone in the class cheered her on. She climbed each platform and every time, had to wait it out, urged on by the cheers of her class. Although she was terrified, and it took her longer than the rest of us, she did it. Every time. From the platform onto the airbag. Success.

The instructors were great. We had fun and even though we all walked in as strangers, our entire class bonded over our leaps off the platform and the inspiration of the woman. She overcame her fear, I think we all might have teared up a little.

Next time I'm braving the 40 foot platform.

Ironically, what was supposed to be just a day of play, has now taught us the proper way to fall. It came in handy when, during our snowstorm a few weeks back, I thought it would be fun to jump off the deck into the snowbank. Life lessons. Stuntman for life.

To see a video of me at Trapeze School, follow this link:
https://www.facebook.com/melissakbauer/videos/497693251822/?l=5368495957900613121

To see a video of me at Stunt School, follow this link:
https://www.facebook.com/michael.j.bauernfeind/videos/10201398412230838/

To learn more about Hollywood Stunt School, visit their website:
http://hollywoodstunts.com/

To learn more about Trapeze School, visit their website:
http://www.trapezehigh.com/