We live close to the “rings” in Riverside Park, where would-be acrobats often practice, and maintain their conditioning.

For years, I have watched people swing on them as naturally as breathing.  Every time I jumped up to grab a ring, I couldn’t hold on.  Too much upper body strength required.

I am pretty fit for being 49 and, this year, I decided that I needed to learn how to swing from ring to ring.  Like Tarzana, Queen of the Jungle.  Some people want to save the world.  Me, I just want to swing from ring to ring.  Probably no coincidence that there are the same number of rings as there are Dante’s rungs of hell.

So, I convinced Wendy, my trainer, to teach me how to do this.

“In the scorching sun?”

“Yep.”

Of course, I was trying to make it epic, like the Inferno.  But she didn’t know that.  She thought I was just plain crazy.

IT IS HARD TO DO!!!

First, you have to start your own momentum.  No running starts (at least when you are short like me).  It is like swinging on a swing but sideways, with your arms threatening to come out of their sockets.

So this is how pathetic I looked today.  Unable to get the momentum to move to the next rung.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YbzTCOYavU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

And now, for what, Wendy promises me, I can do by the end of the month:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYEgcSEuKT4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The challenge is on!!!!