Episode 7: Mandy and Flying Trapeze

What do you do when you're recovering from a serious back injury, scared of heights, and bored by the gym? If you're Mandy, you sign yourself up for a six-week flying trapeze course — and then never look back. In this episode, Mel sits down with Mandy, a Cabarita Beach local (and current guide dog puppy mum) whose recreational hobby happens to involve swinging through the air and flying towards a catcher at height. No big deal.

Mandy shares the full story — from the terrifying moment she stood on the platform at her very first class, shaking and desperately hoping to let someone else go first (they wouldn't let her), to the moment on her second swing when something just clicked. She talks through what it actually takes to progress in flying trapeze, why the net doesn't stop you getting hurt ("it just increases your chances of living"), and what it's like to train alongside genuine trapeze celebrities — including a world-class Russian catcher from Cirque du Soleil and an artist who came second at the prestigious Monte Carlo International Circus Festival.

Along the way, Mandy opens up about the injuries that have come with pushing herself — including one significant accident that changed what her body can now do — and why, despite all of that, she keeps coming back. Her answer is surprisingly profound: in a world full of distractions, flying trapeze is one of the few things that forces you to be completely, utterly present. And as a bonus, she's actually invented a couple of trapeze tricks that are now in the official TrapezeNet catalogue. Yes, really.

Whether you're curious about trying it yourself or just want to live vicariously through someone genuinely fearless, this one's a joy from start to finish.

Mel Loy is a storyteller, community enthusiast, and host of this insightful exploration into the power of individual passions. She’s dedicated to highlighting stories that connect people and inspire action.

You can connect with Mel on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Do you have a weird or wonderful hobby, or do you know someone who does? Then get in touch! Email hello@cuttlefish.group.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Welcome to Wait, You Do What? The show where we unearth some of the weird and wonderful hobbies of the people in our communities. I'm your host, Mel Loy. I'm recording this on the lands of the Yavera and Terrible People here in the Engine Brisbane. And I love sharing stories. So sit back, relax, enjoy, and laugh, and maybe be a bit inspired by some of the hobbies our guests share with us on this show. Let's get into it. Mandy, welcome to the show. Hi Mel, nice to see you, and thanks for inviting me. I'm very excited to talk to you today. But before we get into why I'm so excited, tell us a bit about you.

SPEAKER_00 0:46

Okay, so uh uh my name is Mandy. I I just said that, sorry. Um I live in Cabarita Beach, which is uh close to the Queensland, New South Wales border. It's um it's a beautiful part of the world. It once was voted Australia's nicest beach a few years ago. Um and I I do a multitude of things for work just because of, you know, that's what some people do these days. And I um at the moment I have a guide dog puppy as well. Amazing. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:25

We love a guide dog puppy. And you and I actually met many moons ago when we're both working in comms in a non-profit organization which shall remain unnamed.

SPEAKER_00 1:35

Yes, yes, that's where we met. Uh, and I actually learnt so much from you, Mel. It was such a good experience working with you. Oh, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 1:44

Well, I want to learn about your weird and wonderful hobby today. So tell us about it. What's your weird and wonderful hobby?

SPEAKER_00 1:50

Well, uh well I believe what you think is weird is just kind of normal for me. I um so I I do flying trapeze as recreationally. And um I weird, I'm not sure about weird, but people do often uh give me strange expressions when I tell them I do it.

SPEAKER_01 2:13

So tell me firstly, how did you even get started in flying trapeze?

SPEAKER_00 2:20

So uh many years ago I had a back injury like a lot of people get. I had a a bulging disc like a really significant one. And it took a long time to rehab from it. And as I was um on the recovery, I know I knew I needed to strengthen my core. And I wanted to do something that was fun because I'm just unfortunately I'm not a gym person. I I get a little bit bored, and I need a little bit more stimulation than um being in a room with gym equipment. So um I wanted to do something to strengthen my core, I wanted to do something that was fun, and I also had a really healthy fear of heights, let's say, and I wanted to deal with that, and it ticked all three boxes.

SPEAKER_01 3:11

Amazing. So, how did you go about finding somewhere to start? And what was that first experience like?

SPEAKER_00 3:17

Well, I was living in Brisbane at the time, which is where I met you, and I had heard that there was a flying Japase rig that had opened up. Uh, I think it had opened up probably maybe six or nine months before I started, but my back wasn't ready to do it just yet. So when I started to feel better, I just I booked in. I and I actually I signed myself up to a instead of just a casual class to see what it would feel like, I actually signed myself up to a a six-week thing, I think, just so I couldn't back out. That's that's pretty that's how I found it, basically. So yeah. And what was that first experience like? Oh my gosh, terrifying. Uh I actually wrote about it in a blog. Um it it was um I actually once I climbed up the ladder, I asked the person on the board if I could let the next person go first because I I just felt like I needed to get used to being up so high, first of all. And um they wouldn't let me because there was someone else coming up the ladder, and they're like, actually, no, you you don't have a choice, you've you've got to go. So the only way down actually was um go on the flying trapeze. And um yeah, I was shaking a lot. It was just and I couldn't do anything that they had told me to do on the ground, just because that part of my brain switched off all I was thinking of was survival, really. The fear just took over. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 5:03

I remember doing that when I went um skydiving a gazillion years ago, and you go through the whole thing like for an hour beforehand. And the second I swung my legs over the edge of the plane, I was like, what the fuck am I doing? They were too late, and they just jumped, and I completely forgot about the whole put your arms back.

SPEAKER_00 5:21

Like the guy just grabbed my arms and pulled them up because I was just like, Yeah, something about fear just and especially if it's something new that you've never done, it just takes over and you forget everything that you've been told.

SPEAKER_01 5:33

No, yeah. So, what was the point where you kind of get went, okay, this is better now. I think I've got this.

SPEAKER_00 5:39

Oh, the second, my second go on that same day. So I uh because you get you you usually get about five goes. So the second go I got up, and because I uh had conditioned my brain already to know that it was safe, I was able to do the things that they told me to do.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

Yeah, wonderful. And that's probably a good lesson for all of us with a bit of fear.

SPEAKER_00 6:03

Yes, yeah, exactly. I think you uh we it's about controlling the fear and not letting it control you.

SPEAKER_01 6:11

So you finished that six-week course and then what did you decide to do?

SPEAKER_00 6:16

Oh, I fell in love with it. I I fell in love with um the adrenaline rush side of it, and I fell in love with the um ability to to work towards things and progress and see the progression. So I just kept going back and um I haven't stopped since and actually it it led me to other things as well. Um during COVID I went and got my riggers ticket. Um because once I started doing philanthropies for a long time, I learned how to be a coach. I did the training course to be a coach. And I also um when you when you're coaching, you're learning, you know, little bits of rigging basically. And so what's rigging for the in uninitiated? Oh yeah, so uh it's it's about um rigging essentially is about understanding weight loads and um how physics can change the weight loads and and what type of weights you can put on the rope and what types of ropes you can use, what type of knots you can use for certain things. Um it's quite it gets a little bit complex, but that's kind of the simple thing. And it's basically anything that's in the air. So um with flying trapeze, when especially when you're coaching, you start to learn a few knots and and things like that. So I ended up getting my rig riggers ticket and um I helped to rig all the aerials at the circa studio in Brisbane, the near the powerhouse. Uh outside the powerhouse, rather. And I did did a few other jobs for a year with rigging, um, which all started from flying trapeze, thankfully.

SPEAKER_01 8:06

That's fun. So from there, you're obviously doing it more consistently. Uh but I know it hasn't all been smooth sailing, has it? Like you've had your fair share of injuries and things too.

SPEAKER_00 8:16

Oh my gosh, I've had so many injuries. Um, yes, it is definitely part of it. Getting uh I think once you get to a certain level, it's pretty uh difficult to be injured when you're in safety lines, but once you get to a certain level and you and you want to keep it uh in I guess challenging yourself and pushing yourself, um most people will start to do tricks once their coach tells them it's okay without any safety lines. And that's when things can happen. It just takes um one bad landing or just one moment of uh hesitation and uh things can go pear-shaped really quickly. But you've recovered. Uh I recovered from yeah, well, all of the injuries that I've had, there's been a few. Um I have I have recovered quite well. Um, but sometimes you know, it has meant taking 11 months off or something like that, just because the injuries have been quite significant. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:27

Um, but like you say, you do not have to take those safety lines off, dear listener. You can have a safety line on and still enjoy the thrill of the trapeze if you would like.

SPEAKER_00 9:37

Yes, of course. And you would never be allowed to take the safety lines off until you are ready, and then you can always say no if you don't want to do it. Excellent. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:49

That's what we like to hear. Time to butt in and share a few fun facts about trapeze. The flying trapeze was invented by a French gymnast, Jules Liotard, who performed it for the first time on 12th November 1859 in Paris. He had developed his act as a teenager at his dad's house in Toulouse, which thankfully had a swimming pool that acted as a safety net, and he just practiced his tricks over the pool. And if you think his surname sounds ironic, it's because his name is the origin of the word Liotard that we know today as a costume that's not just for chipees anymore, but for other types of gymnastics, trampoline and so on. By the 1860s, Jules Liotard was performing chipees in London over the heads of diners at the London Music Hall, and he was paid about £180 a week, or about $9,400 Australian dollars today. That's not bad for 12 minutes of swinging around. Although there wasn't a safety net, just a strategically placed mattress. You may have also heard of the song The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze. It said this song was written about him in 1867 to celebrate his achievements. Jules Leotard inspired a new generation of people to give the Flying Trapeze a go. And the tricks became more daring and death-defying. For many years, a triple somersault was considered to be pretty much a death sentence. But in April 1920, Alfredo Cardona became the first artist to perform the trick. And he continued to do it regularly from 1920 to 1933. Alfredo Codona was also the lover of Lillian Leedsor, who was a huge circus star. She was just 1.647 metres tall, about 4'10 inches. Her signature act would see her hold on to a ring in one hand and just throw her body around doing loads of rotations. She would actually dislocate her shoulder every time. Sadly, on the 13th of February 1930, during a performance in Denmark, one of her rings broke mid-act and she fell 6.1 metres to the ground and died of her injuries two days later. But back to the somersaults. A triple was just the tip of the iceberg because once a triple somersault became mainstay, people started attempting a quadruple. The first person to successfully perform a quadruple somersault during a performance was a 16-year-old Miguel Vasquez in 1982. He even made the front page of the New York Times for that achievement. But where there's four, there's going to be people pushing for five. And in 2013, Han Ho's song achieved five somersaults in an act. Today, trapeze artists are doing all sorts of things. Just go to a Cirque du Soleil show to see them in action. It's also grown as a recreational and fitness hobby with schools around the world teaching beginners. Speaking of hobbyists, let's get back to Mandy. What do you enjoy about it?

SPEAKER_00 12:48

I enjoy the rush of it. And I enjoy that you just you have to be present because you if you if you're not present, particularly if you're doing things without safety lines, that's when things can go really wrong, and that's when the injuries happen. So I enjoy just, you know, especially in life today and when we've got so many distractions and you know, particularly with businesses that we have or manage, that there's always so much going on, it can be hard to just stay focused sometimes for uh you know a decent amount of time and just be completely present. So that part is fantastic. Um I also enjoy meeting people and hanging out with people that I might not have mingled or met otherwise. Literally hanging out, yeah, literally. Um boom ting. Um yeah, it's it it attracts a lot of people from all different walks of life and demographics, and and that's nice to be able to hang out with you know all kinds of people as well.

SPEAKER_01 14:03

So how often do you train now?

SPEAKER_00 14:06

Uh at the moment I'm sort of I've it kind of just depends on how my body's feeling. So in an ideal world where I don't have any injuries or any niggles in my body, I would train two to three times a week. But um this year's been a slow year just because I've been still coming back from injuries, so it would just depend on how I feel after training session and how much time I need to give my body to recover. Yeah, that's so fair.

SPEAKER_01 14:39

And look, none of us are getting any younger either. So I feel this in my bones again, literally. Yeah. So how do people typically react when you tell them about your hobby?

SPEAKER_00 14:53

Uh, they always give me a weird expression. Uh, and and actually, usually I have to explain to them because they they their mind usually automatically goes to the static trapeze, which is um what it says on the can where you're just uh there's no swinging to a catcher. It's just on something like what's behind me. Um so I have to explain to them that there's a net, and I fly to the catcher, and then they go, Oh, okay, that that's the safe one because there's a net. And my response is always the same. It's always no, the the net just increases your chances of living. It doesn't actually stop you from getting hurt, especially if you're not wearing safety lines.

SPEAKER_01 15:45

We do like that it increases your chance of living, though. That's always a plus. Yes. Well, yes. Um, and is there a trick that you would love to do, but or a couple of tricks that you haven't quite nailed yet that you're working towards? Oh, look, so many.

SPEAKER_00 16:01

I after uh a significant accident on the flying trapeze, I have not been able to do certain power tricks again. My body just can't get into the position or it just doesn't have the power. So I've had to kind of let that go. And by power tricks I mean doing if anyone's listening and they do gymnastics and talking about layouts and working towards double somersaults and things like that. Uh I just my body doesn't want to do that anymore. So I sort of stick to the floaty and flexible type of tricks. The easy ones, I guess you could say.

SPEAKER_01 16:46

Well, easy for you when you've been doing it a while. Um and is tell us a bit about these tricks. So what kind of levels do you work through as a Chapease artist? Where do you start and what kind of as as you're a coach too, obviously. So how do you then build up to being able to do more advanced stuff?

SPEAKER_00 17:05

Sure. Well, I'm not actually a coach at the moment. I just have helped out before in the past, and I've done the the coaching training course a few years ago. So um there's it's not it doesn't have levels like gymnastics or karate or a lot of other sports. It's more about your individual progress and the coaches being able to identify and help you through um what you want to achieve.

SPEAKER_01 17:35

So tell me, what uh are there any sort of competitions or international meets or anything like that in the trapeze world?

SPEAKER_00 17:43

The the biggest competition is the International Monte Carlo uh competition. So it's a a a huge circus festival festival event that happens in Monte Carlo. And the coveted prize is the Golden Clown. Um but that particular competition is specifically for elite artists, um, not for people of my calibre. Uh yeah, but there there aren't a huge amount of competitions. There are uh there are festivals, I guess, but people aren't assessed like for like at these particular festivals. And and even at Monte Carlo, it goes to the best act, not the best flying trapeze artist.

SPEAKER_01 18:40

Got it, okay, cool. Well that must be a lot of fun to watch.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

Yeah, it is, and however, the Flying Trapeze acts have won um quite regularly over the years in Monte Carlo. Oh, cool. That's wicked.

SPEAKER_01 18:57

So is there a particular I don't know, in the in the Flying Trapeze world, are there trapeze celebrities?

SPEAKER_00 19:05

Yes, for sure. And I've I've actually been fortunate enough to uh have been trained by a couple of um trapeze celebrities. Uh so w when Cirque du Soleil were here last time, uh one of the guys who was in the show is a very famous catcher in Russia. So that's the person who does the catching hanging upside down, they don't do the actual tricks. Um but that's that's obviously super, super important, and to find an excellent catcher is actually always tricky. Um so I got to train with him once when he was here, and I've trained with a guy who uh he was invited to Monte Carlo, the the circus festival in Monte Carlo. And I think they his Flying Chopeze Act came second, if I remember correctly. But anyway, he's much sought after, and he also works for Cirque du Soleil now. But he's incredible. He does the most amazing things bat ballet-like in the air, and has so much power that makes it look absolutely effortless. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:26

That's that's how you know they're pros, right? Like it like makes it look like anybody could do it, and then you're like, well, absolutely not.

SPEAKER_00 20:32

Yeah, yeah, yeah. He does like quadruple somersaults and just makes it look like he's just walking.

SPEAKER_01 20:44

So you mentioned before that there's catcher roles. So how do you like how does that all work? How do you pair up with somebody as a catcher or how do you decide you want to be a catcher and not the flippy person?

SPEAKER_00 20:57

Oh, I think it's more of a you have it, you try it and see if you like it. And um personally it's not for me, uh, because I as part of the coaching course, we were sort of required to learn how to catch. Uh but it made me incredibly emotion sick. Like I just and it took it took probably a couple of hours to get over the motion sickness. Um, I think and I couldn't work out why, but I think it's because when you're doing the tricks, it's over pretty fast. But when you are upside down and looking around and looking in different directions, like you're doing it for quite a while. So it yeah, it made me very nauseated. Um and also I don't love the idea personally of people flying at my head. That's fair. It happens so fast, you know. So um, no, that people just decide, I think, by trying it, and they get coached to do it if it feels like it's their thing and they're the right fit. Yeah, gotcha. Yeah, there seems to be a lot of men who are catchers because uh the of the strength involved with it.

SPEAKER_01 22:14

Yeah, okay, cool. So if somebody was listening to this and saying, I just I've always been curious, I just want to, you know, thinking about giving it a go, what would you suggest they do?

SPEAKER_00 22:28

Uh I would suggest you go on to TrapezeNet. I want to say dot com, but have a Google Trapeze Net. There's a website called Trapeze Net. And um there's an area on the website that lists all the flying trapeze schools around the world. Uh, and because it is a niche thing, there aren't um there they aren't everywhere, so it is helpful to look there first, and um then you'll be able to get onto the details of how you can book in for a session and see if you like it. We could, okay.

SPEAKER_01 23:04

Well, Mandy, thank you so much for sharing a bit about your not-so weird, wonderful hobby with us. If people wanted to find out more about you or get in touch to chat Trapeze, what's the best way for them to do that?

SPEAKER_00 23:17

Oh, they could just get in touch with me on Facebook and if you look up Mandy Plum with a silent bee at the end. Um you could also I also have invented a couple of tricks that are on the Trapeze Net catalogue. So you could have a look on there as well in the TrapezeNet catalogue of flying trapeze tricks. Uh, you'll see me doing some things on that. Cool!

SPEAKER_01 23:42

On that as well, is what I meant. That's where I'm gonna go uh straight after this. So we're going down a rabbit hole. Oh Mandy, thank you so much for coming on the show today. Thank you. Thanks for your time, Mal.

SPEAKER_00 23:53

Thanks for letting me share my um favourite hobby. Thank you.