As discussed in my breakdown of the trampoline, I love me some gymnastics. The boys do too. When they saw highlights of the Olympics this year, their minds were blown when they saw what was possible on a trampoline. It inspired them to get jumping and seeing what they were actually capable of, now they had seen the kinds of manoeuvres are possible.
Off the back of Cameo’s added curiosity for the sport, I decided that it was probably about time that we formalise it and introduce him to a facility I know well – a gymnastics training centre not too far from us. If he’s into it, we may as well do things properly. For the past couple of months he’s been on it – coming home with new techniques to try out at home and show me how he’s building up his skills and strength by the week.
With restrictions, we’ve been in the dark with a lot of what he’s been doing. When we drop him off, that’s it. We don’t get to see anything and we get limited amounts of information from him about what exactly he’s been doing. (Although he has now started doing random improvised exercises, that I believe are connected to either that or Lazy Town).
It’s annoying, but it’s just the way it is. At the moment, parents can’t do in and that’s that. However, in a one off that apparently only happens a few times a year, they invited us for a Stay and Play session, in addition to his weekly sessions. The description was vague, but Hollie and I just understood that we would be able to join him in the facility. It wasn’t until we got inside that we found out – if you’re staying, you’re playing.
Apparently Cameo’s usual class is in a completely different room – the one where I used to do my exams – a leisure hall filled with assorted gym equipment. But this was different.
Ropes, rings, beams, pommel horses, trampolines, spring boards, foam pits – do you think I’m ever going to waste an opportunity to have a go on any of these things? It’s been nearly 20 years since I’ve been in this place and it didn’t take long before Cameo realised I was going to have just as much fun there as he was.
As I didn’t know what was planned, I wasn’t exactly dressed to finally practice my backflips, but you better believe I made do with what I was dealing with. We had the best time and I’m going to take every opportunity to do it again in the future.