Aerial Off Season - Is That A Thing?

Firstly I 100% do not consider aerial a sport, however everything has an off season right? Honestly I think the answer here is subjective, it completely depends on where you live and what your commitment levels are. But for us here at Treeline Aerial I would say we absolutely have an aerial off season and it generally runs from after our year end show in June until Fall session starts back in September. 

By off-season I should clarify, for me that's when we aren’t on a regular schedule. We aren’t meeting at the same time every week for class, or in the normal routine. 

This all began for me when I would do ‘normal life’ Sept-May and when June rolled around my bags would be packed and I’d be back on a plane to Pennsylvania to work at summer camp for the summer. My summers were spent at Camp Westmont where I worked on the flying trapeze teaching circus. Those summers were truly special and I looked forward to running off to the circus every summer instead of doing law internships like I was supposed to. 

This tradition of breaking for the summer and breaking from the routine has carried over with me to my studio in Whistler, BC. Winters are long in Canada, so much of the year it's cold and the days are short. But summer in BC, well it's something else. They don’t call it Beautiful BC for no reason. The summers here spoil us and let me be the first to admit that I would rather be outside than having a sweaty silk stuck to me. 

Summer in BC brings a ‘fomo’ attitude of how many things can I cram into my time off? Like I said we are spoiled with so much to do that it almost becomes a problem. (Yes I know, first world problems at its finest). Whether it's biking, hiking, camping, canoe trips, paddle boarding, climbing, festivals, concerts, trips away there's almost an anxiety to fit as much as you can in. So where do you fit in aerial among all of this? Maybe you're really committed and make time for your usual training and maybe you don’t. I’ve recently decided I’m ok with the latter. 

I love spending summers outdoors, it was a luxury I never had growing up in Northern Ireland. I chose to live in one of the most expensive places in Canada for a reason, the lifestyle. The studio's ethos is built around being able to have mountain life and aerial. I love silks but I also really love being outdoors,  why does it need to be one or the other?

If you’re lucky enough to have a free standing rig, summer may be your short window to train outdoors and get more training time in. Personally, I like to take this time to enjoy other hobbies such as mountain biking, hiking and gardening. A little time away always gives me perspective and lures me back in. Moving with the seasons also feels really purposeful and connected. It gives my body a rest to use different muscle groups and do a bit of cardio for a change. 

Summer always feels so short and fleeting and I want to soak it all up while it's here. Don’t get me wrong, there's still plenty of aerial in my life in the summer. This year we hosted our first aerial retreat, we have street animation performances on the village stroll. Outdoor aerial yoga in the park and performances at events and festivals. There is truly never a dull moment, and isn’t variety the spice of life anyway?

So if you're intentionally taking an aerial hiatus this summer, good for you, and if you're not all the power to you. Ultimately, this is a personal choice but don’t beat yourself up about it if your studio doesn’t have access to training right now or if they do and you haven’t been showing up for it and feeling guilty. There are plenty of ways to stay in shape and stay strong over the summer and bonus points if it's an outdoor cross training activity that you love.

Does your routine change over the summer? I’d love to hear how you switch it up if it does. Drop a comment below and let us know what your aerial off season looks like.