18 done ... 34 to go...

What: #95 Learn how to log roll

When: July 18th
Where: Fuller Pool

Practicing my graceful exit...

Why: This summer, I got into watching a new show on TV because my friend recently competed on American Ninja Warrior, and the crazy obstacles they have to do really seem like a lot of fun. I'm not at the level I can do any of that (I thought I was, but was quickly humbled by the climbing rope at my gym), so I thought log-rolling was a pretty good substitute. Luckily, I live in a community that offers a lot of really great activities, so I signed up for my first class with my friend Karissa.

We met up in the shallow end of the pool to get acquainted with the "log"; it's really a 12-foot long tube made of the same material as a kayak and fitted with trainers that keep down the speed of the rotation. The first task was getting on the log, which wasn't the smoothest process. You have two choices: either standing up on it with one leg and pushing yourself up, or straddling it and then jumping up into a squat. As unlikely as it seems, I was better at and preferred the second method.

After almost an hour, I was able to stand up on the log and maintain my balance for about 5 seconds (which feels about six times longer than it is!). Our instructor was really great at giving pointers to adjust our technique and encouraging us to keep trying. We were having so much fun that we showed up again the next weekend and brought friends with us! I improved to staying on the log for about 15 seconds, while our ANW friend stayed on for over a minute! If we get to 2 minutes, we get our names on a poster! Summer goal!