Body Surfing (Originally Aired March 2010)

I took my spin class today; with someone else at the helm his name was Tripp. Absent were the well choreographed scientific dance incantations that Kristen animates for me each week, but it was clear from the first few moments Tripp was and dare I say it going to be a trip.

Right out of the time tunnel of my past this angular man with a disheveled hairdo soon had me pounding my chest bringing me quickly to the anaerobic world KG had re-introduced me to. His chant “infinity on all sides” was one I had not heard before, but it resonated with me like a bell chime perfectly pitched and I was off yet again. As Tripp bounded on and off his bike dancing rhythmically nothing like Gene Kelly but nonetheless just as energetically, I knew I had found an alternative drumbeat I could cling to.

Body surfing was what came to my mind as I listened to Tripp barely audible above the music from my own adolescence. You might be familiar with this gearless beach sport in which you wade out waist deep and try to launch yourself on one of natures own thrill rides. What usually happens is you catch the wave, swallow a mouthful of salt water or get flipped over from the sheer force of the wave and end up on your back scraping the sand dazed and confused.

At the end of this ride I experienced all three. And by the time this ride was done, I was drenched in my own salt water, gasping for air and not wanting any more, at least not until next time.

Structure vs. Chaos

As I look backward from the end of a session atop my Schwinn I feel like there is really no discernible difference between a cadence filled class or one that is put together like Jambalaya. What I mean to say is that at the end of each version of the ride I am soaking wet, my left hand and foot have lost some circulation and I am of course gasping to regain my normal heart rate. 

Both entertain me and both move me closer to some elusive fitness level that escapes definition at least to this point anyway.  What is the difference then?  If you would ask each instructor they would say quite a lot.  But is there?  Order is never a bad thing unless I am lacking the discipline at that particular hour.  I don’t think it’s about being lazy, as I have already told you I am exhausted with both regimens.  The structured class that I love to participate in fascinates me and inspires me each and every time and challenges me and keeps me focused.  The unvarnished version is unusually extemporaneous and moves me viscerally, which results in an inspiration where writing is a stream of consciousness rather than reporting with finely chiseled narratives that only KSC* brings me to. 

So where am I?  Split I guess if you were to push me for my personal preference. In KSC there is an unparalleled dedication to craft and in Svengali’s class the passion he exudes lifts me like an anti-gravity machine.  It’s all good from here and the variety keeps me from the jelly donuts I so used to crave.

*KSC- Kristen’s Spin Class kristensspinclass.blogspot.com

Pinball Wizard

In every lifetime you meet a person that defies gravity and gives off an energy that is unmistakably authentic and Ivory Soap pure.  I am so taken aback after my second trip with Tripp.  And after talking to several of his devotees I am so glad that the inspiration to start this blog chose me to write it. 

Even though our bikes are stationary it felt like I had E.T.’s tricycle and only Tripp knew my flight plan.  It was as if my legs had secret instruction from my autonomic nervous system, as I never seemed to be in conscious contact with the structure if there was any to this 45-minute jaunt in the presence of Mr. Mayhem. He rarely makes direct eye contact but you can feel his ubiquitous energy especially when his eyes look to the ceiling and with outstretched palms says: “I can hear it”.

Those looking for order and choreography might be a little disappointed in Tripp’s class but who doesn’t want a little organized chaos in their lives once in awhile. I could get addicted to this form of spinning in short order.  As I looked to my right the group fitness manager from Roslyn, Pam was there taking the class and she was beaming; as this was one of her protégé’s she had hired. Whatever possessed her to take him on made me want to thank her the next time I see her.

Today I felt just like a pinball being bounced from bumper to bumper and I had complete trust that the man at the flippers was in complete control and I could just enjoy the ride and leave all my cares outside those glass doors.

Under the Rainbow

Infinity on all sides. A metaphor that is beyond unique, just like the man at the head of class. I call him Mr. Mayhem; you may know him as Tripp Doherty. Do you think we can chronicle the exploits of this Tri Athlete?