PADCS Photo Challenge Week Two

Wednesday: A photo of my pole/hoop idol or bestie.
​Hashtag: #wcw

It's day four of the @pole.divas #padcsphotochallenge! Back to #wcw, a photo of a pole/hoop idol or bestie.

And here she is, my first ever lyra/hoop idol @rachokun. All the way back in February this year, when I had just started lyra and was both struggling and feeling disheartened, I posted about it on my Insta... and then found a lovely message in my inbox from a stranger. I have included the message in the post (minus some personal information) as it was just such a beautiful thing. I still go back to that message when I need a boost or words of comfort to keep me going in lyra.

And now, I'm pleased to say, this amazing lady is a stranger to me no more! I finally met her in person at this year's Aerial Addiction, and have loved following all her amazing progress on Insta.

Rachael, your confidence and determination have been inspiring for me, that you just keep coming back, no matter how tough the trick, just blows me away. I hope to hoop with the same strength and determination as you one day, and I shall have to find an excuse to crash a lyra class at #padr just so I can train with you 😉 Thank you for all your support and inspiration on my hoop journey.

P.S. Photo credit goes to @oliveoatesphotography, while the amazing Rachael slays the Miss Lyra SA/WA stage as Ursula.

Thursday: An 'oldie but a goodie' photo from my beginner pole/hoop days.
​Hashtag: #tbt

Day five of the @pole.divas #padcsphotochallenge, the second instalment of #tbt. This is February 2019, when my knees prevented me from doing lyra to the best of my ability 🙁
I was also dealing with some issues with my mental health at the time and, to cap matters off, some idiot decided to send my Beginner Lyra self a message telling me to 'stick to pole, hoop's not your thing!'. So there I was, sitting in the low hoop, waiting for my instructor to come and help me because I'd forgotten how to transition to the trick we were learning, feeling blue and fustrated, dwelling on everything that was going wrong, when Halsey came on the playlist and reminded me that the doubters and haters don't mater: 🎵 "If they laugh then f*** 'em all" 🎵

Sunday: Something new I learned in class this week.
​Hashtag: #sundayfunday

Day six of the @pole.divas #padcsphotochallenge, the second instalment of #sundayfunday, something new I learned in class this week.

This is progress from Tuesday night's lyra class. I still need a bit of work getting into my straddle without touching the hoop, but I surprised myself by being able to do three 'lift and lowers' in my straddle. Before Tuesday, my record was one!

Now I want to work on being able to do these lift and lowers from a jump straddle without having to fold down from the hoop first and to fold out to the floor slowly, both for safety and aesthetic purposes. GOALS!

Stay tuned for what's coming next week in the final instalment of the PADCS Photo Challenge!