Jen took me out into the backyard, climbed up onto our trampoline and started to jump.
“Hey! I thought we were going to work on my backflip,” I said.
“We are,” Jen said, jumping higher.
“How?” I asked.
She took one last big jump and flew into the air, then executed a perfect backflip before she landed on her feet again.
“Whoa!” I clapped my hands. “That was amazing! Do it again!”
Jen grinned and pumped her arms to get higher, bending her knees and then throwing herself backward again.
“All right, Supergirl. Let me give it a try.”
Jen came to a stop and helped me climb onto the trampoline. She moved to the edge as I started jumping in the middle of the trampoline.
“Wait, wait, wait! Stop!” she yelled.
I stopped jumping and stared at her, puzzled. “What?”
“You don’t start with jumping! You have to start by just standing still,” she said.
“What? Why?” I asked.
“Because I said so,” she replied sternly. “Now stand still.”
I nodded, raising my eyebrows at her. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Stand right in the middle,” she told me. “Feet shoulder-width apart. Good. Now put your arms above your head. Look straight ahead. Pick something to focus on.”
I followed her instructions. “Got it.”
“Good. Now bend your knees a bit. That’s too much! Better. Now swing your arms hard. That’s what’s going to give you enough momentum to do the flip. Harder! Don’t bend your elbows though.”
I stopped for a minute. “That’s a lot to remember.”
“Yeah, well, we’re just starting. Now focus!”
I nodded and started swinging my arms again and bending my legs. I had to admit, I felt a little silly, but Jen had been taking gymnastics and coaching kids younger than her for years. I had to trust her.
“Now, you don’t want to jump back…you want to jump up, okay?”
“Why?”
“Because I said so!” I raised an eyebrow at her. “Because you’ll lose your balance. Trust me. So just jump up—and you want to tuck your knees up. Good! That’s perfect. Keep doing that. Great.”
I jumped and did tucks for a while. I had this part down. “Now what?” I called.
“If you’re ready to try it, you’re going to tighten your muscles—your abs and your legs. And don’t throw yourself backward with your arms. You want to use your hips. Pivot back. I’ll spot you.”
Jen moved into the center of the trampoline while I stood still and tried to put it all together in my head.
“How are you going to spot me? I weigh twice what you weigh.”
“More, probably,” she said. “But my counselor at gymnastics camp weighed more than you, and I spotted him. I’m just going to put one arm behind you and one in front, and I’ll help you over. Ready to try it?” she asked.
I nodded and practiced swinging my arms around and bending my knees.
“Okay. So just do a big jump and pivot?” I asked.
“That’s it. I’ll help get your legs over.”
“Are you sure about this?” I looked at her, concerned I was about to break my leg. Or, worse, my neck.
“Trust me. I know what I’m doing. I swear.” She crossed her heart solemnly.
I laughed. “All right, let’s do this.”
“Yes!” Jen clapped her hands and got into position beside me. “Wait!”
I was about to jump but stumbled to a stop. “What?”
Jen moved to the side again. “Sorry. But why don’t you just jump and land on your back a couple of times? I forgot that step. Sometimes it helps to know that you’re not going to get hurt.”
I nodded thoughtfully. It made sense. I jumped a few times and then threw myself backward. I tensed up the first time, but the next two times I landed easily.
“Okay. I’ve got it. Let’s try the flip.”
“All right. Go for it!” Jen was back in position, ready to spot.
I looked ahead and bent my knees. I gathered myself…concentrated…and then jumped. As I flew into the air, I tensed up and pivoted my hips forward, tucking my knees into my chest and sending myself backward. I felt Jen’s hands on me, helping me flip backward. I landed on my butt and bounced hard.
“I did it!” I yelled, jumping up and hugging her.
She hugged me back. “Almost. Try to land on your feet this time. I don’t think the judges are going to be too impressed if you land on your butt.”
“Funny.” I stuck my tongue out at her. “Come on. Let’s try again.”
“Do you really think you can do a backflip in your costume?” she asked.
“Regalia,” I told her. She looked at me blankly. “That’s what the costumes are called.” I paused. “I think so. Eventually. I saw dancers online doing it, so I know it can be done. But let’s just focus on me learning how to do it in normal clothes for now. That’s all I really need to know how to do when I go back to the Cultural Center.”
“All right. Then let’s try again.”
It took another hour before I could land a backflip without Jen spotting me and without the crash landing. I high-fived her, utterly exhausted.
“You are one amazing coach,” I said, panting as I lay on the trampoline.
“Told you so.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder, smirking at my obvious discomfort. “Now we just have to get you to do it on the ground.”
I groaned.