I’m reminded of fishing stories when I think about this weekend. Are they tall tales or actual experiences? Then when I think about it even more deeply I wonder about history books and even the Bible, but I’ll leave that debate for the more knowledgeable experts and focus on activities that I experienced at Club Med Cancun.

What makes a great athlete? Is it getting a sport immediately and naturally being good at it or is persistence and knowledge more important? I often struggle with sports when I try them for the first time. It’s like I need to learn from my mistakes before I can actually figure something out. Once I get though, I usually develop consistently successful skills and enjoy the sport for life. This weekend at Club Med was no exception to my usual patterns. I tried trapeze, but the first time was an epic failure. Adding to the unfortunate experience was the lack of photographs for the second attempt. I didn’t catch any of my success on video or in a photo. Is it like it never happened because I didn’t capture it or are my memories and words enough? After everything that I’ve done over the last few years, I’d like to think that this is believable as well. Believe me? You be the judge. But is one person’s written account proof of an actual event?

I tried the trapeze on Saturday. After an thorough introduction and a practice attempt on a static bar with help from the instructor, I climbed the ladder (GoPro shoved into my bra), stood on the platform, and prepared to jump feet first into trapeze. The instructor pressed play and was ready to get it all on video. What awesome film it was going to make – me swinging from the bar from my hands and legs and doing a flip before landing on the net. Immediately, I felt my hands slipping off the bar. I tried to grab tighter but in that second of lost concentration I forgot to put my feet over the bar. That was it; I slipped off and fell to the net.

Darn it! What a crappy attempt! 

We ran out of time and I couldn’t try again until Monday. I stewed over it all afternoon. Everyone was there and I sucked. I had an opportunity to catch it on video and I fell. Why did it bother me? There were more than a dozen other journalists there and almost everyone was able to get their legs over the bar and swing from their knees. As one of the only adventure writers, can you see why this would be discouraging? I could have told myself all the usual things like, “I shouldn’t worry about what others think”, or “It was one time. Who cares? I’m most likely the only person that gave it a second thought.” But sometimes our self conscious gets the best of us and we fester.

Joining the lesson on Monday morning, I was able to successfully get my legs over the bar and swing gracefully in the air before a beautiful flip onto the net. It was only when I climbed the ladder that I realized my GoPro was sitting comfortably below in my bag. I wouldn’t be catching it on video.

When I should have been happy and excited about my new adventure, I was upset that I didn’t get the footage. I often tell people that life should be about experiences rather than owning things yet I had an amazing experience and still wanted the things (photos).

Club Med Cancun is one of the top five all-inclusive resorts that I’ve visited. With adventures abound, tropical waters, and top-notch amenities, I’ll just have to return and get my trapeze skills on video. Then, the proof will be in the photo and I have another reason to return.