Outdoor flying trapeze school to open in Baltimore

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), May 12, 2004 by Ezra Fieser

The Baltimore Inner Harbor's next attraction asks tourists to climb a ladder 23 feet, step out onto a platform and trust guys in tights.

TSNY Baltimore, a spinoff of the Trapeze School of New York, will open an outdoor flying trapeze school near the Maryland Science Center this summer. Company officials are scheduled to seek final approval from the city's Board of Estimates today.

If they are successful, a 100-foot wide, 33-foot tall rig would be assembled at Rash Field on the south shore of Baltimore's main tourist area, Brian McVicker, president of TSNY Baltimore, said.

We'd expect people from all walks of life: From people who fear heights and want to conquer that to people who say, 'Oh my gosh, I can try the flying trapeze,' said McVicker, who has been an instructor at the New York school since 2002.

The school will run two-hour classes daily, charging between $40 and $65 per session, depending on the day and time.

The sessions range from a first class, during which students will literally be shown the ropes, to advanced classes that teach double somersault release and catch tricks, McVicker said.

In an average class, you'll learn a trick on the ground and then the last 40 minutes [students] are swinging to get the right timing, he said. If you get the timing right, you'll have at least two chances to try a release and catch.

For Baltimore, the school brings an attraction that exists nowhere else in the region. The venture will be the company's first outside of New York.

We think it will be a great tourist draw, said Roslyn Johnson, associate director for the city Department of Recreation and Parks, which lured the school to Baltimore. We expect people from [Washington] and Virginia. It makes a great day trip.

But McVicker said the school is worth more than a day trip for many wannabe flyers.

In New York, we had a broad spectrum of people coming from as far away as Texas. We even had one person come from France for opening weekend, he said. We also have a pretty high number of return clients. Some people come on a weekly basis. They work it into their routines much like they would yoga or some other activity.

The school, which said it targets ages 6 to 60, has had enough repeat business to call the flying trapeze an addiction. Its Web site even boasts the motto Forget fear. Worry about addiction.

City officials hope the flying trapeze appeals to tourists and residents alike.

Recreation and Parks Director Kimberly Flowers initially contacted the school after Mayor Martin O'Malley charged each administrative department with attracting creative activities to Baltimore.

The idea is to build creative activities and creative people will come, Johnson said.

O'Malley's initiative grew from an idea proposed in the 2002 book The Rise of the Creative Class. Author Richard Florida, an economics professor, suggested attracting creative types - from artists and writers to scientists - can spur economic development.