Flying family defies gravity

Members of the Bloomington High Flyers fold and contort as they stack themselves three-deep on top of one another to create a grotesquely beautiful human pyramid. New age music crackles out of a chalk-coated stereo, providing a complement to the superhuman strength required to defy gravity and every other law of nature.\nWhen the routine ends, Sophomore Clint Bobzien hops down from his perch on the pyramid and bounces across the mat to introduce the members of the High Flyers. As they meander around stations in the gym, he names each one and says who they're related to and how.\nAs he goes down the list of how everyone's connected, one can't help but think "the knee bone's connected to the thigh bone, the thigh bone's connected to the hip bone…"\nEventually he gets to eight-year-old Isabelle, who is back-flipping around the floor so much that she tips over from dizziness. \nIsabelle is the indispensable member of their "adagio" performance -- a.k.a "kid-tossing." When it comes time for her routine, the 40-pound little girl snaps to attention and stiffens up, transforming herself into a human board as she gets tossed 30 feet across the room into the capable arms of her coworkers. \nEven though her gymnastic talents have advanced beyond her age, she has no intention of putting them to use in the "big circus." The wide-eyed Isabelle said she just wants to stay with her family and perform on the trampoline.\nHer four-year-old sister, Carmen, sets her sights a bit higher -- 25 feet higher. Carmen picks at the rear of her hand-me down leopard leotard as she skips over to watch her grandmother, Bernadette Pace, maneuver on the Spanish Web, a routine where she hangs upside down from the top of a thick rope, spinning and interweaving herself around it.\nPace was a biochemist for 28 years and spent nine of them doing research at IU. She founded the High Flyers in 1985 and retired from her job a few years later to concentrate on doing what she loves.\n"I left biochemistry because you can't wait to retire at 65 if you want to be in the circus," said Pace. "Now I'm living the 'happily ever after' part of my life."\nWhat thrills her almost as much as doing the ropes is teaching the ropes to her grandchildren and other generations. All their efforts will be showcased in this weekend's performances of "SPANGLE" at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre.\n"The second generation is putting this show on with plenty of help from us old-timers," Pace said. "They had an idea for this show and now they're doing it." \nTrying to locate which of the second generation is the brain behind the operation is a nearly impossible task, because everyone points their finger at someone else when it comes to allotting credit. Egos have to be checked at the door because cooperation and trust are essential to making it through practice free of injury, they said. \nTrusting her coworkers is what helps Elizabeth Feldman get past her fear of heights when she works up on the draperies or ropes. She always keeps in mind Pace's saying that "fear is self-preservation."\n"Fear is a good thing for the act -- it makes you more aware of your body," Feldman said. "It makes you pay attention to every move because the second you start thinking about something else, you're going to lose your grip and fall."\nFeldman is one of the four older adults, all of whom look at least ten years younger than their age. She said it's not something in the water -- it is the water. Most of them drink about a gallon of water a day to keep themselves healthy and energetic. \nAll of the participants look healthy with their zero fat, tight bodies, toned arms and chiseled abs that pop stars would envy. \nThe High Flyers have achieved these figures by maintaining a grueling schedule in preparation for their upcoming show. They practice two to three hours for five nights a week, then an additional four to five hours on Saturday and Sunday. \nThe owner of Rising Star Gymnastics, Erin Booher, lets them use her gym free of charge because she loves to watch them practice. \n"Every night, I tell myself I'm going to go home at a decent hour and every night, it doesn't work and I end up staying to watch again," Booher said.\nBooher had trained to be in the show but ended up breaking her wrist once she finally mastered her routine on the Spanish Web. She had just given birth when she first started training, so she was a bit out of shape when she tried the ropes.\n"I wasn't in pain the next day after practice. I was in pain the next five minutes," Booher said. "I tried to climb the rope and was, like, 'ladder, please.'"\nDirector Clint Bobzien said that self-awareness and body control is just as important as being in excellent physical condition, which is why he tends to recruit people with a background in dance, diving or gymnastics.\nOnce he had the perfect ensemble of recruits, Bobzien got motivated to create and choreograph "SPANGLE" with fellow director Hannah French. What was behind his motivation?\n"Insanity," he joked. "No, it's because we had the talent, the means, the equipment and a lot of time so we decided to do it"