Buckles Blog: 2009 Calendar #127

Monday, July 08, 2013

Star rider and aerialist Ernestine Clarke has an ungarded moment backstage, 1944.

"......and her private dressing tent."

JACKIE said...: Ernie was practicing in the center ring with Polly assisting, at the same time I was practicing on the single traps down by the blues. This was in the big top set up at winter quarters solely for practice. There were just a few seats in the big top. Lucky for me. While swinging I tried doing a kip up at the back of the swing, and not being trained for this trick, I just tried it, I did not lock in the bar to my hips. So when the trapeze came down the swing to go forward, the weight of my body surprised me and as the trap swung rapidly down, my arms, not locked, raised up and surprise to me, the gravity pull toward the front of the swing, by surprise, caused me to let go and I went off, about 30 feet from the bar, forwards. Thank God there were no blues planks set up. I landed on an angle by my feet and slid across the grass on my ass. Ernestine and Polly came over immediately and picked me up. I was not hurt, but was I embarrassed and this could have quickly shortened my aerial career, but for the grace of God.; 09 July, 2013 11:55

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