Diving into Silks - Olivia Cahill
Daisy Raghavendra (‘26), Freshman Writer
Casady is a diverse school with more new faces showing up every year. In fact, this year’s freshman class, with 84, is one of the biggest batches of incoming students. Each and every one is unique and has much to offer in terms of skills and hobbies. One new student this year was freshman Olivia Cahill (‘27), who, like many students, transferred from the Westminster School. One of Olivia’s favorite hobbies is aerial silks, and here, she discusses the story behind her passion.
Every hobby has a reason behind why it started, whether it be a friend, an online inspiration, or simply wanting to try something new. The reason Cahill got into silks is, like many, through a recommendation from a friend. Today, almost a year since she first started, it is one of her favorite hobbies to do. “It’s like… doing gymnastics, but in air [while] hanging from a cloth,” Cahill explains, adding, “we get to do cool moves, [and it's] complicated.” One of Cahill’s favorite drops in silks is the 360 drop or star drop, and the arabesque.
Aerial silks is very similar to gymnastics. There are competitions and other competitive events to win prizes, and Cahill agrees that it is a very fun experience. When asked if she would recommend this to anyone, she replied, “I would, but it takes a lot of flexibility,” since it is like gymnastics and therefore requires strength and flexibility to do complicated moves and drops; “it’s harder if you’re not,” explains Cahill, although it is never too late to start any hobby. It takes patience and perseverance, but when you are really passionate about something, those are a given.
However, no hobby comes without its own catch. Like many competitive sports and physical activities, aerial silks comes with its own disadvantages, most importantly injuries. Cahill admits, “I have fallen,” but that is inevitable in a hobby like aerial silks. Usually they are not too serious, staying close to the ground, and there is an instructor to guide and help them. Another unavoidable injury from silks is, unsurprisingly, “silk burns, [which are] like carpet burns but worse.” The friction from the silk can result in harsh burns, especially when making direct contact with the bare skin. Cahill adds, “My instructor once broke her foot… [it’s] easy to get stuck if you don’t know what you’re doing.” As fun as it seems to drop from the ceiling in silks, it is not as easy as it sounds and does not come without its risks. Like many sports, she adds, “[it’s] not good to do it when there’s no one else around. It’s a fun sport. But people sometimes don’t realize that it is dangerous.” This shows the importance of having a good instructor who can teach you in a safe, fun way, regardless of what you are learning.
Aerial silks is a fun hobby that Cahill has been passionate about for quite some time. Although it looks easy and fun, it requires much strength and flexibility. injuries are inevitable, but there are always going to be setbacks in any sport or activity. It takes a lot of practice and patience, but those are required to advance in anything. This perfectly encaptures Cahill’s hobby of aerial silks, a quite uncommon hobby but rewarding nonetheless.
