(thump)
(upbeat music)
- I really thought I'd be able to do this.
Honestly.
What's up guys?
I'm Matt, I'm 30 years old, and I can't do a cartwheel.
So now in my advanced age and I feel this
window of opportunity closing, I'm heading off
to Central Park and I'm not leaving
until I can check that off my bucket list.
(upbeat music)
Here we go.
(claps)
(classical music)
Ow.
Fuck.
I don't get it.
How can little kids do this so easily?
(classical music)
It's like I don't trust my body to flip over.
(classical music)
Ow.
I think I gotta keep my legs straighter.
(classical music)
I should've brought water.
(classical music)
I still have no idea how to do this.
(classical music)
My left hip is really starting to go on me now.
How to do a cartwheel.
(classical music)
I'm supposed to be facing forward,
and keep my arms near my ears.
(classical music)
At this point it just getting like, really embarrassing.
(classical music)
(swoosh)
So I'm heading to a new location just because I'm,
quite frankly, super embarrassed.
I'm at a pretty low low right now.
Alright, so I've moved to a less crowded area
where I feel a little bit more comfortable
and not as anxious or embarrassed.
But my hip hurts, my wrists hurt, my legs hurt.
Every part of my 30 year old body hurts right now.
I am not convinced I'm gonna be able to do this
and I'm pretty ashamed.
(upbeat music)
This ground is a lot harder and it hurts.
(upbeat music)
This is fucked.
This is a terrible idea.
(upbeat music)
I'm starting to think I'm just not meant to do this,
like at all.
(upbeat music)
Now all the high school kids are getting out of school
and hanging out in the park
and I'm more uncomfortable again.
Which is great.
(upbeat music)
I'm like legitimately getting kind of emotional
that I can't do this.
Which is taking me by surprise a little bit.
(upbeat music)
I need help.
I'm not gonna be able to finish this today.
I'm not gonna be able to do it.
So that's the end of day one.
Hopefully next time I'm gonna bring some help with me.
So it's four days since I originally
tried to do the cartwheels.
This morning I tried to do some pushups
and felt a sharp pain in my ass.
Which, somehow, I pulled my ass muscle at 30 years old.
So this is just fucking fantastic.
I had to buy a foam roller today.
Oh man.
I hurt my butt.
Getting old sucks.
(swoosh)
(fast guitar music)
Alright, so I'm back for day two of me trying
to teach myself to do a cartwheel.
Which failed fucking miserably on day one.
But this time, I brought a cartwheel expert.
(laughing)
(swooshing)
- I did gymnastics from when I was probably three
until senior year of high school.
I tried to guesstimate how many cartwheels
I've probably done in my lifetime.
I feel like 50,000 is conservative.
- I definitely did not stretch enough.
That's why I pulled my ass.
I think that's kind of recovered.
But I think that we'll find that out soon enough.
What do you think I was doing wrong the first time?
- [Katelyn] For starters, you don't have to
run into a cartwheel.
- Okay.
- That's the thing.
Your legs in the air, switch.
Switch like, the right foot should be leading
and then they kinda switch and the left foot leads.
I think we only have to fix those two things.
- Okay.
- I think you can do it.
- Yeah?
- I think your chances are good.
- Okay.
Well, we'll see.
(classical music)
So I think I made like, some significant progress.
(classical music)
I still don't know how to get over.
(classical music)
Still doing that thing when I try to swim
and my legs and my ass just sink to the bottom of the pool.
(classical music)
Alright, so I think I'm getting there,
but my body's getting kinda sore.
(classical music)
I'm feeling I'm pretty close.
- [Katelyn] Yes!
That was a cartwheel!
- That was a cartwheel!
- Yes!
(upbeat music)
- You took every piece of feedback I said,
and really thought about it,
and you could see improvement on every single time.
I don't if I've ever seen anyone want something so bad.
Did it.
- Did it.
(swoosh)
Now I know the cartwheel wasn't perfect.
It was far from it.
But it was a long and difficult process.
And I seriously regret ever coming up
with the idea to begin with.
(upbeat music)