Tracy Treger thrives on a busy schedule—she’s dedicated to her work, Chicago sports, volunteering in the community and is passionate about flying trapeze. She spent the majority of her career as an attorney in Chicago before joining Syndicated Equities as a principal in 2013. Her role now involves developing investor relationships and facilitating 1031 exchanges for those participating in larger deals and transactions.
“The best part about my job is that I get to talk to people and help them invest in a way they maybe couldn’t do on their own,” Treger told RE Journals.
Treger has dedicated more than 20 years to volunteering as Co-Chair for the Anti-Defamation League, an organization that aims to fight anti-Semitism and ensure fair treatment for all. She’s also a die-hard Chicago sports fan but no matter how busy her schedule gets, Treger always makes time to fly trapeze. Adventure and travel are right up Tregar’s alley, so when a friend suggested they try it, she was all in.
“One jump off that platform and I loved it. It’s very exhilarating, and a heck of a lot of fun,” Treger said. “The feeling is sort of like jumping off a swing set, except your hanging onto a bar and you get caught by someone.”
Treger loves the activity because it’s a safe way to really get out of the comfort zone and everyone in the class supports each other completely. For the past five years, she’s gone to the Trapeze School New York in Chicago at least once a week. The community she’s grown a part of has become close, they share the tough stuff and the good times. Even celebrating birthdays and putting together impromptu barbeques.
During the summer the trapeze classes are outside near Belmont Harbor and in the colder months the classes move indoors to the Broadway Armory Park. The classes are about two hours long, but you’re not up in the air for that whole time. The instructors and group of about 10 students start out on the ground practicing the fundamentals for tricks they might try up in the air.
“There is no intimidation. Everyone is so open and friendly—from experienced flyers to new students,” Treger said. “It’s important to reach out to people like this, you could have 500 million Facebook friends and no real connection. We all need that network of people who will boost you up.”
There are also workshops that teach the basics and ones that are more intensive. After the workshops, some people like enough to go on and become instructors. In the beginning Treger found that she progressed quickly and she said its like that for most people. However, once you get the foundation down and start working on tricks it becomes more difficult.
The hardest thing about flying isn’t building strength or hanging upside down, Treger said, it’s listening. Sometimes there will be an hour or more of instruction and preparation before getting up to the platform. Some of her favorite moves are ‘flippy tricks’ such as backwards somersaults or front flips which take a lot of work and trust between two people.
“To me, it’s a reaffirmation that you can do things you never thought possible and let yourself go. Try the new and unexpected,” Treger said.
Treger started flying trapeze a few months before she made the decision to switch from law into business and credits her trapeze classes with giving her the courage to do so.
“Being a lawyer for 20 years and then making a career change, I don’t know if I would have been mentally ready to make that leap. The whole notion of learning to trust in trapeze, your training and relying on yourself,” Treger said.