Great post! It's great that you got to experience acrobatics.

Your spin experience reminds me how much I use to enjoy spinning (spin
rated) planes. I remember once during the Vietnam war era, I was out doing
some spins, cleared area, and as I entered the first turn a jet fighter went
under me on a knife edge. Needless to say, I recovered and went back to the
airport.... put me in my "place".

This was in San Luis Oblispo, CA and it was all too common for recent Cal
Poly grads who were Air Force or Navy recent fighter grads would come back
and straff the campus. I'd seen him off in the distance straffing the
campus during one of my climb outs to do another spin. Needless to say, he
saw me too...