THE FALCON'S - Pfeiffer - Pfeiffer University

By Cynthia Dick
It was a kid’s
birthday shopping trip like
any other. My nephews were
turning two and my
roommate and I decided to
head to Toys-R-Us in search
of some “ride-on” toys that
would bring them birthday
bliss. We found the gifts and
we would have headed
immediately for the exit, but
then a mysterious thing
happened. Just at the end of
the aisle was a bin
containing many glittering
round devices. “Hula hoops!
Oh man, let’s try it out!”
When was the last time we
had hula hooped? So we
picked out a couple, gave
them a spin, and upon many
struggled attempts to keep
them up, we thought, “hey,
this is a pretty good
workout!” They were for
sale, and we were buying
them. But at home, we
struggled more and more.
Beads of sweat rained down
our faces and we grew tired
after five minutes of trying.
We could finally keep them
up, but not for long, and why
was this so much harder now
that we were adults? Google
would have the answer, we
were certain.
What we found on
Google was astounding. Not
only were we not alone in our
new endeavor, people calling
themselves “hoopers” were in
the masses on the world wide
web, posting videos of “hoop
dancing”, “hoop trick
tutorials”, and even “fire
hooping”. The world of
hooping opened up before us
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like an underground city that
was thriving, but had gone
unnoticed for years. This
wasn’t the hooping we
remembered from field day,
this was an amazing art
form! We found out that we
would have to make our own
adult-sized hoops if we had
any hope of success. So we
did, and with that, success
was on. But only in our back
yard. Where were all the
hoopers we saw on the
internet? As it turns out,
they were wondering the
same thing about me. Before
I knew it, I had found a class
right here in Stanly County
to support the growing the
trend of hooping.
“I had been hooping
by myself, and doing yoga by
myself with the hoop, and I
wanted other people to have a
chance to do it,” says Jessy
Page, hooping/yoga
instructor at Albemarle
Pilates and Yoga. “It’s so big
out west, I felt like I needed
to, I mean I know it’s been
brought to the East Coast,
but to Norwood, Stanly
County, I wanted to bring it
here,” she says. While some
look at it as a toy, like Cara
Zara, hoop dance performer
and teacher in Charlotte,
sees hooping as much more
than the childhood favorite
plaything.
“I have seen the
change in my body once I
began hooping on a regular
basis,” Cara Zara said.
It burns upwards of
600 calories an hour, tones
the entire body by
“When “When “When “When “When I I I I I learn learn learn learn learn a a a a a new new new new new trick trick trick trick trick I I I I I get get get get get such such such such such a a a a a rush. rush. rush. rush. rush.
I’ll I’ll I’ll I’ll I’ll endure endure endure endure endure frustrating frustrating frustrating frustrating frustrating hours hours hours hours hours of of of of of dropping, dropping, dropping, dropping, dropping,
dropping dropping dropping dropping dropping and and and and and dropping dropping dropping dropping dropping the the the the the hoop hoop hoop hoop hoop just just just just just for for for for for the the the the the
addictive addictive addictive addictive addictive high high high high high of of of of of pure pure pure pure pure happiness.”
happiness.”
happiness.”
happiness.”
happiness.”
strengthening and
lengthening your muscles,
increases flexibility, builds
hand-eye coordination,
improves core strength,
balance, and motor skills.
These physical
benefits are exactly what
first drew Katlyn Peugh, a
Millingport resident, to the
hooping activity.
“It’s a good core
exercise and it makes you
more aware of your body. It
gives you more energy. It’s a
mood booster!” she says.
Peugh is on to
something: the physical
benefits are not the only
thing that keeps hoopers in
the circle.
“It depends on the
person, but it can be a form
of meditation,” Badin
Resident Jonathan Paige
says.
“A gentle groove
calms your mind and warms
your spirit. A rhythmic
cadence just lets you be...
you. You stop watching
others. You stop watching
yourself. You are completely
in the moment,” Zara adds.
It provides a
momentary escape from the
woes and stresses of our
adult world.
“I have like zero free
time, and hooping makes me
feel free,” says Shannon
Dick, an Albemarle resident
and mother of three young
children.
Sallie Spencer, a
hooping/yoga student at
Albemarle Pilates and Yoga
feels as though her hoop
practice has helped to
improve her concentration
and patience and enjoys
“learning all the new skills
you can do.”
Hooping is a
challenge of the mind and of
the body that enlivens the
spirit, requiring patience and
persistence. The reward for
time spent inside the hoop is
bliss.
“When I learn a new
trick I get such a rush. I’ll
endure frustrating hours of
dropping, dropping and
dropping the hoop just for the
addictive high of pure
happiness,” Zara says.
For some, their adult
hooping practice motivates
them to share their
happiness with children.
“I started my afterschool
“Hula-Hoop Kid-Fit”
program with one school in
the spring of 2011.I now have
taught my program to over
20 private and public school
in the Charlotte Mecklenburg
area,” Zara says. “My
favorite thing about teaching
children is their enthusiasm
and willingness to try.”
The joy it brings to
the faces of the kids is part of
Katlyn Peugh’s motivation to
keep hooping.
“Hopefully, when they
see other people hooping and
doing cool stuff with it,
they’ll be inspired to pick up
a hoop,” she says.
Jonathan Paige, who
confesses to never possessing
the skill as a child, enjoys
hooping as an adult because
“it’s nostalgic, but with a
twist because you can
actually do it.”
Whether you could
hula hoop as a kid or not, the
truth is that hooping has
made a come back, and with
adult-sized hoops, anyone
who’s willing to drop it and
pick it back up can become a
hooper. With websites like
www.hooping.org and
www.carazara.com, the
information on how to start
is available to anyone with
intrigue and an internet
connection. It’s transforming
of the mind and the body.
And in the words of Jonathan
Paige, “It’s so simple. It’s
just a hoop.”
Pfeiffer University April 2012 Page 8