Me practicing in the backyard

I only recently discovered hooping, and I’m glad I did.

At the end of September 2013, I put a call out on Facebook for people to suggest a new hobby for me.  I primarily was looking for something to get me off my butt.  My friend Amanda suggested hooping.  I checked out the video she posted and was intrigued.

I researched hooping further, and found a good deal on a nice beginner fitness hoop and two DVD’s.  I purchased the set and wondered what to do next, as my townhouse isn’t very big and hooping requires space.

The first Friday in October 2013 rolled around and I was out with a group of friends on a photo walk, as I am also a photographer.  I happened to come across a large group of people hooping in a park!  Kids and adults were having fun hooping.  I went up to one of the women there and asked if I could try.  They gave me a hoop and I could keep it up for a few seconds.  Yay!  I asked if there was a teacher nearby, and a tall, lean woman in striped tights was that person.  She was spinning multiple hoops and her name was Jenny.  I said to her that I was looking for a a teacher, and she said I just found one.  Awesome!

Jenny invited me to a class and I went.  I had a great time and got my first real taste of hooping that night.  I start one of Jenny’s classes in January 2014.

I also have had one private lesson with Jenny and she gave me some awesome foundation work to get started with.

Recently, a studio opened up in the city I work in that offers hooping classes, too.  To keep working and improving, I took two of the beginner classes they offered to “hold me over” until Jenny’s classes start.  I’ve learned a lot from the instructor Katie at this studio, too.

I’ve also introduced a friend to hooping during this time.  My friend Deb is having a fun learning to keep up the fitness hoop she just got.  I enjoy having a friend to hoop with.

Otherwise, if the weather’s nice, I put on some music and hoop in my backyard.  With it being winter and such, it’s hard to find time to do that.

I am so pleased that all the pieces have fell into place for my hooping journey.  Everything just seemed to happen at the right time.  That doesn’t happen much in our lives.

That is the start of my hooping journey.  I am quite hooked and pleased to have found something to get me off the couch.  I hope you follow along with me on this trip.