Short history of hooping

Hi. My name is Svetlana Biscornet. Today I wanted to tell you about Hoopah Hooping, and why it might be the best way to exercize.
I am a hooping instructor, and wanter to tell you how hooping, togeter with healthy diet, helps me and my students to stay fit.

But first lets explain what exactly is hula hoop..

A hula hoop is a hoop that is twirled around the waist, limbs or neck. People have been playing with different versions of the Hula-Hoop since the days of ancient Egypt, over 3000 years ago, when children would fashion circles from dried grape vines and swing them around their waists, rolled them on the ground or tossed them to each other. Ancient Greeks used hoops as a form of exercise to lose weight. In the 1400’s hooping became popular in England until the British began to blame the practice on heart attacks and back disorders. Hula-Hoops have been made from every sort of material from wood to metal.

In 1958 Richard Knerr and Arthur Melin, the founders of Wham-O, released the first plastic hoop and trademarked it under the name “Hula-Hoop.” The name was inspired by the way that playing with the toy resembled the Hawaiian hula dance. The toy itself could not be patented because it was such an ancient concept. The Wham-O team got the idea to make the toy from Australian children who twirled wooden hoops around their waists in gym class. The first Hula-Hoops were made from a patented plastic called Marlex and sold for $1.98. Amazingly, twenty million hoops were sold in the very first 6 months of production which ignited the Hula-Hoop craze of the 50’s. In the first two years Wham-O sold over a 100 million.

Right now hooping is booming in San Francisco California Area. A lot of selebrities adopted hooping. Ms. Tomei, 45 years old Academy Award-winning actress, was instantly hooked: “You just can’t help but laugh and smile when you’re hooping,” she said. She also said that hooping helps her stay calm and ready during long waiting hours on the set. Among other selebs, there are Liv Tyler, Beyonce Knowles and the First Lady Michelle Obama. During a White House event, promoting healthful living, Michelle showed off her hooping skills. "We don't just want our kids to exersize because we tell them to. We want them to exersize because it's fun and they enjoy it"

Modern people are very busy, but they find time for athletic activities. I enjoy walking, riding my bike and yoga. Hooping was my favorite for years, and you are about to hear why. The first and main reason is - I see it as the most complete stretch and exersize. The rotating movement makes every muscle on your torso work. Even the ones you didn't know about). Plus you can rotate it on your limbs, and they also get tone. Rotation is good for the joints in your body and also makes you more flexible.

Second point is hooping takes "work" out of work out! It is fun, easy and non-competitive activity that suites everyone and enduses laughter. It doesn't make you feel like you are exersizing at all. The physics of rotation, sentrical forses seems to do wonders for one's mind, has calming effect and inproves coordination.

The third point I want to make is convinience. Hooping can be performed in your living room or back yard. No need for equipment. Hoops are easy to find or make yourself. Even if you only have 10 minutes to stretch, hooping will energize you.

So, if you are interested to learn more, there is wast information on the web. Sites like Hooping.org offer information on how to make hoops and hundreds of tutorials on how to start spinning.
To get involved locally, check out our new, but fast-growing group "Hooplandia" on facebook or contact Wells Recreation Department about hooping classes in Wells.