I just turned 25 and I was taking my mom to a Solutions for Dreamers concert here in Santa Barbara. I hear behind me a girl say, "It's a hula hoop, it lights up. My friend is using it." I turn back around with not a care in my world, because well, Jack Johnson was singing 2 feet away from me, and he's hot.
ALO comes on and out of no where he starts singing this song about a girl and a hula hoop. I'm like... Ok... what's all the hoopla about? All of a sudden, this magical Unicorn girl comes frolicking down the stage with this light up hula hoop.... This is the video that changed my life.....
What the hell was that?!! Holy shit?! Who was that girl? Later, I find out her name is Jamie, aka Hoopalotta. And she HATED me stomping on her turf... but we're best friends now so it's all good :)
I go home and now I'm obsessed. I frantically search the web for anything "hoop" related. I find HoopGirl. Alright... she's pretty damn exciting... and then I find Anah. WHOA!!! Ok, God, I want to look like that. I'll do anything, I'll eat right, I'll practice every day!! Please make me into Anah!!!
I remember getting her number and leaving a ridiculous message like, "are you hiring anyone in your company right now? Need a hoop maker?" LoL She ended up leaving a message back and my roommate Joe and I screaming like mad little girls!! HOOPALICIOUS CALLED US!!!!!!! AHAHHOGIHEWGIHWEOIGHOEIHGOH!!!! Holy Shit!
March 1st, 2007. My awesome friend Marc, who in 4 months I will be assisting in their birth, works for a contracting company. He's like... O I can get you tubing.
SWEET!!!
So I get this blue tubing, this weird machine that opens it up so you can put the coupling in and BAM I have my first hula hoop...
I practiced every day. I loved it so much. I was reading Harry Potter at the time and I would read and hoop. One day I felt this bump sticking out around my hip. What the hell is this? I go to the doctor and he says I have a hernia. Are you serious?! I got a hooping hernia!! Well, that didn't stop me. I stuck it back in my stomach, and bandaged that puppy up, threw on a corset and I was good to hoop again :)
I had the most fun those 2 years.
I met Rayna from Hoopnotica and worked for her company for a bit. Driving the big Hoopnotica van. She became such an inspiration and big sister. I felt so lucky to be in her circle.
Girlfriends and I would go to the drum circle every Saturday and just practice. Having picnics and hula hooping. I was in Orbital Bliss.
Photo shoots and small performances. Laughs with amazing hooping girlfriends.
LOTS of time with practice. Hoop Path, Hoop Convergence, HoopCamp.
And then I won Hooping.org's Fire Hooper of the year. Seriously?!
To think... It all started one night at a concert.
Jamie, you saved my life. I'm forever grateful for your orbiting friendship.
KiT~
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