The St. Louis Botanical Gardens hosts World Hoop Day
Elizabeth Rousseau
– Staff Writer –
Hula hoops, bubbles, live art and music brought a crowd of men and women all ages to the Missouri Botanical Garden on Oct. 10, 2010.
Hoop Day started off with performances by the members of the St. Louis Hoop Club. After performances from five members of St. Louis Hoop Club, workshops were held to work on technique for both beginners and advanced hoopers. The days’ event ended with an open hoop jam.
“Its about community and giving to the less fortunate and celebrating the hoop,” said Michelle Schaeffer of the St. Louis Hoop Club.
At the event, they hoped to raise enough money or have enough hula-hoops donated to give to the St. Louis Public Schools to teach them to hoop in their physical education classes.
World Hoop Day is a world recognized holiday.
According to http:/ worldhoopday.com, Hoop Day was started in 2006 as a not-for-profit organization that uses a community-based, grass-roots approach that provides children growing up in poverty or under-developed countries of the world a hula-hoop as a simple and effective tool to an otherwise devastating situation.
“I like hooping because it is so stress free. You can never be mad while hooping,” said Laura Mines, a sophomore at STLCC – Meramac.
According to the World Hoop Day website, a single hula-hoop has positive benefits on mental and physical health. They also stimulate imaginations and enables feelings of joy and bliss.
“I started hooping two summers ago, I didn’t want to stop,” said Jillian Anderson, sophomore and president of the Hoop and Hack club at STLCC–Meramec.
One day every year, hoopers from around the globe are able to gather in parks, on beaches, and in community centers and schools to raise awareness for the need to stay in shape while doing fun exercise.
They also are able to give back to their communities while raising funds to send Ambassadors with Hoops to remote locations with children in need.
The St. Louis Hoop Club meets most Sundays at the South City Koken Art Factory. The next celebrations of World Hoop Day are on Nov. 11, 2011 and then again on Dec. 12, 2012.
