Bloomington High School North, Nikean, 2010, Page 17

Description:	very Sunday and Wednesdaynight in Bryan Park, hula hoopsgo flying through the air as thethrowers dance under them.The Hudsucker Posse is agroup of mainly people in theirf twenties to late thirties, but thatdoes not stop sophomore MallyArmitage from taking part in the festivities.I had a friend from South whose mom startedthe group for fitness, Armitage said. She saidto come to hooping on Sunday, and I did. It isreally dance mixed with hula hooping.The group promotes the health and wellnessthat is available through hooping.Hooping is great fun, great exercise. It burns600 calories an hour and combines cardio withresistance and a great dance workout. Hoopingcan also be a great alternative to meditation,leader of the group Paula Chambers said.Armitage is relatively new to the hooping experience. She has been practicing for less than ayear. This, however, has not stopped her fromjumping right into the sport.Most people think of basketball and football,these are sports, but this is different. You cando your own thing. You are creating and doingyour own tricks. Hula hooping is great exercise.Armitage said.Armitage has thrown herself into practicing hernew found sport. She devotes most of her timeto perfecting the tricks and skills.[She spends] all her time [practicing]. She iseither talking about it, or messing with her stuff,or she is in the yard hooping, her sister, seniorNeena Armitage, said. I would say she spendsabout two hours a day. Then on Sunday andWednesday she has practice for an hour and ahalf.Although hooping may be a newfound skill forMally, she has had practice in this field of work.She has been juggling for awhile and enjoyslearning new tricks in it as well.I have just messed around with [juggling] foryears. There are other people in the group thatjuggle clubs and do contact juggling, Mally said.Contact juggling is a unique kind of juggling inwhich the ball never leaves the persons body. Itmay roll around on the persons arms or acrosstheir chest as long as the ball stays in contactwith the body the entire time. This is a new skillthat Mally has been working on more since joining the Hudsucker Posse.She has her clubs that she throws, she saysshe juggles, but I think she throws. She hasregular juggling balls about the size of a peach,three of those, and basketballs. And she doesthose three at a time. Neena said.sophomore profile
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomnorth/id/6239
Collection:	Bloomington High School North

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