So how did it all begin? Baxter explains, "I don't remember the first time I hooped, specifically. I was introduced to hooping several years ago by my girlfriend at the time, Julia Hartsell (aka Julah Hoop Flower). She had gone to a festival and been turned on to hooping by a woman we would later come to know as Spiral. I was in art school and was working on a project using white plumbing grade pvc. We made a bunch of hoops out of that stuff, but I wasn't super into hooping at that point. We made one hoop out of black cvcc that was really, really big 2.25 inch tubing that later became my first hoop."

How long has he been hooping then? He tells us, "I have been hooping for about six years. When I started I hooped randomly, whenever it occurred to me. Then, about four and a half years ago, I broke my collarbone, and in an effort to heal from this injury I began a daily hoop practice." He's been hooping daily ever since. His favorite hoop is his beloved 121-inch gazelle. "It isn't flashy, it isn't shiny, but it is an instrument through which I dance with a higher rhythm."

You could say that hooping has made a definite impact on his life. He explains, "It has changed my life in so many ways, I still cannot grasp its full impact on me. But I do know that one of the first and most profound aspects of my life that hooping has changed is the way I handle depression. Before hooping, I used to allow depression to pull me down and keep me down for months. These days, through my daily practice, I'm able to limit bouts of depression to days or even hours. It's as if I have built up my emotional white-blood-cell count; I have both more immunity to the disease of depression, and more strength to fight the disease if it does creep in. Ultimately, my entire view of life has changed from feeling cursed to feeling blessed."

What does Baxter do when he isn't hooping? He teaches hooping. He told hooping.org, "I consider teaching a part of my own hoop path, and it is a very important part of my life outside of my own personal hoop practice. I'm also really interested in connecting with other hoopers in other communities, that has become a recent passion. There are very few aspects of my life that are not hoop-related, but I admit to secretly being a HUGE sports fan...I'm possibly the only hooper in existence who plays fantasy football."

Could he tell us about a personal issue or obstacle? Baxter said, "I think anytime one puts themselves, their teaching, or their services out in the world, they find themselves in a vulnerable position, open to ridicule, criticism or complaint. I, like many, struggle in that awkward position, and I do a lot of work with and without the hoop to get me through these trying moments. I am fortunate to be a part of such a loving and supportive community that is willing to provide me with just enough wind at my back to keep me moving forth."

A favorite book of his is "Mortality" by Milan Kundera. "The thing that I like about Kundera is that he trusts that he can share with the reader both the story he's telling and the process he has gone through in order to write it." His favorite music to hoop to is Hip-hop, but he clarifies. "Because I hoop every day, my music library grows. I listen to everything, but I am not a big country/bluegrass fan."

The quality he most admires in a hooper is "Flow." So what does he see as his most marked hooping characteristic? He explains, "My style of hooping is probably more aggressive and masculine than most of the styles I've seen." If he could give a hoop to one person in the world it would be "Dick Cheney, because it would make it harder for me to dislike him." And if he was suddenly put in charge of fostering unity and building a world-wide hooping community, what would he do first? He notes, "I would deliver truckloads of hoops to forgotten, neglected, and impoverished areas both here and abroad."

So what is his idea of earthly happiness? "Earthly happiness, for me, is the freedom to become the person I want to be. Freedom to believe what I feel, the strength to stick to that belief, and the grace to allow others to believe differently." His girlfriend, who is another amazing hooper, is Ann Humphreys. She also handles all the booking and business affairs of The Hoop Path™.

These days Baxter is excited to return to the Pacific Northwest (Portland, Seattle, Vancouver) this month. He says, "Establishing a hoop tour series has been a dream of mine for a long time, and so far, it has far exceeded my expectations. I'm also really looking forward to the Hoop Path Retreat which is happening in Carrboro, North Carolina on July 12-15th. This is an opportunity for hoopers of all skill levels to come together to meet, commune and hoop with the members of our extraordinary Hoop Path community. There will be Hoop Path workshops offered at a reduced rate, as well as many other celebratory hooping events that will be free and open to the public. Please come! We want to meet you!"

Is there anything else new in the works? He confides, "Finally, I'm extremely excited about making the first Hoop Path instructional DVD. It will be geared towards the beginning hooper. We'll be shooting it this July, so look for it on this website in the fall!"

So in closing, I asked Baxter what he would tell someone picking up a hoop for the first time if he could only give them one hooping tip or something he has learned from hooping. His response, "Relax, feel, and don't worry."