How did it all begin for Heather? She told Hooping.org, "Well, my first experience with hooping at all was at Burning Man. I saw a captivating fire performance and it intrigued me and kicked up an intense wonder that never went away. On a solo roadtrip about 6 months later, I was listening to a mix my brother made me and a Juno Reactor song called "Conga Fury" came on and I played it over and over, imagining myself hooping with fire. I decided right then that it was something that I had to learn how to do. When I returned to Chicago I found someone to get me started. So my first personal hooping experience was in a class with the lovely KC Ruby Hoop almost five years ago. The second I put the hoop on, it was there to stay. It's been an incredible journey ever since."

With almost five years now spent inside the hoop, she hoops about three hours on weekends, in a class setting, and she tries to find at least two-to-four hours a week for her own personal practice. She explained, "I certainly wish it was more but Chicago winters make it tough. 'Brrr' is an understatement. I'm looking forward to warm weather and hooping with the Chicago hoop community in the parks, and with my pals and husband on our roof which overlooks the city skyline. It is invigorating to hoop up on the roof surrounded by the cars zooming by on the expressway, the lights, the gorgeous buildings - energy all around! I am hopelessly in love with my city."

I asked how hooping has changed her life. She responded, "Words seem to simplify how I feel about hooping sometimes, but I have unlocked a calm that I treasure, treasure, treasure. I never really knew how powerful, and most importantly, healing, movement and flow could be for me. Realizations that I have within the hoop now transcend into my day-to-day life and they have helped me navigate health challenges and personal obstacles with confidence and compassion. Hooping has also brought people into my life that I never dreamed I'd be lucky enough to know. Hoopers are the coolest peeps around. The kind of folks that truly live life. Brave, adventurous, kind and creative people. The kind of people that I admire. Hooping is a gift. This is why I am so happy to share it with as many people as I can. I feel strongly that this kind of body, mind and community connection should be accessible to everyone."

Asking her about something that she's struggling with in her life, the answer was balance. Crosby said, "I have been re-educating myself on what it means to have balance in life, specifically with work and downtime. There is so much I want to do with HooperPower but when I reach that point of being overwhelmed and frustrated with the lack of time I have to reach my goals when I want to, I have to stop, step away from the madness and go read by the fireplace, go out for a meal with my crew, hop in the tub, go to kickboxing class, push the couch to the far wall and hoop, whatever will take me to a calmer, peaceful place. It’s a challenge for this workaholic, but I want to enjoy the development of my hoop business, not be blind the whole way. I don’t want to wake up and be at the finishing line in an exhausted haze. I wouldn’t be practicing what I preach if that were the way it unfolded. I won’t rob myself of the journey."

What has been one of her favorite memories on her hooping journey so far? "There’s nothing that compares to your first hoop performance. Especially when it’s in front of 2000 people and you have a history of paralyzing performance anxiety so bad you almost failed Speech Class in Middle School. It was with my old troupe, we worked hard for months on a routine and nailed it, nerve-free. Even did an encore to a roaring crowd. We squealed like giddy schoolgirls when it was over. Then there was performing at Soldier Field for the Opening Ceremony for the Gay Games on a stage in front of 60,000-plus people radiating pride and joy. The high from that one was ginormous, onstage feeling the boom of fireworks all around you and catching a glimpse of yourself on the Jumbotron! Completely surreal. But the memories that are the true foundation of HooperPower are very different. I get to share this evolving and powerful form of movement with amazing men and women every week. Those smiles of success are just as thundering as the fireworks. Those memories are most important ones. The ones I’m most proud of."

Her favorite hoop is called "Thunderdome" and it's been with her since the beginning, simple black and silver 1/2" tubing. She explained, "Whenever I'm struggling with a challenging new hoop of a different size or weight, I can put Thunderdome on like an old pair of broken in jeans, feel right at home and find my zone." What music is her favorite to hoop to? Crosby said, "I feel that different styles of music bring different emotions and movements out of you and practicing to a variety of music is a crucial part of my practice. I’d feel limited in just one genre. I could rock out to Dolly Parton, Diplo, Motley Crue, Morphine, Tommy Guerrero, Rhymefest, Cee-Lo, Sage Francis, Blackalicious and Bassnectar all in the same jam. On a special day, I could even feel the flow of the Bluegrass."

What quality does she most admire in a hooper? She responded, "Flow. And the ability to share. When you share what you know, those around you will ultimately help you further your own practice because you are raising the bar all around you." So what does Heather see as her most marked hooping characteristic? She said, "I would say that I’m playful. I am having the time of my life when I’m hooping and I think it shows. I do love spinning and spinning and spinning. My dear hooping pal mARTa will laugh at me because I will spin myself into a tornado and then have to stop and ground myself so I don’t fall over. Gotta do what my body wants to do, right?"

Is there anything in particular she wants Hooping.org's readers to know? Heather explains, "I think we’ve made it clear that HooperPower Hoopdance loves to share hooping. We are so excited to be a big part of growing the MidWestern hoop community and we want you all to know that we make professional hoops of all sizes, we offer classes, community events and workshops, and we also do performances. We also love to travel to share hooping. I'm a licensed HoopStar Workout instructor and be sure to visit us at HooperPower.com for more info, videos, pics or just to say hello and give us feedback. Our online shop, chock full of all things hooping, will be up soon so keep checking back or you can join our mailing list."

In closing, if Crosby had one piece of advice to share with someone picking up a hoop for the very first time, we asked her what would it be. She said, "Believe that you can succeed and accomplish any hooping goals that you want, because you can. And when the hoop falls down, be proud of that, because the hoop wouldn’t fall if you weren’t challenging yourself. And challenging yourself and mastering those challenges leads to amazing places. Be patient, breathe, close your eyes, move with the hoop the way your body wants to, not the way someone else’s body moves with the hoop. Find your own style. Own it!"

----------------------------------

You can find out more about Heather Crosby

HooperPower.com

HooperPower's Exercise Alternative

Hoop Day Hoops Find Homes in Chicago

Chicago Hooping Heats Up

HooperPower Practice Time