Three Eugene hipsters trail down the alley-side apartment steps, scantily clad in a green romper, blue tank top and ruffled sundress. They have forgotten their shoes on purpose. The liberated young women spread themselves out on the sun-stricken cement, ready to spin to their iPod’s “Hooping Playlist.”
The hoopsters start to shift their weight back and forth as they whirl large hula-hoops around their waists. Within seconds, the hoops effortlessly whip around their arms, legs and necks as they proceed to groove, twist and swivel their bodies in a meditative boogie fest.
University students Erin Howe, Sachi Kaneko, and Maddie Allen meet weekly in the alley of the Alder Street Apartments to practice their hooping skills.
Over the past few years, ‘hooping’ has gone from childhood pastime to fitness trend. For some, it is now a way of life.
“It can be addictive,” Kaneko said.
Usually set to music, hooping is commonly a group activity that enables people to be part of a community while enjoying the benefits of the activity.
“It’s just really fun, and it’s good exercise, and it’s fun to show off,” Kaneko said.
Howe, Kaneko and Allen were first motivated by videos of Cirque du Soleil acts. Now they hoop dance sinuously under the sun like real-life sprites. Kaneko said they do yoga four or five times a week just to improve their hooping skills.
Most of the hula-hoops sold in stores are child-sized. The lightweight and small size of those hoops require hoopers to whip their hips rather rapidly just to keep the hoops in motion.
“The bigger the diameter, the slower it goes,” Kimberly ‘Hoopsage’ said of adult-sized hoops.  For the past three years, Hoopsage has been selling a colorful variety of hoops at the Eugene Saturday Market.
But the girls in the hoopster trio made their own hoops out of irrigation tubing from True Value and then decorated them with colored tape. After trying out their homemade hoops, they were hooked.
Their slight clothing isn’t just appropriate for the 80-degree weather. Howe said revealing clothing is advantageous for hooping because fabric causes the hoop to slide off, making it difficult to execute certain tricks.
“The ideal outfit is booty shorts and a sports bra,” Howe said. The three girls almost always hoop barefoot.
During their alleyway hoop jams, it is typical for passing cars to momentarily interrupt their session. With delighted expressions, people have literally applauded the girls’ performance while driving by.
“I feel like it’s a ‘spirit of Eugene’ type of thing,” Howe said. “It’s kind of associated with
hippies and circus performers.”
Hoopsage said she gets a lot of inquiries on where Eugene hoopers can unite.
“There’s a lot of hoopers, but they’re scattered,” Hoopsage said. “There’s not a unified hooping community.”
Howe, who calls herself an amateur hooper, has considered organizing a group for hoopers at the University. But because the three girls plan to leave Eugene in the near future, she decided that starting a club would be too much work. Currently, the only place to find organized hoopers seems among a small gaggle of girls in the UO Juggling Club.
Even though they would like more opportunities to be involved with the local hooping community, the hoopster trio is getting along just fine setting a trendy example and getting plenty of attention from campus onlookers.
“Oh my god!” two guys yell from the apartments, gasping in awe.
Kaneko twirls a medium-sized hoop around her only standing leg. Back arched, she gracefully leans forward as she stretches her arms behind her head to grab her other bare foot. It’s her favorite trick, and clearly a crowd favorite. After an impressive amount of time, the hoop finally spirals to the ground.
“But I can’t end it,” she said.

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