Project: hula hoops for grownups
A few months ago I saw an amateur circus troupe in Davis Square. There was a woman dancing with a hula hoop, a bigger one than kids use. She let me try it, and it was a lot easier to use than the kid-sized ones. It was heavier, too. She told me you could make them from plastic tubing, and yesterday that's what I did.
Following these instructions, I used 3/4 inc irrigation tubing and connectors. I guess they make special pipe clippers, but I used a hacksaw. I made a fabric tube, which you have to put on before sealing up the ends. I poured about a cup of water in for extra weight. I soaked the ends of the pipe in hot water for about 30 seconds before jamming them onto the connector piece.
It's not as easy to use as I remember hers being. Mine comes up to mid-chest level on me, and I think hers might have been bigger. I have plenty more tubing, so maybe next time I'll try a bigger hoop.
Then Jeff came home and tried using one while standing on the kitchen table, which he will not be doing again.
juliawise07(at)gmail.com
2 comments:
On first thought, I would think having a small amount of water in the tube would make it harder to use. But then, the water would bunch at the end farther from your body when you are using it, which would make that heavier, and thus make it easier to use. Presumably that inclusion is part of the established method?
The consensus seems to be that heavier hoops are easier to use because they rotate more slowly. I think the lighter ones fall down more easily.
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