Camp Pendleton Marines Work Out Clowns at Ringling Brothers CircusFit Boot Camp

A handful of Marines and their families gathered at the Honda Center to join clowns and performers from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus for some fun and fit circus training last Friday.

The long running circus invited recently returned and soon-to-be deployed Marines to the Orange County venue to celebrate their newest show, Fully Charged, running from July 27-Aug. 7. 

The event, named CircusFit Boot Camp, travels to schools or local clubs, educating children about the benefits of exercising in a fun manner and also teaching them what performers and clowns do on stage. 

The Marines and their loved ones participated in an array of circus training activities such as hula hooping, juggling and balancing and were led and assisted by world-famous clowns and performers.  Participants also had a small preview of the Fully Charged show with a chance to see a sibling trio of jugglers perform and meet a large black stallion show horse. 

“It’s a lot funnier than regular boot camp,” says Cpl. Jeremy Clague.  A member of the 1st L.A.R., Clague found the event to be entertaining and plans on taking his niece to the show.

While CircusFit boot camp had intentions of schooling the Marines, it was, in fact, the other way around. After learning a few circus tricks, the tables were turned and the Marines gave the clowns a little taste of what real boot camp is like, with tough 8-count bodybuilders and buddy squat runs.

“It’s good to show people what we actually do instead of what they see on TV.  I like showing people how we actually perform,” says Cpl. Terry Hamby, also of 1st L.A.R. 

Hamby also plans to taking his wife, Crystal, and 3-year-old daughter to the show.

Circus clown and former Marine Sean Bates helped teach the Marines some of the fitness experience and was happy and proud to take part in the day’s event.

“Today was an information sharing session. We showed them some skills that we use to stay in shape, and in turn they showed us the same. It actually made me a little misty-eyed, because it took me back to years of being in the Corps,” says Bates. “I actually use some of the same disciplines that I learned in the Marine Corps here in the circus.  Once a Marine, always a Marine.”

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Fully Charged show celebrates all kinds of “performance power” and features many acts including animal, clown, acrobatic and high wire performances.  It runs at the Honda Center in Anaheim until Aug. 7.