Hoop Dreams: Newport Gal Creates Custom-Made Hula Hoops

While your eyes scanned the shore this summer, you probably gazed upon the usual suspects: surfer dudes, families, college bums and groups of artfully-tanned bombshells. You may, however, have also caught a glimpse of a redheaded pixie hula-hooping her heart out like there's nobody watching. This, my friends, is Kayla Flynn—hula-hoop extraordinaire.

Flynn first because interested in hooping two years ago while she was attending Salve Regina University and, obviously, frequenting the beach daily. Inspired by her friends having purchased hoops online, she can only describe her instant obsession as "hooping fever." This passion evolved into a business after she managed to tackle the craft of hoop-making and found people approaching her on the beach asking for their own hoops.

The hoops, she explained, are made from irrigation tubing from hardware stores. She typically makes about eight to 12 hoops per 100 feet. After the base is in place, Flynn gets to decorating with colorful electrical tape or gaffers tape—of course, in the customer's requested color scheme. The entire process can take up to an hour, depending on how detailed the taping is.

The majority of her hoops are custom-made, word-of-mouth orders that come from either intrigued beachgoers or friends of friends who are equally curious.

"The age range is typically teenage girls to young women in their twenties," Flynn said. "So far, it has been mostly girls, free spirits or people looking for a more fun way to exercise." She has, however, sold one hoop to a 50-year-old dad.

Hang on. Exercise?

"A day of hooping at the beach and your abs will be screaming," Flynn assured. "I think hooping has already started to catch on."

Move over Pilates. Who wouldn't want to don a bikini and sunglasses over anything spandex?

Despite its steadily rising popularity, Flynn says hoops are still hard to come by. There's always the flimsy neon rings filled with what sounds like sand, but the heavy duty weighted hoops Flynn makes are mostly all online.

Exercise aside, this is a great way to revisit your carefree days of childhood. Whether you Skipped-it, bladed, pedaled or hopscotched, these are all timeless activities and deserve to be relived. To purchase one of Flynn's creations, you can check out her Etsy shop here. Or, for a good old-fashioned transaction, look for the redhead surrounded by hula hoops on your next trip to Second Beach.