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According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of children and adolescents who are defined as overweight has more than doubled in the past 20 years. CircusFit is a step closer to reversing this trend and getting children excited about exercise, healthy living and daily activity. The benefits of such a program extend beyond physical fitness, though.
Lessons Learned
Tyrece Haines, Ringling Bros. performer and member of the Ringling Bros. Windy City Acrobats, says tumbling taught him responsibility, teamwork and dedication.
"My personal goal was to be the best that I can be and do whatever it takes to help my team succeed in our dream. I promised myself I would give 100 percent at the practice and the performance and I would always encourage my friends to do the same," Haines explains. It is a dedication that has paid off.
Each member of Haines' team got his start the same way-at age 5 or 6, he saw someone "doing flips" and he wanted to learn how. Practicing on discarded mattresses, Haines and his friends honed their skills at block parties and at impromptu (and unpaid) performances outside Chicago sporting events. Just 10 years after the group formed, they got their big break with Ringling Bros.
Today, the nine-member Windy City Acrobats team ranges in age from 13-year-old fraternal twins Manuel and Emmanuel (whose mother travels with the show) to 21-year-old Tyrece. Several of the team members are attending school while they travel with Ringling Bros., while others plan to work toward college credits-but all agree that tumbling has helped change their lives for the better.
For more information, visit www.Ringling.com. Kids can be encouraged to
exercise if it's fun and exciting. Pictured: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & BaileyĆ
Windy City Acrobats
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