Meet Madison McBurney of Mad About Hoops in Stapleton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Madison McBurney.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Eight years ago, I had to teach hula hooping for the after-school company I was working at. I had no idea what I was doing or even how to hula hoop, so I decided to purchase a cheap Walmart hoop and start practicing my waist hooping every day, as a way to learn and get some exercise.

Shortly after, I found out you could learn tricks with the hoop! I bought a hula hoop DVD and watched it a few times a week. I then realized I was really getting into this! I decided to go through the Hoopnotica teacher training in 2012 and after that weekend, I never looked back. I was hired as a hoop instructor at a studio in Houston, TX called Nia moves and there I was really able to work on my craft. I owe a lot to the previous owner since she let me teach 3 classes a week and use the studio to practice my hoop tricks! Around the time I was graduating from the University of Houston in 2014, I realized I wanted to continue hooping as my career. Hooping made me feel better about myself than I ever had in my entire life. It gave me the confidence I was searching for and I wanted to share this knowledge with as many people as possible!

Right after I graduated, I decided to launch a hula hoop summer camp. As a way to promote, I was invited to teach tricks and perform at an elementary school I had taught at in high school, While I was there, the PE teacher was so impressed, she asked me to teach an after-school class in the Fall! I was beyond excited and this really is where the birth of Mad About Hoops came from. I’m always grateful for that PE teacher, who took a chance on a fresh college grad.

After that, Mad About Hoops exploded. In Fall 2014, I was hosting three after-school classes. Fall 2015- six classes, I realized we’re growing fast. I knew I needed some help and along the way, I had met another hooper name Amy Neel, who I didn’t realize at the time would become my partner in crime. She ended up quitting her job and working with me full time on Mad About Hoops. The only catch was, I knew one day I was going to move away from Houston and in 2016 I realized that it would be Colorado.

During our time together, we performed almost every weekend and would, create cute hoop routines and choreography. We even won an award for hoop troupe of the year in 2017 by hooping.org. Our hoop troupe name- The Hustletown Hoopers

In Summer of 2017, I moved to Colorado and left Houston with about 20 schools and for Amy to take charge. It was time for me to grow the business here in Colorado.

In Spring 2018, I relaunched Mad About Hoops In Colorado and began with 5 schools. This coming Fall, I will have 25 schools on our roster and 8 employees. I guess everyone really is.. Mad About Hoops!!

Since living in Denver, Mad About Hoops has really taken off. My company is hosting over 10 summer camps this year and I still perform as much as possible. I’m currently getting ready for a big fire hoop performance in the mountains as I’m writing this!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I first moved to Colorado, it was very tough to start my business over from scratch. Getting into a new market and really believing that this is what I was meant to do, had to constantly be on my mind.

But I knew I was born a businesswoman and I knew I would find a way. My dad always said, ” If you can’t go through the front door, go through the window or the chimney”. So that’s the mentality I’ve always had, find a way to make it work.

My ultimate goal is to inspire young boys and girls to have a life long love of fitness and creativity through the power of hooping.

Mad About Hoops – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
What I’m most proud of with Mad About Hoops is how we literally change children’s’ lives. I’ve watched kids who don’t like exercise or haven’t found their “thing”, turn into the most talented and motivated kiddos, through the power of the hoop.

Something that sets us apart from others, is that we focus on choreography as a group in our classes for big performances. Our students in Houston performed for The Houston Rockets and Houston Dynamo and our kids in Denver have performed for the Denver Nuggets! In the Fall, my Denver kids will perform for CU and the University of North Colorado. Our performances are sometimes the highlights of these student’s year and this really lights me up.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of my career was definitely performing for the Denver Nuggets with all of my incredibly talented students and staff. I’m looking forward to performing for CU in the Fall with all of my students and staff!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.madabouthoops.com
• Phone: 8326893632
• Email: madison.madabouthoops@gmail.com
• Instagram: @madabouthoops
• Facebook: facebook.com/madabouthoops

Image Credit:
Oatis Green Photography and Daniel Angulo Photography

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