I have been photographing hoops for 20 years now and the resulting images have never been shown. I started noticing the hoops and became intrigued with their strange, yet ever present existence. It seemed they lived for a short while in the day to day lives of growing kids and young adults, only to gradually fall into disuse and be forgotten and abandoned. It seemed every house, playground, school, church, park or other public and private establishment had one or more hoops. Some were clearly store bought and yet others were home made. Others still were just mere imitations of the real thing. From well maintained to decayed relics of their former glory, they all appeared to show significant signs of a story. To me they ultimately symbolized a deep rooted, American tradition, whose visual impact was present, long after the children had moved away.