Paloma Pujol Mayo, better-known as Paloma Freestyle , is actually top of the woman video game in Madrid's freestyle juggling scene. Freestyle juggling — a cross between football and hacky sack that will require the juggler to creatively control, or "juggle" a basketball without using their particular hands — is really as a lot about artistry since it is methods and acrobatics, and Paloma provides spent years perfecting the ability. She's got travelled all around the globe to participate in both hacky sack and freestyle juggling games and this woman is a five-time Footbag Community Champion for most readily useful Freestyle Routine with a hacky sack. Paloma additionally stars in an innovative new quick movie labeled as, " All I Wanted is a Ball ," that informs the tales of six top female freestylers in The country of spain. She will be able to regularly be located with a hacky sack or a football golf ball performing strategy after key in Plaza Dos de Mayo in Malasaña, a fashionable area in the middle of Madrid.

Paloma very first registered the industry of freestyle juggling not just as a result of the woman desire for football; she also wanted to make brand new friends in a new country. She wasn't looking to find that she was actually one of the most gifted hacky sackers and freestyler jugglers on earth. We sat straight down with Paloma to go over her procedure of finding freestyle juggling, the sexism and homophobia that accompanies the area, plus the community she actually is designed for by herself along the way.

GO Magazine: How do you 1st go into soccer?

Paloma Pujol Mayo: I happened to be created in Mexico once I happened to be nine years of age I made a decision that i desired to try out soccer. I informed my personal dad and mom that i desired playing on a group. My moms and dads stated, "Yes, great" and delivered me to a training. There have beenn't groups for females nor combined teams, so I trained using guys. It was not until We went along to my personal basic video game that ref explained that I couldn't play because I happened to be a lady. The advisor and that I were both discouraged, therefore we decided to generate a fake player's credit for my situation. I went by title "Javi" and understanding that credit I was in a position to perform. Fundamentally i did not find it as one thing terrible because we'd found an easy way to perform and me that's all i needed.

GO: exactly how did you go from playing to performing freestyle?

PPM : While I was 11 years old staying in Mexico, there is a woman which offered handicrafts and hacky sacks on the street. My personal mommy quit to look and stated, "Paloma, you'll in this way, this really is to juggle. It really is like everything perform using the ball, but it is more compact." Subsequently my personal mom ordered myself three, she provided me with one and stored two, and informed me whenever we out of cash the initial one she'd offer me personally the second one. The most important juggling i did so was with my mother.

As I stumbled on Spain we joined up with an area girl's team, but I found myself never ever that good of a person. I enjoyed to juggle and I also constantly carried a hacky sack within my pocket. Usually. It was actually enjoyable to stay Retiro Park and out of the blue you're in a circle with people, including visitors, and for it absolutely was ways to create brand new buddies. I found myself from another country, thus I did not actually know many people. Making use of the hacky sack I came across a lot of people.

I in the course of time met somebody inside Retiro who had been sporting these really unsightly boots and using a separate particular soccer basketball. We learned that its a smoother football baseball used for freestyle juggling. The tricks have labels and there are contests. That's what I perform today. When I informed my personal mommy this she said, "no hassle, grab yourself the footwear." My mother usually supported me in carrying out sports. She believed it was better than ingesting every week-end, and so, she ordered me personally my very first couple of freestyle shoes.

GO: And after that you used to be contending?

PPM : Yes, after 6 months of training we decided to go to my very first Footbag globe Championship and I arrived indeed there without knowing the policies.

GO: What's the freestyle neighborhood like?

PPM: The truth is that the community is truly close. You may be training with a world champion and later should you some thing really inside amount, they will give you a higher five.

In The country of spain we're just a little behind. Like, might visit a tournament in which you will find typically 100 men following me, but I don't have a problem with that. In whatever group, I'm likely getting someplace in the middle.

To be able to make a system of females freestylers globally we made an Instagram labeled as " We Have Been Female Freestylers ." We have plenty of fans, but we only proceed with the freestyler ladies. At this stage our company is about 750 women freestylers internationally.

GO: Preciselywhat are a few of the benefits to getting related to one another?

PPM : You may still find many problems with the freestyle games. Eg, the routine they make for us will put ladies in the early morning and guys from inside the afternoon. Needless to say if you make myself execute at 10 a.m. on the internet on the livestream, no one is browsing enjoy. You have to make the routine centered on expertise, like, you will want to place the guys who have below annually of experience at 10 a.m., precisely why? Because it's less amazing. We're better than all of them. But no, first they place the women, after which the boys, that is certainly that. Or for instance, the trophy for the men is actually larger than for your females. Why?

We attempted to alter situations, and so they stated, "No," but before we just weren't arranged now our company is. We now have figures; we've an easy way to get in touch with every girls at a time. And that, i believe every thing changes. We realize that every time we jointly complain we move one step ahead.

GO: I imagine that it is not only a male-dominated space, but a right one aswell?

PPM : I mean in a tournament within worldwide amount when on occasion discover around 450 individuals here, needless to say mathematically a gay individual must be here, but there usually aren't honestly gay people to my personal information. And these are areas in which we notice a lot of "Faggot" or "You play like a girl" or those sorts of circumstances.

Something interesting took place during among community Championships, actually. I was teaching late with a male freestyler, chuckling, cheering one another on. I was good friends with this man. The very next day we returned to teach. Afterwards the guy told me, "Hey, in which are you eating the next day? Come with me to eat at a restaurant together with other freestylers," and every little thing ended up being good. Next that Friday of event my girlfriend appeared to see the finals. Once I went along to provide the lady a kiss, my personal brand new friend cannot believe it. It absolutely was the very first time which he'd see women kiss in real world and also the very first time which he had a friendship with some one queer. That night I asked, "Are we gonna teach this evening?" and then he was like, "No, I do not like to." I inquired just what had happened in which he explained, "I don't like how you tend to be." I inquired, "Wow because now you know I'm lesbian? We had been fine past in addition to time prior to," and he informed me, "Well, that is the fact."

However, by the end of the week-end the guy approached me personally and said, "Hey Paloma, i have changed my perspective loads about how to see some body as you. In addition to the fact is you are normal people." I found myself like, "Yes what did you think? That i am from another type of planet or that people can not talk or be friends?" Today he is an extremely friend of mine and I also know he is defended me personally among others when confronted with homophobic comments.

GO: That's remarkable that using footbag because the conference point results in actually approaching some people's homophobic tips.

PPM : Yes, i believe moments similar to this will individuals alter since it is various when you talk about queer folks so when you actually share a place and therefore are directly confronted by someone's queer identity. Starting minds is something that I find fantastic.