# My niece has run off and joined the circus! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 6, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-niece-has-run-off-and-joined-the-circus/584512 "2011-06-06T16:45:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-niece-has-run-off-and-joined-the-circus/584512/1 "2011-06-06T16:45:55Z")
Okay, she did’t “run off”; she joined the local youth circus! And what’s she doing there? Here she is, 10 years old, 30 feet in the air on the highwire: [http://www.mister-rik.com/hosted/nat\_highwire.jpg](http://www.mister-rik.com/hosted/nat_highwire.jpg) Reports are that she’s “a natural” and has “no fear” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-niece-has-run-off-and-joined-the-circus/584512/2 "2011-06-06T16:59:06Z")
OK, that has got to be one of the coolest things in the world. And I’m betting that she’ll have the best “What I Did Over the Summer” story. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-niece-has-run-off-and-joined-the-circus/584512/3 "2011-06-06T17:44:56Z")
When she gets a bit older and [starts dating a Wallenda](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flying_Wallendas), then what? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-niece-has-run-off-and-joined-the-circus/584512/4 "2011-06-06T18:09:49Z")
That is pretty cool, I always wanted to try the high wire. ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-niece-has-run-off-and-joined-the-circus/584512/5 "2011-06-06T20:20:46Z")
Kids can do amazing things when they think positive. That’s great that she has found a interest. This doesn’t need to end up with a circus career. Maybe she will switch to gymnastics and get a scholarship. Everything she does to develop herself will pay off later. Again, very impressive indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-niece-has-run-off-and-joined-the-circus/584512/6 "2011-06-07T02:59:24Z")
She’s a very physical kid, so this is turning out to be a very good, productive way to direct her energy. And she’s strong, too — [check out those “guns”](http://www.mister-rik.com/hosted/nat_guns.jpg)! ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-niece-has-run-off-and-joined-the-circus/584512/7 "2011-06-07T03:07:13Z")
[National Circus School](http://www.nationalcircusschool.ca/en/home/), anyone? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-niece-has-run-off-and-joined-the-circus/584512/8 "2011-06-07T05:33:49Z")
There are [circus schools](http://actorsgymnasium.com/) all over. I _heart_ circus. I can’t afford the general circus class, sadly (which includes tightrope), but do all right on the aerial apparatus. I wish there had been a circus school in/near the little hick town I grew up in. Good on her for finding it early.