LunaStix

by Annika Frazer

You may know him as the “stick kid” around school. Maybe you’ve seen him at the recent pep fest or throughout the halls. Either way, Ben Sanders has made a name for himself at East Ridge High School. From throwing sticks 50 feet into the air to spinning them flawlessly while walking to class, Ben and his Lunastix continue to awe his classmates and friends. Lunastix is a trend Sanders learned from his older brother. Using his brother’s sticks at first, Ben found that his new hobby kept him amused and occupied.  And last year, for Christmas, Ben finally got his own pair. By only self-teaching, Ben has come far in a year.

Catching up with Ben, he explained that Lunastix come in two different types: Death Sticks or Flower Sticks. Ben chose the Flower Sticks, which come equipped with tassels on the ends. He explained it as the tassels give him a nice way to train for a more dangerous trick...Setting the ends of his sticks on fire!

As he perfects his skills, there are no big competitions on the horizon. “The only place you really see them is the Renaissance festival,” Ben explained. However, with no community standard in place, his imaginations are his only boundaries.

Ben said that he’s received nothing but open arms from his friends, family, and peers, encouraging him to further refine his technique. Ben enjoys to work on his Lunastix skills in his free time between trap shooting and the bowling club. “They’re not as easy as I make them look,” Ben said, “it takes a lot of practice.” A truth that anyone can find out for themselves if they see Ben in the hallway. It’s common for him to let other people test out his sticks to find out just how difficult they are, but he’s always quick to give a tip when trying it out!

Ben shows no stopping in his daily lunastix practice. He plans on continuing learning new tricks and he also hopes to learn how to ride a unicycle as well. Will we see Sanders on the Pepfest floor again? Maybe this time on a unicycle? Until we do, be sure to say hi to Bennie in the hallways and maybe try out Lunastix for yourself!