The Salina Journal from Salina, Kansas • Page 9

The Salina Journal Sunday, September 15,1991 9 The human cannonball takes his best shot at the big time By DOUG GROW Scripps Howard News Service MINNEAPOLIS So you think you've got job stress? You think you need career counseling? Consider Henry Munoz. He's USA, the human cannonball. Four times a day at the Minnesota State Fair, the 32-year-old Munoz a vital public service. Four times a day he's a reminder that, career-wise, things could be worse. "Our father always told us we should go to school, get regular lobs," said Christopher Munoz, Henry's older brother.

5 At the time he was giving the jidvice, the senior Munoz was the jiuman cannonball. "Our father told us life would be much easier for us if we'd get regular jobs," Christopher Munoz said. "But this is in your blood." Christopher Munoz, by virtue of being the oldest son, became the human cannonball after the boys' father died of cancer. Christopher was 14 years old at the time, and for 17 years he was fired out of the cannon. "I wish I had a nickel for every time I was fired," said Christopher, now 36.

One time five years ago in Pittsburgh, things didn't go right. When you're a human cannonball, one mistake is all you get. Christopher Munoz said a gust of School wants folks to do it for science wind caught him just as he came out of the cannon. That gust messed up the timing of the somersault that human cannonballs must do if they are to land in the net properly. He went into the net wrong and suffered a severe back injury, an injury that he said left him in a wheelchair for 13 months.

The kid brother, Henry, became the cannonball. Christopher now is the cannon firer. For five generations, family members have been performing circus acts. There have been human cannonballs in the family tree back to the late 1800s, Christopher said. He believes that the first cannonball in the family was a woman.

No one knows how many times she was fired. Henry, the current cannonball, figures he's been fired 20,000 times since crawling into the cannon after his brother's accident. But no matter how many times you're fired, being a cannonball is something you can't take for granted. "When you get into the cannon," he said, "that's the crucial time. You've got to have your mind on what you're doing.

It's a three-second act, but the moments just before, those are critical." "No matter how many times you do it," big brother Christopher said, "when you hit that net and you're OK, you think, 'Ah, And every time, the brothers say, the crowd is hushed as the crowd was one afternoon last week when Henry was fired as the climactic act in the 30-minute Royal Hanneford Circus show. "Once Captain is in the cannon, we must ask for complete silence," announced Senor Roy, "the million- dollar ringmaster," in dramatic tones as the human cannonball walked up the barrel of the cannon. Those moments on the barrel make it all worthwhile, said Christopher, the former cannonball. "When you're out there, it's like you're another person." One last wave and then Henry crawled into the barrel. "Ready," Henry called down the barrel to Christopher signaled to Senor Roy.

"Five," announced Senor Roy, "four, three, two, Ka-boom! The noise near the cannon is deafening. Cannonballs, though, don't have to worry about the noise. It doesn't catch up with them until they're almost to the net, 100 feet away. "This is something that gets in your blood," the human cannonball said. "But," cautioned Christopher, the former human cannonball, "I don't think something like this is for everybody." By The Associated Press STANFORD, Calif.

Do you eat an entire box of chocolates in one sitting? Do you want to lose weight, 4uit smoking, kick that coffee habit? Stanford University wants you to do it for science. I "We put notices in the papers, Advertise, send out fliers, just about afnything to recruit," said Dr. Jeff Myll, a researcher who made his subjects give up caffeinated coffee. "Sometimes I wonder why some of these people do what we ask. I can't see how you can give up coffee." This week, the Stanford Medical Center sent out a notice seeking binge eaters for a study intended to treat the eating compulsion and resulting weight problems.

But no bulimics, and only women, allowed. "Compulsive binge eaters are pfeople who lose control of their eat- irtg to the extent that they might, for example, eat an entire box of candy at one sitting," project director Dr. W. Stewart Agras wrote in seeking subjects. Dr.

Bruce Arnow, head of the school's behavioral science department, said studies in which the subjects might lose weight, stop smoking or tackle a serious health problem are popular, often attracting hun- dreds. "Depending on how the studies are funded, we can often treat these people for free or for a very low fee," Arnow said. "Sometimes, if it's hard to get enough study subjects, researchers will pay Participants in the binge-eating study are asked to contribute $150 for expenses. But most of Stanford's human guinea pigs don't pay and don't have to be bought. "I thought this was just a great opportunity to learn something and get motivated," said Alice Ruzicka, a school district psychologist who lost 23 pounds in a diet and exercise study at Stanford.

"When you're being weighed constantly, your motivation increases a lot." Volunteer Dr. Bruce Douglas, on the other hand, wasn't allowed to lose weight or begin any new exercise programs during the same late 1980s study. He was part of the control group, "It's tough being a control because you sign up thinking you'll lose some weight and then you have to watch everybody else progress," said Douglas, a pathologist at a hospital in San Jose. "I don't think anybody would want to be in a control group if they don't have to." brother SALE PRICE FEATURING: Automatic Cutter Automatic Feeder Preprogrammed Formats Built-in Voice Message Center Copier Mode Hurry, Quantities Are Limited! Salina 913-823-7000 Toll Free 1-800-834-1360 Rose Bowl 1992 Dec. 27-Jan.

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