“If you spin a stick enough, it gets quite interesting.”
This is the life philosophy of Dundee croupier and Bo staff “twirler” Jordon Brown.
The 27-year-old, who lives in the city but hails from Cupar, doesn’t get a lot of downtime on weekends due to the nature of his job as a blackjack and roulette dealer.
“I work most weekends, and the chances are, when I’m not working, I’m recovering from nightshifts,” explains Jordon.
“They can take a toll on the body.”
To keep himself fighting fit despite his nocturnal work-week, Jordon prioritises movement – and fun – on his days off.
For the last year, that’s looked like playing with a Bo staff, a traditional Japanese weapon originating from this island of Okinawa, down at Dundee Waterfront.
“This all started about a year ago in Jamaica,” explains Jordon. “I went over for a couple of months to spend time with my great-grandfather.
“One day, I just grabbed a stick that I saw, and I remembered that I used to go outside and fling a stick around when I was really young, about six years old.
“I thought I’d just muck around, but it’s turned into a lot more.”
Awed bystanders are ‘curious and friendly’
Inspired by characters from his favourite videogames, such as Kilik from well-known franchise Soulcalibur, Jordon practises with his Bo staff at least twice a week near the Tay Whale sculpture or at Slessor Gardens.
He freestyles and gets creative with his choreography, regularly posting his smoothest routines to his fitness page, @jjb.corefitness.
And though he sometimes receives some sideways glances, Jordon says most people who approach him are “curious and friendly”.
“They just wander over and ask me what I’m doing,” he smiles. “And I say: ‘Spinning a stick’.”
Party trick? Spinning barbells in the gym
For Jordon, working with the Bo staff is a fun and exciting way to supplement his otherwise intense fitness regime, which sees him hitting the gym on most of his days off.
Early bullying at school in Cupar saw Jordon find comfort in the gym from age 14, and adding the Bo staff to his repertoire has only increased his love of fitness.
“It’s been really great for my shoulders,” he observes. “I struggled with a lot of rigidness in my shoulders before I started doing this.”
He’s even incorporated the skill into the traditional gym environment, challenging himself to spin a weighted barbell while balancing on a Bosu ball.
“I was trying to think about different exercises to try out in the gym, just to change up my routine to make it a bit more exciting,” he explains.
“I was looking at the barbell one day, and thought: ‘Oh, I wonder if I can just do the same thing with this as with the Bo’. But obviously, you know, I gotta take my time!”
Indeed, Jordon bruised shins are a testament to the amount of time he spends practicing the Bo dancing – though he swears he barely feels it now when he clips himself with the staff.
And when he’s not practising, he finds plenty of other ways to busy himself on days off work.
Clothing keeps croupier busy on rainy days
Currently, he’s working on launching his own clothing line, Unique Symmetry, the name of which he says represents “the way in which we are all so similar to other people, but then there are things which make all of us different and unique”.
“On weekend mornings I love drawing on my iPad, sometimes my clothing designs and sometimes more artsy stuff,” says Jordon.
“Or I’ll play some video games to relax, before heading out with the stick.”
Because of his night-time 9-5, Jordon spends a lot of his free time making sure his body is nourished and strong.
He follows a strict diet – three boiled eggs and a bowl of porridge for breakfast with garlic and cinnamon, a high-protein snack such a meal replacement Huel, and rice with meat for dinner – and only eats within an 8-hour window each day.
Then around once every week or two, he’ll do a 24-hour fast to “allow the digestive system to rest”.
In general for Jordon, games are his work, so weekends are equal parts discipline and play.
“The Bo staff brings a lot of fun,” he says. “Have an open mind and give it a shot.”
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