Tony Gemignani started rolling pizza dough（面团）when he was 17. "I loved it and customers loved it," said Gemignani.

More than three decades later, Gemignani, now 49, is a famous pizza acrobat（杂技演员）with 13 world titles. He has also won several Guinness World Records.

Pizza acrobatics（杂技） has been around since the 1980s. The sport is throwing stretched pizza dough in the air and using it to perform exciting tricks. Seeming to have no gravity（引力）, the do ugh is thrown straight into the air in perfect round plate.

It might seem like an unusual hobby, but throwing pizzas is no joke. Like other com-petitive sports, it requires focus, physical strength, and—perhaps most importantly—practice. Lots of practice.

"It's difficult. You need to move quickly and easily," said Gemignani, who initially practiced turning pizzas with wet towels, which he cut and attached together to form a 16-inch circle. "It takes a bit of perseverance（毅力）."

Also, he added, pizza dough can be easily broken. For example, warm weather makes dough softer, which is easier to tear in midair. "It's flexible, it can tear, and it changes shape," Gemignani said. However, the challenge is part of what attracts Gemignani to the sport.

Although Gemignani has performed thousands of times, "I still get nervous," he said. In addition to competition, he has traveled from London to Thailand—throwing pizzas at cancer camps, local festivals, sports games, talk shows, and other gatherings large and small. He especially loves performing for children. "It's so rewarding," said Gemignani, who has an 8-year-old son.

"I could never get tired of pizza," said Gemignani. "Pizza always takes you back to a time when things in life were much simpler," he said. "No stress. It's all about eating good food and having a good time."