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Winn Family Affairs  (2-25-00) (Credit: Canoe.ca) Story and photos by Doug E. Bell -- Canoe Reporter Driving the Winn family of aerial motorcyle acrobats is 70-year-old Hans, an eighth-generation circus performer with Welsh and French roots. His family specialized in horse an aerial acts before switching to motorcycles and emigrating to America in the mid-1960s. "Bikes don't eat when we don't work," he laughed. Winn's wife Roverta is also part of the act currently performing for Garden Bros., as are two of his sons, John and Hans-Peter, a daughter, Ashley, and John's wife Tina. Three other sons are touring with a different big top. "It's definitely a hard-working life," Roverta explained. "We're on the road nine months of the year. There's a lot of inconvenience. But we get to watch our children grow up. There's always someone around to look after the kids. We don't have to worry about daycares and babysitters. Circus traditions are very strong, and we get a special opportunity to pass on our family traditions." An added bonus, according to Roverta, is that the constant travel makes it easier for the family to enjoy its many hobbies, which include scuba diving, snowboarding, water-skiing, mountain climbing, "and drinking." "I don't personally know if I could handle an office-type job," chimed in Hans. "There's only so many rooms in the house I can paint before I start getting itchy to get back on the road and in front of the crowds." The lively 70-year-old, who had buzzed off on his two-wheeled scooter to get lunch at the 40-foot motor-home he shares with Roverta, couldn't resist swinging back to make one more point. In the era of the global economy, he explained, it's not enough to be 'just' a performer anymore. "These days there's lots of acts working for circuses that are from different countries. Most of the newcomers in the States came from South America and Eastern Europe. Not many ciruses employ their own acts any more so you have to become a business-person too. It's all contracted out. There's a lot more competition for spots and you have to organize your year way ahead of time." Back to Articles