IJA eNewsletter, June 2018

CONTENTS

Chair’s message
Get Ready for the Festival!
Something for Everyone in Western Massachusetts
Staying Nourished and Hydrated in Springfield
IJA Festival info – Springfield, MA, July 16-22, 2018
Online voting is open in the 2018 IJA Board of Directors Election Latest articles in eJuggle
Upcoming juggling festivals

Chair’s message, by Nathan Wakefield

Our big annual festival is just two weeks away! As we reach the final stretch, we’ve had several recent additions to the festival.

The 2018 Awesomeness Fund Committee has spoken! Thanks to a generous donation from UnnaMed, the committee has decided on the festival enhancements that this fund will be used on. Some of the things attendees can look forward to include: board games, ping pong tables, a greenscreen for photos, and on-site masseuses. We’ll also have a few additional surprises at the

festival!

Thanks to iiWii, we will also have brunch available several days of the festival. Start your days with a nice warm meal and chance to socialize with other jugglers. Also, special thanks to Pure Circus for sponsoring our individual prop competition and donating toward several other festival functions. These wonderful donors help make the festival even more exciting.

Check out our festival schedule and workshop schedule to help plan your week. Follow
our Facebook event page for any final developments that may arise. The time is nearly upon us!

On a more personal note, it’s been a pleasure to serve you as Chairman for the past four years. I’ll still be around and volunteering to help the organization here and there in a smaller capacity, but am looking forward to stepping away and am excited for the next generation of board leadership in the IJA.

Until we meet again, keep your passions strong, and juggle on.

Nathan Wakefield IJA Chairman

Get ready for the Festival! by Don Lewis

The festival is nearly upon us, so it is time to get prepared for a very intense week of juggling. If you have suddenly realized that you have forgotten to register for the festival, don’t panic. You can register in person at the festival site. There will be plenty room for a few more jugglers so bring some friends as well.

Are you one of those jugglers who can’t imagine that you would ever fit in at a festival ? If you are willing to try, I’m sure you will be surprised at just how much you can enjoy the experience. Each year a few trepidatious souls slink into the gym and leave at the end of the week with wide grins on their faces. Come to the festival.

Identify your props so you can find them in a room full of things that look almost exactly like yours. Use laundry marking pens, address labels, decals, or whatever, to make it easy to find the props

that you put down just for a moment to talk to someone before wandering off.

Ever since cell phones have been standard equipment, the lost and found has been harvesting lost cell phones on almost a daily basis. Try to put your name on the splash screen, or put a label on the back. If we can identify who the phone belongs to, we can page you on the PA system. If it is anonymous, how are we going to know it is yours? Not going to happen to you? Really?

Most juggling is done standing on your feet. You’ll be spending a lot of time on your feet so be good to them. Don’t show up with a single pair of broken down sneakers with soles so thin you can tell what brand of bubble gum someone dropped on the sidewalk last week. If your shoes are done in then get some new ones now and break them in. There is no guarantee that there will be a shoe store close by with your size in stock if your footwear falls apart at the fest. Perhaps you can

extend the comfort life of your shoes by adding insole inserts. These come in many different styles. Some even offer orthotic support. I’ve seen automatic foot scanners in some stores that measure

the pressure on various parts of your foot, and then suggests a particular insert for about $50.

If you are traveling by air, check with the airline and/or TSA to see what props are accepted in carry on luggage and what has to be in checked baggage. All airlines seem to charge extra for bags, so see if you can consolidate with someone else and save a baggage fee. Make your bag easy to find by adding coloured tape, or large initials to the outside of the bag. Baggage tags can get torn off in the sorting machines. It can be useful to put your destination address on the bag along with the airline you are using. Lost bags are easier to return if they have a bit of identity on them. Put your full name and contact information inside the bag, easily visible in case they need to open the bag in search of identity. I keep mine in an outside zippered pocket. It works. I had a lost bag returned to me after a couple of weeks once. The airline tag and the luggage tag had both been torn off, but the id in the zippered pocket saved me.

Carry a list of any prescription medications that you need, along with the contact information for the pharmacy that fills your prescription and the doctor that ordered it. Keep medications with you when travelling rather than in checked baggage.

Debit cards work in most ATM machines, but sometimes fees are added if you use other bank terminals. Check with your bank to see what local banks you can use without fees. As a general rule, private branded ATMs in places like bars and convenience stores can be quite expensive.

Something for Everyone in Western Massachusetts! by Mike Sullivan

The Springfield area is rich with culture, history, family-friendly activities and destinations to add on to your festival week. From the Dr. Seuss Museum to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the Yankee Candle Village, the Connecticut Science Center, Holyoke Volleyball Hall of Fame, corn mazes in Sunderland, dinosaur track sites and Six Flags Over New England, you’re close to a huge selection of fun things to see, do and experience when you come to Springfield.

Check out the Explore Western Mass website for details, info, directions, prices and hours to dozens of attractions in and around Springfield: Explore Western Mass.

See you in Springfield!

Staying Nourished and Hydrated in Springfield, by Mike Sullivan As your Future Festival Site “advance man” for the IJA since 2009, I’ve had the special treat of

being able to visit our festival destinations well in advance of our festival week, and usually more than once. My first visit is to qualify and tour the destination as a prospective festival host city; if the destination is selected by IJA’s Board of Directors, I’m often able to accompany our Festival Director for a “pre-con” (pre-conference) visit the fall prior to our festival; and then, finally, I come to the city a third time, to be joined by hundreds of happy jugglers coming to town for a week of carefree fun.

During those advance visits, I carefully survey and make notes on all the best, close-by places to eat, drink and shop near our festival venues. So for this year’s 71st Annual in Springfield, I’m happy to pass along these tips for where you can find good food and drink near our main event venues.

IN THE TOWER SQUARE CENTER:

Our two HQ hotels, the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel and the Tower Square Hotel, are both located in a large office tower complex in downtown Springfield called Tower Square. During the day, thousands of office workers come into Tower Square, and so there are several food and drink outlets right at our doorstep inside this complex.

Food Court: The Tower Square Food Court is open for lunch Monday-Friday, with some outlets open on Saturday and Sunday. My picks for the best are Hot Table (handmade hot pannini sandwiches, breakfast, coffee and salads); LeGreque (Greek entrées, salads and more), and Tower Grill (burgers and more).

In the atrium of Tower Square, you’ll find a Dunkin’ Donuts (which seem to be on every other corner in Springfield!), open 6am-4pm daily. The address might confuse you, but just ask at the hotel desk and they will direct you to the DD in the building atrium.

Likewise, there’s a full-service CVS/Pharmacy drug store in the retail atrium of Tower Square, with a huge selection of snacks, drinks, coffee, and much more.

ADJACENT TO / INSIDE THE HOTELS
Sports Bar & Grill in the Tower Square Hotel offers bar food and burgers/wings for lunch and dinner, plus a full bar. The Currents Restaurant in the Tower Square hotel is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and room service is available for hotel guests. The Currents Bar just off the lobby also has food available and is open from 4pm until late every day with a full bar. During my visits to Currents, I made friends with the long-serving bartenders Ray (38 years at the hotel), and Brenda (44 years at the hotel) — Ray introduced himself as “The New Guy.” Word is that Ray retired to Florida at the end of last year, but ask for Brenda when you stop in to have a drink and tell her you’re with the Jugglers! Any bar that keeps the same two bartenders for a combined 82
years is worth a visit!

The Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel also has a full-service restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Picks Restaurant; the adjacent MVP Sports Bar has food available as well as full bar for lunch and dinner daily. And check out the fairly-well hidden Cornerstone Cafein the lobby of the Sheraton, with coffee, grab-and-go food and more, very popular with the office workers.

WITHIN A SHORT WALK OF THE HOTELS & CONVENTION CENTER

The Red Rose Pizzeria, a local favorite, is a huge, busy and excellent Italian restaurant known for their pizzas, pasta dishes and hot sandwiches, but come hungry! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Nadim’s Downtown Mediterranean Grill is a full-service sit-down restaurant with a full bar, a big menu of lunch and dinner items with an accent on Lebanese/Mediterranean cuisine. It’s a few steps outside the lobbies of the Tower Square or Sheraton hotels.

350 Grill is a white-tablecloth steakhouse with a lot of local fans.
Gino’s Pizza is also close and has a big pizza and sandwich menu, and is open for breakfast as

well.

Theodore’s BBQ doesn’t look like much from the outside, but step in and you will be pleased with the atmosphere and the fare. They are famous for a big BBQ menu, a full bar and live music several nights a week.

Upstairs from Theodore’s is America’s oldest continuously-operating billiard hall, and it is a beauty. Smith’s Billiards is a haven for pool players, and is a mellow, classy place to hang out, eat, drink and play games. They have a huge bar and a long list of craft and local beers with food available off of Theodore’s menu downstairs. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

A SHORT DRIVE OR UBER AWAY
Plan B Burger Bar is located in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame complex just across the Interstate from our festival venues, about a 3-minute drive away. Really nice restaurant and bar with gourmet burgers, excellent salads and much more, in an elegant but casual
atmosphere. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Next to Plan B you’ll find Max’s Tavern, also excellent for steaks, ribs and more in a pub atmosphere.

And if that’s not enough to get you started, there will be reps from the local Visitor’s Bureau in the gym on Tuesday and Wednesday to answer questions, offer dining maps and local guides, and help you enjoy a fun and carefree week in Springfield.

IJA Festival info – Springfield, MA, July 16-22, by Martin Frost
For all the latest Festival information, please see the IJA Festival website and

our Facebook event page. Stage Championships Finalists

You can see all the Finalists for the IJA Stage Championships on our website at: https://juggle.org/festival/ija-stage-championships-finalists/.

Congratulations to all of them, and good luck in the finals!

Hotel reservation deadlines for IJA rates have passed

The deadlines have passed for getting a hotel room at the IJA rates. But you can still check the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel and the Tower Square Hotel Springfield to see what rates they have, and if they have rooms left. Both are very close to the festival venues.

Tower Square: 844-656-8641. Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel: See https://juggle.org/festival- details/lodging/.

Shuttles from Bradley Airport (BDL) in Connecticut

If you need a shuttle between Bradley Airport and Springfield, check on The Valley Transporter, which requires reservations to be made ahead of time. Other options are taxis at about $60 and Uber or Lyft at about $30. Confirm availability before you travel.

Festival schedule online

The festival schedule is available on the Fest website. In addition to the Welcome Show, Cascade of Stars, Youth Showcase and Stage Championships, you’ll find XJuggling, Individual Prop Competition, Numbers, Joggling, Games and Renegade shows. In addition there will be a special show, “The Monkey Wrench Interpretation”, by the Institute of Jugglology, plus a Flowcase show and Fight Night, all on Friday.

IJA Fest workshop leader sign-ups

Got something interesting to teach at the fest? Sign-ups for leading workshops at the festival are now open. You choose you audience, whether beginners, intermediate, advanced. Workshops Coordinator Dave Pawson will try to schedule your workshop at a time convenient for you.

You can view the preliminary workshop schedule now — just note that more workshops will be added and changes are likely over the next couple of weeks.

Youth Showcase call for participants, by Art Thomas

If you are a young juggler, under 18, and have a routine or act you would like to share, the Youth Showcase is your event. This is a non-competitive celebration of juggling performed and hosted by young jugglers. Your act will be seen by a supportive and appreciative audience on “the big stage”.

The act should be under 5 minutes. Music, as always, must be legally obtained. We will have a technical rehearsal with the professional theater staff on Wednesday afternoon, and the show is at 7pm Wednesday. If you would like to be a part of this fun event, email the show director, Art Thomas at youthshowcase2018@juggle.org. He needs to know your name and age and how long you have been juggling. Describe your act in a sentence or two, listing props you use — which ones and how many.

Special Guests

Here are the special guests for this year’s fest, with newly confirmed ones in bold:

Michael Moschen (to give a lecture) Mark Nizer
Benjamin Domask
Cate Flaherty

Christian Kloc
Erin Stephens Florence Huet
Fly By Night
Francis Gadbois Guillaume Karpowicz Justin Therrien Kathryn Carr

Kyle Johnson
Mark Mitton (Cascade of Stars emcee) Michael Karas
Patrick McGuire
Pich
Remi Lasvenes
Salih Mahammed
Wes Peden

Event Package Pricing Per Person

Advance registration is now closed, but you’ll be able to register at the festival.

Dates (Eastern Time)

Mar 6 – Jun 15 July 17 – July 21

Type Adult Youth Notes

Regular $260 $200 Jun 15 is the last day to pre-register for the fest

On-Site $280 $220 These are the prices of Event Packages purchased at the fest

Youths are ages 11-17. Adults are ages 18 and up.
Individual show tickets and daily gym passes can be purchased at the festival.

Online voting is open in the 2018 IJA Board of Directors Election

The annual IJA election for members of the Board of Directors takes place at the IJA Festival in Springfield, MA, on July 18, 2018. You can vote at the fest or you can vote online before the fest and save your festival time for juggling.

The IJA Board of Directors is comprised of seven people who make policy and collectively decide on the direction of the IJA. Each director is elected for a two-year term. There are four director positions up for election this year, so IJA members can vote for up to four people in this election. The nominees and their statements are listed below. Not all nominees provided statements.

WHO CAN VOTE

All regular, life, youth, and family IJA members who are at least 13 years of age as of July 18, 2018, can vote.

TWO WAYS TO VOTE: Online or On-site

You can vote either:
(1) ONLINE until 11:59pm EDT, Saturday, July 14, 2018; or
(2) ON-SITE at the IJA Festival in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, July 18, 2018.

Online voting is easy and only takes a minute or two. Or if you’ll be at the IJA Festival, you can vote there in person on July 18, 2018.

To vote ONLINE before the festival, first Sign In at: https://ym.juggle.org.
Then cast your votes at the online voting page: https://ym.juggle.org/surveys/?id=2018election

Here are the nominees for member of the IJA Board of Directors. The statements from candidates that provided them follow below.

Matan Presberg Ian Loughlin Sofia Noethe Yuki Ueda

Mike Moore

Matan Presberg

To me, juggling is about more than the art form itself. From the day I learned how to juggle, it was about community. I was taught by my local juggling club at age six and started attending meetings regularly. As I grew up, I realized more and more that the community was held up by a few key members. Everything I took for granted wouldn’t exist without people working tirelessly for the benefit of the community.

My experience as an IJA officer has been similar. It has given me a behind the scenes look at everything that goes on just to keep the organization running and the festival happening each year. The priceless experiences I have had at IJA festivals have been made possible entirely by volunteers.

My goal of being on the IJA Board of Directors is to further my commitment to the juggling community and to the IJA. I hope that by volunteering for the IJA, I can help spread juggling to more people, and enable them to have the same positive experiences I have had.

Yuki Ueda

I am a professional juggler, an educator of circus arts and a community event organizer based in Vancouver, Canada. I started juggling in Europe about 12 years ago. I have attended multiple festivals around the globe and a founder of the object manipulation festival, Madskillz Vancouver, that has been running for the last 9 years.

To be honest, my understanding of the IJA activity is slim at the moment, but I am willing to learn and grow with the organization. If I get voted in, I want to explore ways to make our passion accessible and understood to non-jugglers. Would love to try and change the stigma that juggling has in order to create the next era of mind blowing jugglers. Let’s study and define the new trends of object manipulation around the world, help fuel those communities, create a place to educate each other on the various trends and branch all of it together to make the bigger picture.

If you want to know more about me or discuss about juggling and the community, just drop me a line at jugglerzen@gmail.com. I love meeting other jugglers, chatting about juggling, and learning other point of view about the art and the community.

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