IJA eNewsletter – December 2023

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www.juggle.org		    IJA eNewsletter
   December 2023Editors: Don Lewis & Martin Frost
(ijanews@juggle.org)

Happy New Year !!

CONTENTS

  • 2024 IJA Festival
  • Give the gift of learning
  • 2024 IJA Festival scholarship applications open
  • IJA Board meetings
  • Latest articles in eJuggle

 

 

2024 IJA Festival  by Afton Benson

IJA 2024 Festival Green BayIJA 2024 Festival Green Bay

As we say “so long” to 2023, the hype is building for the 2024 Festival in Green Bay, Wisconsin!  The Gauntlet, an IJA Festival favorite, will be making an iconic comeback.  Get ready to combine juggling, speed, agility and fun as you weave your way through the gauntlet of obstacles.  Check out the promo video for the Gauntlet from the 2016 IJA Festival in El Paso, Texas!  The obstacles may change but the challenge and fun will be epic.

The hotel room block will be opening January 15, 2024!  This year’s rooms are outstanding, with two double beds, a pull-out couch, refrigerator and microwave.  At $109 (before taxes and fees) four people could share a room with comfort and ease for about $30 a night each!  You can see all the details on the rooms, the rate, and (on January 15) booking information at Festival Lodging.

Don’t forget to share the info and invite your friends to the festival to keep the juggling community growing.  Renew your membership and register today.  We can’t wait to see you in Green Bay!

 

 

 

 

Give the gift of learning  by Don Lewis

The after-holiday season sometimes seems strewn with the detritus of gifts that have failed.  Batteries have run out, parts have fallen off, books have been read, candies have been digested, and toys lay about in heaps of disinterest.

And then there are those juggling balls that someone received as a gift.  I suspect that most of the learn-to-juggle kits are given by non jugglers desperate to find a novelty gift.  Some are probably given maliciously out of a desire to see someone fail at something.  Some are probably given by a person with a latent desire to try it themselves but would rather that someone else prove that it is really impossible so they don’t have to appear foolish.  And most are probably given with a genuine desire to please.

The recipients likely fall into a few general classes as well.

Some are inherently confident, can understand simple instructions, catch on immediately, and lose interest almost as quickly.

Some distain physical activities and are almost offended that someone has pushed a challenge upon them.  But they don’t want to offend the giver so they will at least try to get their balls in the air.  They will not be surprised, or particularly offended, to find all the balls on the floor.

Some will be genuinely intrigued and try diligently to learn to juggle.  They will be frustrated when the directions that come with their set of balls seem to make no sense.  Their self esteem will be offended when gravity seems to delight in teasing them.

Happily for us, we jugglers can help all of these lucky juggling-kit people.

The ones that catch on quickly and then lose interest can be a challenge.  They don’t see juggling as difficult enough to hold their interest.  They’ve probably mastered something that may resemble a three ball cascade with inevitable collisions after three or four throws.  It can be difficult to hold their attention long enough to get them into a collision free cascade.  If you can do that, start showing them tricks.  Perhaps start with something impossible and when they can’t do that, show them the easier tricks that build into the impossible.  If they learn Mill’s Mess instantly, then buy them an IJA membership.

For those who merely want to please the gift giver, a simple cascade will have them grinning in short order.

Paradoxically, the ones who really want to learn to juggle can be difficult to teach.  They want it so badly that they are trying too hard and are practically tripping over themselves with eagerness that rapidly leads to frustration.

The key to helping all beginners is to get them to slow down and relax.  The vast majority of beginners that I’ve seen are trying to juggle too quickly.  The sticking point is usually throwing the second ball.  They manage a good first throw and then panic to empty the hand that is about to catch the first throw.  The panic ball can wind up just about anywhere.  A good solution to that is to ignore the first catch and concentrate on a good second throw.  Once the second throw is going to a good height and landing in the first hand, the first catch should just happen by itself.  This two-ball exchange is actually the hard part.  Once they have that down starting from one hand, get them to practice starting from the other hand.  A different coloured ball helps with that.  If you are using a red ball and a green one, always start with the hand that is holding the red one, for example.  If that second ball is still flying wildly, juggling in front a wall for a while is the best known method for correcting that.

Once the two ball exchange is solid, three balls is just starting with the hand that is holding two balls.  It is curious how many people look bewilderedly at their hands and ask which hand to start with.

Don’t laugh!  People who are trying hard to learn need confidence.  Nothing demotivates faster than what might be perceived as ridicule.  Even if they don’t get it right away, leave them with a success and a path forward.  After all, you may only have five minutes in the middle of a party to prove to someone that they actually can juggle if only they are willing to believe….

 

 

2024 IJA Festival scholarship applications open  by Afton Benson, IJA Treasurer

The IJA J. Todd Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund is still accepting applications for 2023 IJA Festival Scholarships.  If you have wanted to attend an IJA Festival but have not had a chance and some support would help, apply!  Priority will be given to individuals who have not attended an IJA Festival before.  You can find the application here.  Please share info about this scholarship far and wide — it is open for jugglers around the world.  Applications close at 11:59pm PDT on March 15, 2024.  Scholarships will start being awarded (and recipients notified) well before the application deadline.  The last awardees will be informed by May at the latest.

This fund is named in honor of Todd Smith, one of the world’s top manufacturers of juggling equipment.  Todd was known for giving away props to aspiring jugglers and had the nickname of “the juggler’s friend”.  This scholarship fund will support new jugglers who have not had the chance to attend an IJA Festival.

Big thanks go to the fund’s donors for their generosity: Arthur Lewbel, Mike and Marilyn Sullivan, Unna Med, and a number of other jugglers.  Since 2022, the Scholarship Fund has provided support to 43 jugglers from around the world to attend the IJA’s Annual Festival.

Interested in supporting the J. Todd Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund?  Fantastic!  You can donate here today.  Any questions can be directed to treasurer@juggle.org.

 

 

IJA Board meetings  by Ross Berenson, IJA Board ChairIJA Board meetings

IJA Board meetings are open to all IJA members and are hosted on Zoom.  To find out the times of this month’s vision and business meetings, or to attend, please email ija.chair@juggle.org and say which meeting you’re interested in.

 

 

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