IJA eNewsletter – November 2025

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www.juggle.org		    IJA eNewsletter
   November 2025Editors: Don Lewis & Martin Frost
(ijanews@juggle.org)

CONTENTS

  • So … who is a fellow juggler, really?
  • IJA Festival in Fort Wayne, Indiana, July 27–August 2, 2026
  • 2026 IJA Festival Early Bird Registration open – closes Dec 31
  • 2026 IJA Festival scholarship applications open
  • Be open to the possibilities of juggling
  • YJA Badge Book
  • IJA Board meetings
  • Upcoming juggling festivals (and juggling clubs)
  • Latest from eJuggle: podcasts & articles

 

 

So … who is a fellow juggler, really?  Benjamin Domask-Ruh

Hello IJA Community!

juggling clubs in suitcaseWe’ve made it to the end of November and the start of December.  The final stretch of the calendar year!  If you’re a performer, I hope your winter season is full of gigs you’re excited about.  And if you aren’t a performer, take a moment to check if any jugglers are performing near you and go support them.  I love watching fellow jugglers perform.

Speaking of fellow jugglers, welcome to the third installment of our etymological dive into the IJA mission.  A quick recap so far:

Render: “to give back”
Assistance: “to stand by”

Now we arrive at the next key word in our mission: Render assistance to fellow jugglers.

So … what exactly do we mean by “fellow”?

When you trace it back, you find the Old English fēolaga meaning a partner or colleague, literally “one who lays down money in a joint enterprise”, and the Old Norse félagi, rooted in fé which means “cattle, property, money.”

So is a fellow juggler just someone who has invested money into juggling?  (If so, every time someone balked at paying $40 per club when I worked at Air Traffic Kites and Games, they were really missing the point!)

On one hand, yes!  We invest in our props.  And historically, the juggling world was literally a joint enterprise: early American juggling clubs could only be purchased if another professional vouched for you.  Exclusive, indeed.

But there’s another angle.

“Fellow” is also a title for distinguished individuals in academia, research, and professional fields. Does that leave beginners out?  Does Club YJA not count?  Of course not.

This is where the part-of-speech puzzle helps us.  Most of those definitions refer to “fellow” as a noun.  But in our mission, it functions as an adjective.  And its modern adjectival meaning is beautifully simple:

“Sharing a particular activity, quality, or condition.”

With that meaning, we can relax.  A fellow juggler means another juggler – someone who shares this wonderfully challenging and joyful practice with you.

And that matters.  While juggling often happens alone in living rooms, racquetball courts, college field houses, or parks, the feelings aren’t solitary – the frustrations, the breakthroughs, broken nails, the tangles.  There is a fellow juggler out there who knows exactly what that feels like.

That’s why the IJA exists.
To bring us together even when we are alone.
To remind us we are part of something shared.
To remind us that we are all fellow jugglers.

If you’d like to interact with a fellow juggler digitally, I’d love to hear from you.  You can send any thoughts or ideas to ija.chair@juggle.org.  As always, members are welcome at our Board meetings; just email me for the Zoom link.

RA2FJ,
Benjamin Domask-Ruh
IJA Board Chair

 

 

IJA Festival in Fort Wayne, Indiana, July 27–August 2, 2026  Sofia Noethe

Hello IJA Community!

I’m Sofia, IJA board member, IJA Festival Registrar and core IJA Festival team member.  A colleague recently asked me about my work with the IJA and why I dedicate so much time to the organization and the festival.  The answer is simple: You all are my people, and the festival is where we get to all come together.

The festival is incredibly special to me.  I’ve been attending for close to 20 years at this point, and I’ve watched groups erupt in cheers when someone finally lands a trick they’ve been working on for hours.  I’ve seen late night gym sessions turn into lifelong friendships.  I’ve witnessed the effort from the competitors that goes into preparing for Championships, and the joy in winning.  These moments happen dozens of times every festival because we choose to gather.

The IJA Festival is a big part of how I and the team show our appreciation for you, the juggling community.  Every detail we’re planning, from free youth access to scholarship packages to special onsite events (stay tuned), is designed to give jugglers an amazing experience and bring more jugglers into our circle.

But … a festival without jugglers is just an empty gym.  I want you there to make the festival what it should be for all of us.  Let’s gather with friends (and soon to be friends), share what we know, and have fun and create those unforgettable moments.

Register today and let’s have a wonderful 2026 IJA Festival in Fort Wayne!

 

 

2026 IJA Festival Early Bird Registration open – closes Dec 31
Noel Yee & the 2026 IJA Festival Team

Fort Wayne, INHello Jugglers,

Early bird registration is open!  Be sure to register soon and get ready for an amazing year of juggling.  Early bird pricing ends on December 31, 2025!

When you register, you have the opportunity to render assistance to fellow jugglers by purchasing a package that donates 50-100% of a festival package to the IJA Festival Scholarship Fund!  Note: Vendor registration will be opening in the coming months.

We’ve implemented a new exciting idea suggested by the 2027 IJA Festival Team: youth under the age of 18 can access the gym for free!  Detailed information is on the registration page.  If you have questions or if you want to bring a group of youth, please contact registrar@juggle.org.

If you have any ideas or thoughts for the 2026 festival, please feel free to reach out!

More Updates soon!

 

 

2026 IJA Festival scholarship applications open
Afton Benson, IJA Treasurer

The IJA J. Todd Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund is now accepting applications for 2026 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 scholarship application here.  Please share info about this scholarship far and wide — it is open to jugglers around the world.

Applications close at 11:59pm PDT on March 15, 2026.  Scholarships will start being awarded (and recipients notified) 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 92 jugglers from around the world to attend the annual IJA 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.

 

 

Be open to the possibilities of juggling  Don Lewis

I recently found myself in unfamiliar territory – I went on a cruise for the first time.  I was there for the experience and the excursions to places I’d only heard about.  Assorted people told me to forget juggling, It was most unlikely that I’d find any jugglers on board the ship.  Well, it seems that was right.  There were lots of other activities to play at.  One activity was promoted as a bean bag toss.  It turned out to be a game where you try to throw a beanbag into a hole on an inclined plank (sometimes called cornhole).  Well, that activity died pretty quickly in spite of the animator’s enthusiasm.

As the stuff was being put away, I grabbed three of the beanbags and juggled them.  They were literally square sacks of beans – a far cry from juggling bean bags.  But, have gravity – will juggle.  Within a minute the animator came over and asked if I could teach him.  Sure, he was a quick study.  In the five minutes I spent with him, several others came over to watch.  By the end of the half hour period there were six new jugglers.  When older people give it a try, I tell them it is a great way to embarrass their children.  That usually gets a laugh and a new burst of enthusiasm.

Another day I discovered a quiet corner where I could relax with some contact juggling.  Inevitably people would wander in and stop to watch.  A few were willing to try something new.  I didn’t actually get to practice the trick I was learning, but I enjoyed seeing some quietly astonished smiles.

Of course there was the usual chorus of “Oh, I could never…”, “I’m a klutz”, and “I have no hand-eye coordination”.  I particularly like that last one because there is an excellent counter to it.  Just ask them if they usually eat meals with a fork.  Then look closely at their face.  They instantly ask why you are looking at them like that.  I reply that I’m looking for puncture wounds.  They can get food on a sharp fork into their mouths without actually seeing their mouth – without injury even!  That seems plenty coordinated to me.

Generally this avoidance of learning to juggle is a lack of belief or confidence.  Often, it is an unwillingness to move outside the norms of their peer group.  They don’t want to be mocked.  It can be touchy teaching some people to juggle.  They can be taught, and that can disturb their sense of self – who they are.  If they learn to juggle, an improbable feat to most people, what else might they be able to do that they’ve been avoiding?  You don’t want to startle someone into a panic attack.  It’s very rare, but it happens.

There are lots of potential jugglers out there that are willing to try.  Leave the doubters to watch from the sidelines until they shyly come up to give it a shot.

 

 

YJA Badge Book

Did you know that the IJA’s Youth Juggling Academy has a book?  It does!

The Juggler's Badge Book

The Juggler’s Badge Book is the ultimate companion for aspiring jugglers of any age!  Track your progress, unlock achievements, and earn badges as you learn the art of juggling.  With its engaging format and rewarding sticker system, The Juggler’s Badge Book makes learning to juggle an exciting and fulfilling adventure.  Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned juggler, let The Juggler’s Badge Book be your guide to skillful juggling and a collection of well-earned accomplishments.  Start achieving your juggling journey today!

The Juggler’s Badge Book is $25 and makes a great gift!  Purchase yours today!  Proceeds go to supporting further YJA initiatives and advancing the IJA’s mission to render assistance to fellow jugglers.

Published by the International Jugglers’ Association in collaboration with Modern Vaudeville Press.

 

 

IJA Board meetingsIJA 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.

 

 

Upcoming juggling festivals (and juggling clubs)

For a list of upcoming juggling festivals, please visit our friends over at The Juggling Edge.

While you’re there, visit their list of juggling clubs.

 

 

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