Multiplex Controversy

 

Taken from 1978 IJA Championship' Rules and Regulations Senior Division Events: Numbers Juggling (4 trials). Only these props may be used: 7 balls or 7 rings or 5 clubs or sticks. Floor bouncing of balls is not allowed.

 

Lheith

During the recent IJA Convention, I believe that I was unfairly and prematurely disqualified during the numbers juggling event in the championships competition. In that event, I finished with a winning time of 110 seconds, as announced by the Championships Director, Roger Dollarhide.

 

After observing my juggling, including multiplex juggling, on at least two occasions at the Eugene Convention, the director accepted my entrance fees for the Ball Juggling and Numbers events. A few hours, later, I was informed the the director wanted to speak to me regarding premature disqualification.

 

Upon locating the director, I learned that I was to be disqualified from the numbers competition based on the 1978 IJA Championships Rules and Regulations. When I asked Mr. Dollarhide what in the rules would disqualify me, the director stated, "Everything is not in the rules," and then said that since the topic under discussion was controversial, I should ask my fellow competitors how they felt about me competing in numbers juggling under the posted rules. I didn't believe that my competitors were needed to correctly interpret the rules, but I decided to comply anyway.

 

Of the eleven entrants in the event beside myself, seven signed a petition that was presented to the Director. It stated that I should be allowed to fairly compete in the championships using multipex juggling and that if the rules needed to be changed, they should be rewritten for next years competition.

 

Prior to the start of the Numbers event, the Director announced that I was the first person ever to be disqualified in the ten year history of the Championships. At the time of this disqualification I would like to point out that it was still theoretically possible for me to have attempted 5 clubs or 7 rings, so my premature disqualification was undoubtedly arbitrary and unfair. I was then given a brief, timed moment to' speak, in which I stated that in fact the rules did not disqualify me, and presented my arguments. Several other people spoke, and a motion was introduced by Phineas Indritz that would allow me to compete. Mr. Indritz pointed out that during a Legal convention motions can be voted upon at any time, not solely at business meetings. He was ruled out of order by Mr. Dollarhide, and no vote was taken. I feel I was unfairly prevented from discussing the multiplex subject, and having it voted on, at the most appropriate forum, when nearly all IJA conventioneers were in attendance.

 

When my name was not included on the roster of participants for the Numbers event, I again asked if I might be allowed to compete. With a great deal of reservation the Director finally agreed to time my trials while continuing to uphold my disqualification. It was then that I juggled 7 balls for 110 seconds.

 

Finally, I believe that it is also theoretically possible for a 7 ball multiplex routine to be not only as difficult as other single toss movements, but perhaps even more visually esthetic and definitely permissible under the printed and posted 1978 IJA Championships Rules and Regulations. Thank you for this forum.

 

Roger Dollarhide

 

Controversy arose in the numbers event when Lheith wanted to enter using the multiplex technique of juggling 7 balls. After conferring with several other prominent IJA-ers, I disallowed his entry from being eligible for a prize. Here are my reasons.

 

Based on my own experience in practicing multiplex-type juggling and the similar experience of some of those with whom I conferred, I concluded that 7 ball multiplex juggling is not nearly as difficult to learn nor as strenuous to maintain as a regular 7 ball or 5 club cascade. Lheith himself demonstrated this when he kept the pattern going for 110 seconds, and showed little sign of fatigue afterward. When Steve Mills broke the 72 second record for 5 clubs by juggling for 105 seconds, he literally collapsed to the floor afterwards and complained of pain in his arms. Steve is a full-time professional, in excellent physical condition.

 

Another reason for not allowing multiplex in the Numbers event is that although not specifically stated in the rules, (admittedly an unfortunate oversight), the 7 ball or ring or 5 club juggle applies to the cascade only. I have attended everyone of the last 11 INA conventions, and I don't recall anyone doing a pattern other than a cascade. A shower pattern is just too difficult to perform in a numbers competition - to attempt it would be foolish. Therefore it never occurred to me to consider the possibility of someone using a pattern other than the regular cascade. Furthermore, no set of rules for any endeavor can include all eventualities. As Championships Director, I took the responsibility of interpreting the rules to mean that only the regular cascade pattern was acceptable in the Numbers event.

Finally although multiplex juggling is certainly legitimate as a juggling technique, and in fact, won Lheith considerable points in the Ball juggling event for his skill in its use, the technique does not lend itself to the Numbers event because a separate throw is not given to each ball. In some or most throws, 2 balls go up together. Balls may also be caught two at a time or separately.

 

Hovey Burgess, in a parody of the multiplex technique, gave the perfect example of the problems involved in allowing multiplex jugglers to compete in the numbers event. His "entry" for this event was 5 clubs, taped together and juggled as if they were 3. The multiplex technique would make a mockery of the numbers event just as comedy jugglers for years have spoofed the "skill" jugglers with the old "9 ball juggle" gag.