Bill Dietrich, a long-time IJA member and solid seven ball juggler, expressed the dilemma of numbers juggling in one sentence. . 'When people ask me what the hardest thing is to do in juggling," he said, "I reply, 'one more object'. ..

 

The idea of recognizing world records for numbers of objects juggled helps people stake out their spot in the hierarchy of talent, and gives a few ambitious ones a goal. But for the most part it is an exercise in journalistic history. For every scrap of confirmed fact on numbers juggling that you find below, several more have surely disappeared.

 

The statement of records no more represents the truth than the decision of guilt or innocence by a jury. The darkest cloud fogging the whole issue is simply the question of how many tosses it takes for a juggler to claim to have juggled 'x' objects. JUGGLERS WORLD makes no attempt to tackle that one.

 

But, the urge that drives jugglers to try new tricks, new props and more objects piques their curiosity about the limits of the exercise . We hope the information below answers a few questions... and raises a dozen more!

 

 

In this age, we expect higher jumps over a bar, faster sprints down the track and longer distances with objects thrown, and get them at a rapid pace.

 

But the pace is much slower in regards to juggling records. Enrico Rastelli, who juggled 10 balls, is commonly acknowledged as world record holder even now, 50 years after his death.

 

It also appears that Sergei Ignatov's record of 11 rings may stand for quite a while. In his act with the Moscow Circus, Ignatov made 22 throws with 11 rings and finished by pulling all of them sequentially over his head! He was said to think 13 rings was possible, but we may never see proof of that from him because of shoulder problems.

 

There are presently at least six people who reportedly juggle seven clubs, which is considered a world record for that prop. They are Eugene Belaur and Albert Petrovski of Russia , Sorin Munteanu of Rumania, Jack Bremlov, and Kit Summers and Demetrius Alcarese of the U.S.A. Only Bremlov and Munteanu have performed it publicly. At least one source claims that Belaur performs 11 rings also, and may have done it in 1973, before Ignatov.

 

These are the commonly recognized record holders. But other shadows lurk in the Great Hall. Juggling history is sketchy, and people just as accomplished as those mentioned above may have slipped through the cracks. 4000 Years of Juggling by Karl-Heinz Ziethen, mentions a German woman named Jenny Jaeger who reportedly performed with 10 balls for a year, until her father forbade her to continue because of the long practice time required.

 

Even Rastelli's ball record is not unchallenged.  Frank LeDent of Philadelphia , PA , who died in 1948, juggled 11, according to an article by Larry Weeks in Max Holden's 1947 book, The ManuaI of Juggling. Even Bobby May, the American juggling legend, had his doubts about Rastelli's record. May questioned why no one mentioned the 10 ball feat on any of his numerous trips to perform in Europe .

 

And Ignatov himself would certainly respect Freddy Zay, a German who juggled 10 rings in the 1930s and '40s while riding a unicycle. At the IJA's first convention in Jamestown , NY , in 1947, Sergio and Vinicio Chiesa, two brothers from Italy performing with Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, astounded the crowd by juggling nine rings. Did they ever do more?