Page 5 Fall 1984
There
were other Florida people, too. Keith Watson and Ed Kosco juggle in
Tampa as the Jasper Juggling Company. Seems their specialty is
squashing melons. Yecch! What a mess! They impressed me, though, when
they passed machetes back and forth standing on rola bolas!
This
girl with 'em, Jolene Koby, was a cook in the Navy and didn't even
juggle when she got there. But she did by the time she left! She
jumped in and helped out with the videotaping, too. That was typical.
These guys seemed pretty unorganized, but people were always ready to
help. It reminded me of a family reunion - I mean the regular kind,
not like the one with the Gambinos and Carmines in Chicago.
The
videotapes were better than any things I ever saw on "Monday
Night Football," by the way. This guy Barry Bakalor ran them
non-stop in a little side room, and a couple of the propmakers had
some too. I couldn't sneak away to see many, though, because I had an
important post to guard.
I
almost turned back Andrew Allen, a weird looking kid with orange hair
dressed all in black. I thought he might be a subversive or something,
but he turned out to be alright. Heck of a juggler, too! You couldn't
keep up with his hands when he did his three balls. Dancing, shucking
and jiving all over the floor!
Talk
about all over the floor, you shoulda seen Scott Burton. He was lying
on his back juggling balls between his legs! These people were used to
all sorts of things, but let me tell you, that turned a few heads
besides mine!
Nowell
Franco was this young girl who musta been a champion jump roper in
another life. I saw her toss this diablo thing
A
fellow named Todd Strong from Seattle told me he used to sell 2,000 of
these things called "devil sticks" a year, but was out of
the business now. He's hoping they'll become folk toys. After trying
to learn to use it, though, I doubt it. I also know why they call it a
devil stick - it's the devil to handle!
Not
even flower pots were out of place. Dale Jones was tossing up and
catching five of them. He claimed I'd never see it anywhere else and,
so far, he's right!
Just
about everybody there could handle three or four of something, and a
lot could handle five. But there were a few people trying outrageous
things! Maybe I was hallucinating from no sleep, but by mid-week I
think I saw Dan Bennett toss 10 bean bags in the air and catch them.
Robert York was practicing the same thing, and Albert Lucas showed it
off in a workshop on Saturday. He did ten rings as well, and said he
would've done 12 but didn't have enough ceiling height.
Lucas
was sort of a hero. He won six of the eight championships he
entered, and ended up spending a lot of time on the convention floor
between his shows at the Hacienda Hotel. I think he was glad to
be off his ice skates and standing on concrete, to tell you the
truth. He sure took to the cinders like a fly to honey. I
heard he won this 100-meter race where you juggle and run at the same
time! The sucker did it in under 13 seconds for some kind of record.
He also kept juggling five clubs for more than 21 minutes. I mean,
that's impressive and all, but it's about as exciting as watching cars
pass on I-15!
A
bunch of other people were pointed out to me as stars in the juggling
galaxy. Lucas' brother David Lee was there and won the Juniors
Championship. He started juggling at age 3, and is only 15 now. He
said he could throw up and catch 10 rings. He and another Las Vegas
show juggler, Dick Franco, each bought seven clubs (I used to think
they were bowling pins, but now I'm smarter than all my friends!) so
they could practice for next year's championships in Atlanta!
A
big strapping Argentine guy, Jose Armando Pueyrredon, came by after
his show one night at the Holiday Casino and seemed awestruck by all
the activity. I guess they don't have jugglers conventions in |