IJA board action

The IJA board of directors made decisions during its convention meetings to initiate regional championships, institute a system of achievement level recognition, establish a Hall of Fame and begin planning for a Juggler's Homeland.

 

Regional championships - Championships director Holly Greeley is contacting affiliate clubs to host an IJA regional championship at their festival. She hopes to arrange them in the east, central and western parts of the country this year. Regional winners automatically qualify for the IJA U.S. Nationals finals. Contact Holly Greeley at Boulder, CO for more information.

 

Achievement Awards - The IJA intends to institute a system of achievement levels and awards as a means of giving jugglers skill goals. The areas of achievement will cover a wide variety of props and range in difficulty from the 3-ball cascade 10 tricks with very many objects. Jugglers meeting the criteria to be certified in specific achievement areas may buy a badge indicating that they have done so. Contact Bill Barr, immediate past president, at Richland, WA.

 

- Hall of Fame - The board voted to establish a Hall of Fame to honor notable jugglers. Secretary Rich Chamberlin and director Alan Howard are drafting support statements for a preliminary dozen candidates, with the intention of submitting five more candidates per year to be reviewed by a board committee for approval or rejection. Any member may nominate a candidate by writing a supporting statement and submitting it to the IJA. There will also be an IJA Distinguished Service Award category for people who have rendered outstanding service to the organization.

 

-Oh Give Me a Homeland - The board voted to. adopt as a long-term goal the construction of a "Juggler's Homeland." This juggling refuge will be the site of the IJA Hall of Fame Museum, administrative offices, school, retreat grounds and possibly retirement home. It's an exciting possibility that will only come about through the involvement and financial commitment of a great many members and outside concerns. If you have any interest in this project, please contact Laura Green, Baltimore, MD.

 

-Membership Contest - With publication of a new membership brochure, the IJA board voted to conduct a one-year membership drive contest. The organizational goal is to increase membership to 3,500 by the next convention. A line on the application form on the brochure will allow the IJA to track referrals of new members in order to give prizes for most new members referred at the end of the year. To get brochures to hand out, write the IJA at Kenmore, NY.

 

LETTERS

 

Signing appreciated

Shortly after arriving for the convention, I was eating in a restaurant at a table by myself. Soon a family sat down speaking in sign language and using facial expressions that warmed me from the inside out.

 

As I paid my check, they asked me if I could spare a few moments, as they saw my IJA t-shirt They explained that they figured it was financially impossible to attend the convention. I assured them to the contrary that the AJA could make a way, and took them to the registration table. They were all smiles at receiving a family plan at a good price.

 

In addition, I can't tell how warm I felt when it was announced that a sign language interpreter would be at the front of the stage during the public events. Thank you so much!

 

Tony Bond Denver, Colorado

 

No to zero-g juggling

After conferring on the subject, the Renegades have confirmed that juggling cannot be performed in outer space or any other voids in which gravity does not exist. From the first evidence of juggling pictured on Egyptian tombs to modem day juggling conventions the art has consisted of the balance between the force of motion (the throw) and the force of gravity (the drop).

 

Making the claim that juggling can occur in space without gravity and therefore without drops is a great misrepresentation. Juggling without gravity .is similar to water polo without water or alpine skiing without mountains.

 

In addition, the Renegades do not feel it is appropriate for the IJA to embrace and honor the space shuttle program or its employees which are a vital component to the militarization of space and the escalation of the arms race.

The Renegade Jugglers, Santa Cruz, California

 

IJA history

As one of the old jugglers, I thought you might be interested in how the International Jugglers Association was created.

 

Once upon a time many years ago there was a magician's convention in Pittsburgh and about ten jugglers attended. By some method I cannot recall, we located each other in the maze of mystifying magicians and arranged to go to lunch to discuss our mutual interest. Unfortunately, one of our very, very best jugglers, Clem Faust from Philadelphia, missed the lunch and as a result there were nine around the table when someone suggested, "We need our own organization." There, that lunchtime, with nine men we started the International Jugglers Association.

 

When we departed the restaurant someone took a picture and that tiny nucleus grew into our present membership.

 

Present was Art Jennings, a professional model builder for Westinghouse Electric, who designed our logo with the hoop and clubs. Art was best known as "The Bum Juggler." The curtain opened on a tramp sleeping on a park bench in a lethargic manner. Art arose and began his juggling act using the bench at times for a rola-bola.

 

Bobby Jules of Pittsburgh, as a teenager, was directed to Art Jennings by Harry Lind for instruction in club juggling. If Art will be remembered for anything in juggling it will be that he taught Bobby Jules. One of Bobby's favorite tricks was the three club kickup. Roger Montandon of Tulsa, Oklahoma, also deserves a lot of credit for helping us jugglers to locate each other.

Edwin 'Eddy Easy' Johnson