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AFFILIATE & CLUB REPORT

by Deena Frooman, IJA Director

The IJA welcomes two new affiliates "Jugglers of Bowie" from Maryland and "S.O.S. E. - The Stranger Organization for the Study of Epistemology and Juggling" from St. Louis. The Jugglers of Bowie are organized by a very enthusiastic J. Thomas Hamill and the S.O.S.E. Jugglers are being coordinated by Joe Welling. They raise the total of affiliates to 67!

The new year is here and with it we begin our IJA Blood Drive - "It's the Best Drop You'll Ever Make." This how it is going to work. .. Call your local Red Cross Blood Services chapter to find out where and when the bloodmobile will be collecting blood. Then go to that location and donate your blood. Red Cross will give you a card to mark every time you donate blood. Then at the summer IJA Las Vegas festival, we will tabulate all the blood that was given by IJA members. Our goal is 1,000 pints of blood!

If you cannot donate because of health reasons, you can still be a sponsor in the program by finding a family member or friend to donate. You can submit their donation as part of your effort! So, call the Red Cross today and let's get started on a terrific and much needed community service program.

Who wants to go to Sweden for the European Jugglers Association convention? I've been to the EJA convention the past two years and it is big fun! This year's event will be in Gotenberg, Sweden, August 11-18. Last year I traveled with Ben Schoenberg, Seattle juggler/good guy, and we attended several variety show theaters, circus arts museums and circuses in Germany. So, start making plans now so that we can have a huge IJA turnout. Call me if you would like to go on a trip that includes visits first to European variety shows and circuses.

I urge all affiliate members to work together for a great 1995. If you are a member of a juggling club that meets regularly but is not yet an affiliate, make 1995 the year to become "official." Contact Deena Frooman for more information!

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Big Dayton Fest Draws A Talented Crowd

by Robert Vancko

The November 25-26 festival began with open juggling on Friday in the smaller multipurpose room at the - beautiful Kettering Recreation Complex. There were about 60 people juggling Friday night, and it was a nice warm up for the big Saturday to come.

It turned into the biggest Dayton fest yet, with 250 people in attendance on Saturday. And it wasn't just quantity, but quality. The public show included Jay Gilligan and David Cain, Scott Sorensen, Casey Boehmer, Charlie and Mark Peachock, Steve and Michelle Mills, Morty Hansen and Fritz Grobe.

Saturday morning was filled with open juggling, and 26 people competed in joggling races on the indoor track. Among other highlights, Mike Hout, Steve Otteson, Dan Hout and Ben Schoenberg teamed up for what may be the first-ever 5 ball relay race.

The games began at 1:30 and lasted until the raffle at 4:30. Competitions and winners included: 9 Clubs - Mark and Charlie Peachock (52 catches); 8 Clubs Peter Kaseman and Rob Vancko (330 catches); 7 Clubs - Scott Sorensen and Scott McFarlane (a long time!); 11 Balls Scott and David Cain (64 catches); 10 Rings - Jay Gilligan and David Cain (86 catches); 7 Balls - Morty Hansen (34 seconds); 6 Rings - Charlie Peachock; 6 Balls - Rob Vancko (38 seconds); 5 clubs Mark Peachock; 5 Balls - Michael Ferguson; 4 Clubs - Chris laReau.

The juggling on one foot competition was won after 15 minutes by Robert Thayer, and Mark Peachock won three coin juggling competitions, going home with tons of change. Charlie Peachock gave a three club workshop, Fritz Grobe showed some great diabolo stuff, Scott Sorensen demonstrated runs of 20 catches with 6 clubs, and was attempting that elusive 11 ring flash! He also won "Best Trick of the Fest" for spinning a ring on his leg and a mouthstick while juggling five clubs.

Charlie Peachock began the show with a routine that included 3 and 5 high pirouettes with 5 balls, 3 up pirouette with 5 clubs, a series of 5 club backcrosses, tons of tricks with 3 clubs and a nice ring routine.

Casey Boehmer had a well-polished act which included up to 4 clubs, 5 balls and 5 rings, with pull-downs, pirouettes, and lots of nice multiplex tricks. He also did a short routine with shaker cups.

Steve Mills did a great comedy routine with his daughter Michelle (8 years old) which ended with Michelle's 3 ring pulldown. Jay Gilligan and David Cain did a new number with balls, including very innovative toss and bounce passing. Jay also did an impressive 6 bounce to 6 cross (in the air) transition.

Morty Hansen combined dance with contact juggling then used up to 5 balls, showing some neat site swaps with 5. Jay Gilligan, Fritz Grobe and Morty Hansen then did a serious number with 5 rings each.

Ben Schoenberg performed a great siteswaps-for-the-masses act in which he compared juggling to music. Each "number" (site swap) corresponded to a certain musical note, and he used tricks with brightly colored little soccer balls to create a melody. Next, Ben juggled beanbags to music using two squash racquets which sometimes caught the bags, and sometimes were props themselves in a four item fountain. For the big finale he cascaded three beanbags and both squash racquets. A highlight of this routine came when he performed a racquet version of Mills' Mess (all catches and throws made with the squash racquets) much to the delight of Steve Mills, who bellowed loudly in approval.

Abby Cemkovich, the 12-year-old current women's international unicycling champ, did a wonderful routine. Mike Hout did tricks with bowling balls, eventually breaking the Internet endurance record by juggling three six-pounders for 83 throws! His son, Joseph, also did a scarf routine that ended with an eight scarf flash. (Mike Hout and Bob Whitcomb went muscle-to-muscle with the bowling balls after the show, and both achieved 202 throws!)

Mark and Charlie Peachock did a great two-man passing routine with ultimate

chops, 7 back-to-back, tricks with 8, and finally passed 9 clubs with a clean finish. For the finale, Jay Gilligan and David Cain (Crash & Burn) performed their winning teams routine from Burlington. If you haven't seen it, get the video.

All in all the fest was a great weekend of high quality fun. I would like to thank everyone involved for the great job they did organizing the weekend. If you are within driving distance, this is a fest you won't want to miss.

SIRCUS Fest

by Madelyn Dinnerstein

The SIRCUS came to Cleveland on Oct. 8. Yes, residents of northeastern Ohio can spell. It wasn't a "circus." It was the SIRCUS, the Saint Ignatius Rubber City Ultimate Symposium.

The Saint Ignatius Circus Club of Cleveland and the Rubber City Jugglers of Akron hosted the jugglefest at St. Ignatius High School, where the students are known for their talents in football and juggling.

About 100 jugglers from Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and even Nevada filled the school's gym. Alan Howard, now living in Reno, Nev., had a Cleveland homecoming and attended the free fest. It featured lots of open juggling, mini-workshops, a prop raffle, videos, an informal show and a pizza patty.

Jay Gilligan and Charlie Peachock, young jugglers extraordinaire, stopped most of the action on the gym floor when they led a mini-workshop on three club tricks. Mark Peachock made a special guest appearance. Gilligan and Michael Ferguson were the last surviving competitors in a five ball endurance contest, ending their duel in a tie at 7 minutes and 54 seconds.

The show featured Mark and Charlie Peachock juggling together, Mark and Charlie Peachock juggling separately, Scott "Can Man" Slesnick doing his specialty tennis ball and can tricks, and Ken Foy showing off his skills in fire eating.