by John Nations

 

In the same year that the Masters Golf Tournament was won by its youngest champion and best score in history, the IJA Juniors Championship reached a new technical milestone this summer as its winner turned in a dropless routine. Many of the competitors in this contest of jugglers under age 18 showed skill and style reminiscent of career professionals. But the gold medalist, 17-year-old Adam Kariotis from Richfield, Ohio, amazed the audience with a super-polished routine so technically advanced that it would have placed high in the Seniors Championships.

 

Dressed in a blue satin shirt, Kariotis began his act with three balls and added more that mysteriously popped out of his prop stand. He got a huge response from the crowd when he pirouetted from four ball pairs directly into a "running shower" - passing each ball under alternating legs.

 

In a brief moment of comic relief, a diabolo popped out of his prop stand. He regarded it with confusion and put it aside, then broke into one of the most amazing five ball routines ever performed in the juniors. The highlight was an original half pirouette variation in which he tossed two balls toward his back and one straight up, did a 180, threw the two other balls toward his back, caught the first two crossovers, repeated the 180 and continued his five cascade.

 

The routine also featured a shower within a shower, simultaneous high and low throws landing in the same hands reminiscent of Joey Cousin (1994 Juniors winner), and a four ball fountain under a high center throw. As the audience roared, he added two more balls and ran a beautifully controlled seven cascade to a neck catch finish.

 

With rings, Kariotis showed the smooth style of his longtime coach and performing partner, Benji Hill (1987 Seniors Champ). He did a five ring half shower while turning, three-high half and full pirouettes, and smooth pancake tosses, and finished with seven rings. With three clubs, the crowd loved his three-up single spin pirouette, and his Ignatov variation - opposite spinning club tosses under a high throw with one of the pair caught behind the back. He did a backcross flash pirouette, solid kickups, and another Ignatov with a half pirouette.

 

With four clubs he performed chin rolls and a finale back cross flash. Kariotis, who has been juggling since age 10, said he has been working on the final act since early June, and his flawless runthroughs came from practicing up to six hours a day.

 

The Juniors Silver medalist was Emil Carey, a Quebecois from Montreal who began juggling after being inspired by Cirque du Solei!

 

Dressed in suspenders and a bow tie, he walked on stage with a violin case that contained juggling balls. He consulted a musical score and began juggling to the song "Day-O," doing a low three ball chest bounce, shoulder throws and under the leg bounces. He got strong applause by looking up at the audience while force bouncing five balls. To the song "View to a Kill," Carey disappeared behind a partition and front-flipped off a hidden mini-trampoline to begin his club juggling.

 

He performed a three club Mills Mess, then front-flipped into a four club routine that included a solid shower. He ended his five club cascade with a scissors catch. Carey's act had the feel of an elegant orchestral performance and showed the influence of his Montreal Circus schooling. He also attended a workshop in Brussels, Belgium, where he was coached by Arkadi Alexandrovich from the Ukrainian circus school.

 

Rick Friscia from Jensen Beach, Fla., won the Juniors bronze medal in a black costume with red cummerbund. He performed three ball tricks, a four ball Mills Mess and a smooth seven balls. With four clubs, he did splits, scissors (simultaneous behind the back and front crossed pairs) and a shower. He also did a nice six ring breakdown and seven ring cascade.

 

The other Juniors also presented entertaining and well-rehearsed acts. Luke Jay from Colorado manipulated two connected rings of different sizes to INXS music, in a stark pantomime style a la Michael Menes. He then juggled four with flourishes, a shower and a full flash pirouette. He did a five ring reverse cascade and pancake throws and flashed eight rings.

 

Paul Williamson from Illinois did three clubs on a slack rope strung across the stage, five clubs starting with a kickup, and hat manipulation to "In the Mood." Mike Roberts from Missouri did a nice diabolo act that included a whip catch that he nailed exactly on a beat of his music, a rockin' three club routine and a brief five club shower. All the competitors exemplified the spirit of the IJA by showing that 50 years after its founding, the art of juggling is still being lovingly developed through the dedication of young artists everywhere.