It has been established that there are "two sides to every coin" and many claim that a cat has nine lives, but few have ascertained the many different ways to participate in an IJA Annual Convention. As the Annual Convention grows in size and scope, so does the potential for a variety of different experiences.

Each year more jugglers compete in the var­ious championship events. Many jugglers donate their time to perform in the Benefit Show or the Public Show, while others help by teaching workshops.

The number of propmakers increases every year, as does the diversity of equipment offered, implying that an increasing amount of creative energy is being put into the craft of propmaking. The vast majority of convention goers put on their' 'juggling shoes" each day and "juggle their socks off' ... but then there are a handful of people who run around the Annual Conven­tion carrying boxes and pieces of paper. They never seem to juggle and rarely have time to eat.

The question is: Who are these people and what are they doing?

At this year's convention a new member walked up to me and pressed three clubs against my chest. "Juggle!" he demanded.

I quickly obliged by doing a 30 second routine. My challenger smiled broadly and shook my hand, saying, "I just wanted to know that the IJA President knows how to juggle."

The confrontation made me realize that the rigors of running a convention and directing the IJA have preempted my juggling time.

Other members of the Board of Directors also experience this change. Occasionally we sneak into the gymnasium after midnight for a few quick rounds of passing clubs, but most of our week is filled with work. Why do we do it? I can only speak for myself, and very simply the answer is that being a part of creating an environment for the IJA and its members to thrive and mature in transcends the art of juggling.

From the rather unique perspective of being both President and Convention Chairman this year, I have had the opportunity to view the juggling world in numerous dimensions which usually remain obscure.

IJA business, or the serious side of juggling, incorporates other aspects of our art that are seriously wonderful! What I have observed is a whole cultural world evolving around the activity of juggling, a world with a myriad of different textures and awarenesses. Nowhere is this more evident than on the gymnasium floor at the convention.

On the sidelines surrounding the intense juggling activity, enlightening conversations about new discoveries abound.

Another interesting development that has been taking place is the evolution of 'crossover' within the variety arts. Many performing artists are finding it advantageous to develop themselves in many areas, i.e., juggling and mime, juggling and dance.

Combining art forms in performance often amplifies the effectiveness of presentation. Due to this 'crossover' that is now occurring quite frequently, there is renewed interest among or­ganizations representing these disciplines to interact and improve interdisciplinary communication. This is an area of immense future potential that is just beginning to gain momentum.

During 1982 the IJA passed many milestones, as membership went over the 2,000 mark. Of major significance was the achievement of tax­exempt status, the trademarking of our logo, and the beginning of an affiliation system.

These achievements are all in their infancy and will take time to blossom, but they represent fundamental structural improvements allowing us to begin long range program to better serve all IJA members. Just as there are always new juggling tricks to learn, there are infinite lessons to be learned in how to improve the IJA.

This year's "Future directions for the IJA" workshop proved to be a highly charged forum with many controversial and constructive discussions. Members of the Board of Directors were listening and taking notes.

The result is that there will be some changes made to further improve future conventions.  Some of the suggestions that will be put into action are 1) a substantial effort will be made to locate camping areas for convention goers 2) a greater variety of Convention t-shirts will be produced 3) security will be increased in the gymnasium 4) a new timetable will be arranged to provide more free juggling time 5) there will be more workshops and workshops will provide more opportunity for group participation 7) the feasibility of a seven day convention will be discussed at the Winter Business Meeting, as will the subject of revising voting procedures for election of officers.

The main areas targeted for growth over the next year are regional activities through the Affiliation program, improvement of educational programs, and expanding our support of juggling activities overseas.

Also, I have been collecting videotapes of IJA convention footage filmed by various sources, and will establish an official IJA video library .

I would like to encourage all IJA members to voice their opinions by either writing to PO Box 29 or sending letters to the JUGGLERS WORLD Mailbox. All correspondence will be answered...... and now that I have finished this article, you can be sure that I am going out to juggle!