Time Rushes Onward, Denver Convention Nears

The IJA's 41st Annual Convention will be July 12-17 at the University of Denver in Colorado. Tricia Allen and the Rocky Mountain Jugglers are planning the usual plethora of activities to make sure conventioneers get minimum sleep and maximum enjoyment during the event!

 

An outdoor circus tent will dominate the landscape outside the University of Denver Field House , the main juggling gym. The tent will be available for outdoor juggling and serve as site of an IJA benefit auction and the awards banquet on Saturday afternoon. Next door to the gym are an ice rink and swimming pool, while the surrounding neighborhood offers a variety of collegiate eateries and night spots as diversions.

 

The normal extraordinary variety of workshops will be offered daily, along with championships events. A new event, Teams Numbers Passing, offers new possibilities for superlatives in that category. Conventioneers will also have an opportunity to vote for their favorite performer of the week in the People's Choice Championship, and several affiliates will be offering awards of their own.

 

During Field Day on Wednesday afternoon, professionals representing the World Footbag Association, International Unicycling Federation, Skip-Its skip ropers,

The Juggling Institute, boomerangers, flying disk tossers and BMX cyclists will be on hand to demonstrate their specialties. A street performers outing will be held Thursday afternoon in downtown Denver, and the major championships will be held in the beautiful Joseph B. Gould Paramount theatre downtown. The complete package plan for food, lodging and activities costs less than $250.

 

Saturday afternoon's award banquet will be preceded by a new event - an IJA benefit auction. Scotty Meltzer of The American Dream will take bids on autographed props, photos and collector's items contributed by jugglers around the world. If you've got an item you'd like to give the IJA to put up for bid (donations are tax-deductible), contact Tripp Holmgrain.

 

There's a new video concept at this year's convention as well. The IJA and Maverick Media will produce a convention tape that includes not only championship highlights, but scenes from shows, workshops and the convention floor. It should be available by Oct. 1.

 

There are also white water trips, a footbag convention and family excursions planned around the convention to extend your vacation. For more information and a registration form, contact the IJA at Kenmore , NY.  Or contact Tricia Allen, convention chairman, Denver, CO.

 

Cascade Jugglers Institute Convention Women's Award

The Cascade Jugglers, an IJA affiliate in Seattle , Wash. , will honor the contributions of women with an annual convention award beginning this year. "We feel that women have contributed to successful conventions throughout the years but have not yet received the proper recognition," their proposal said.

 

Members of the club will work with the Women's Forum in choosing the recipient of the award. Qualifications include: 1) Born a woman, 2) Is a current IJA member, and 3) Has not won this award in the previous two years. The recipient need not be a juggler.

 

The Cascade award thereby joins other annual awards presented by the Atlanta Jugglers Association and Rubber City Jugglers of Akron, Ohio.

 

New IJA Life Members

The IJA would like to thank the following people who have signed on as IJA Life Members since publication of the Winter issue of this magazine:

71. John Robinson, Lincoln, Mass.

72. Lars Loden, Norrtalje, Sweden

73. Jim Kerr, Anchorage, Ak.

74. Anselmus Thimm, Dossenheim, W. Germany

75. Rick Ford, Wellington, New Zealand

76. Andrea Quitt, Van Nuys, Calif.

77. Gay Nell E. Shope, Mantua, Ohio;

78. Owen Morse, Tustin, Calif.

79. Bruce Plott, Gainesville, Fla.

80. Guy G. Gresh, Boyertown, Pa.

81. Dave Parker, Amsterdam, Holland

82. David Carper, Charlotte, N.C.

83. Robert Nelson, San Francisco, Calif.

84. Daniel Holzman, Sherman Oaks, Calif.

85. Tripp Holmgrain, Winston-Salem, N.C.

 

Life Members pay $250 for a lifetime membership and first-class subscription to "Juggler's World." They also receive reserved seating at convention events and a special membership card. The money collected from Lifetime Memberships goes into a special fund that is not used for operations expenses, but which insures the long-term stability of the organization. If you're interested in becoming a Life Member, contact IJA secretary Rich Chamberlin.