Page 36 Fall 1988
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IJA
conventioneers Matthew Broad and Trisha Selbach
reported on the Jugglers for Peace Nicaragua Tour '88 last spring.
The two had a culturally rich, positive experience with native
audiences all over the country. Graham Ellis again shepherded the
group of a dozen performers from England and America on their third
journey to Nicaragua. Barrett Felker was the most
accomplished juggler of the lot, but could only stay a short time.
Felker said, "I did a ping pong ball routine and three and four
clubs. I also spoke at the end of the show because my Spanish is
pretty good." The tour included a surprise visit from Daniel
Ortega and participation in a memorial service for Benjamin
Linder. Part of their baggage was excess juggling equipment
eventually left behind for Nicaraguan jugglers in some of the 25
national circuses. Martin
Frost, who conducted a club passing workshop at the convention,
noticed more and more people passing with both hands this year. All
the patterns Frost taught in his workshop included passing from both
hands. Frost said he first started passing using both hands at the
Los Angeles convention and has watched it grow slowly since.
"I'm encouraged," he said. "Several good jugglers
have told me they really enjoy it." Greg
McGlynn and Wesley Smith are the Anti-Gravity Brothers of
Wichita, Kansas. With two years of teamwork, the duo has worked up
to six torch passing. Smith does six bean bags, and McGlynn juggles
four clubs.
Perry
Rubenfeld accompanied nine other people from the Winnipeg
Juggling Club to Denver, but only Rubenfeld got elected IJA director
there. Three of them were youngsters who performed well in the
Juniors Championships. The club he's formed there is giving good
performances, including one for Prince Andrew and Fergie. Rubenfeld,
a teacher, has taught juggling in Winnipeg schools for six years now
and estimates more than 5,000 youngsters have learned from him. Charles
Stron will be appearing at the Texas State Fair in Dallas Oct. 7
- 23. He and Bill Witter ended an eight month engagement at
the Holiday Inn in August.
"It
all started when I became a scientist, " said Bruce Tiemann of
Pasadena, Calif. He measured the bounce on his silicone balls and
found two bounced to the normal 81 percent of the drop height, but the
third attained only 78 percent. "The ordinary person wouldn't
notice, but I'm working on bouncing seven and nine," said Tiemann.
He conducted a battery of scientific tests including a saline water
float to satisfy his curiosity. Impressed by the initiative, Todd
Smith replaced the defective prop with a tip of the hat. Jim
Driggers became the first known joggler in Antarctica last January
17. Stationed on a Coast Guard ice breaker, he landed at McMurdo Naval
Station and took part in the annuaI 5.2-mile Scott Hut Race there. He
had never joggled a race before, but managed to struggle through this
one in 51 :52 against piercing Antarctic winds. "What's it like
to joggle in Antarctica?" he asked rhetorically. "Cold and
tiring, but very fun and satisfying. I may take up joggling
seriously!" The
next edition of the Guinness Book of WorId Records will contain
several new juggling records when it appears in October. Gene Jones,
associate editor, reported that Ashrita Furman will be listed
for two new records: 1 hr. 13.6 sec. for juggling three balls on a
pogo stick, and 3:22.32 for a joggled marathon in Salmon, Idaho.
Furman now holds more records
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