The results cited do not include 555 more forms sent in by the St. Ignatius Circus Club in Cleveland, Ohio. Members of that club, which is associated with a private school, polled every member of the school and found that 32 percent of its students can juggle.

 

The next largest number of responses came from the Miner Attractions affiliate Juggling Club in Rolla, Mo. Club contact Ed Carstens said his group gathered its 146 forms by approaching people in a shopping center where they were juggling, and from a group of Cub Scouts.

 

The IJA prize for participating in the event is a copy of the new "Club Swinging" instructional videotape for the top three clubs - the St. Ignatius Circus Club, Miner Attractions and the Winnipeg Juggling Club.

 

Atlanta Jugglers Feed Stranded Soviet Troupe

 

Most circus fans are familiar with the plight of the Circus Bim Bom, a Soviet troupe whose planned two-year tour of the USA bogged down in May almost immediately, leaving them stranded in Marietta, Georgia.

 

The problem was financial backing that fell through. The troupe couldn't pay its bills and ended up living in a motel in Marietta existing on the charity of local citizens for many weeks.

 

Initially the story grabbed media attention but fell from the headlines as the situation dragged on. In late June Andy Ford, a curious member of the Atlanta Jugglers Association, drove out the interstate to see how things were going. "There they were, eating tacos on card tables in the parking lot," Ford said. "I asked if there was anything I could do and an interpreter asked me if I could feed 110 people the next night'"

 

Ford rounded up some friends in the Atlanta affiliate, including his wife, Pulley, Rick and L.J. Purtee, George Strain, and Mickey and Kathy Motti. They packed up the portable grills the next afternoon and did, indeed, feed burgers and hotdogs to the troupe that evening. ''We took our juggling stuff, but they seemed a little depressed and aloof," Ford said. "I went into one room and found six or eight of them who couldn't speak a word of English mesmerized around the TV watching Wheel of Fortune."

 

Undaunted, the AJA signed on for another shift a week later. This time they brought some vodka as well as food, and things loosened up somewhat. Communicating through the interpreter, Ford found that the troupe included a strongman juggler and a female antipodist. However, none of the Bim Bom artistes were practicing their acts because their animals and equipment had been impounded in New Jersey. The circus eventually received a donation for travel expenses and most members left for home Aug. 22.

 

New IJA Board Elected

 

The election of a new board at the Los Angeles festival brought three new people into the IJA's governing body. They are: Cathi Bouton of Alaska, co-founder and executive director of Deaf Community Services; Holly Greeley of Mass., a former IJA board member now pursuing a master's degree in administration; and Ed Johnson from Altoona, Pa., an IJA founder and longtime state legislator.

 

Reelected to the board were: Carter Andrews of Nashville, Tenn.; Rich Chamberlin of Kenmore, N.Y.; Glenn Ceponis of Philadelphia; Bill Giduz of Davidson, N.C.; Laura Green of Baltimore, MD.; Ginny Rose of No. Leveritt, MA; Perry Rubenfeld of Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Todd Strong. of Santa Barbara, CA.

Chamberlin was reelected as chairman of the board, and the following committee assignments were made: Administration - Greeley; Affiliates - Rubenfeld;  Archives  - Ceponis; Championships - Green; Education - Strong; Grants & Contributions - Bouton; Marketing & Merchandising - Rose;  Membership - Andrews;  Publications - Giduz; Video - Johnson.