There are organized clubbings twice a week and juggling clubs hurt when they fall on a toe. During any given practice of the Strong Jugglers there are as many as 21 juggling clubs flying though the air, not including those brought by regulars.
According to the club president, junior Greg Owsley, you don’t need to be an ace to practice with them. “Everyone in the club currently had very low or zero skill level coming into the club, so anything anyone sees the jugglers doing was learned during the school year.”
The club has equipment for anyone who wants to learn how to juggle without make a monetary investment just yet. They have everything from small beanbag balls, to clubs, to devil sticks and the more exotic Diablos.
A Diablo is a soft hollow plastic sphere cut in half with two closed ends joined with a small metal rod. Two wooden sticks are used to “juggle” it by making it spin at high speeds. Various tricks are then performed while the Diablo is spinning.
“I’ve only been juggling for five to six months,” sophomore Rupal Varshneya, now a proficient juggler, said. She started juggling last spring when a hall- mate who was a member of the juggling club drew her to it.
A basic three-ball juggle can be learned in a short period of time. It takes only desire and concentration. One of the most important parts of learning how to juggle three balls is not giving up. “I have been in the club for two years, and I only knew how to juggle three balls when I came into the club, no tricks and no ability to do clubs. Now I’m the president ? I learned everything here at school,” Owsley said.
That shouldn’t discourage those who can’t juggle at all ? there will always be someone willing to help. Everyone is very friendly and glad to help out a beginner. When club passing starts it is a show for all those in the room.
It doesn’t take great talent to perform in a show. “Very little juggling skill is required to make a good juggling show. If you want to have a good time and goof off in front of people using a bit of imagination, you have got what it takes to be in a juggling show,” Owsley said.
“I enjoy it, it’s relaxing,” freshman Frank Kreimendahl said. By far one of the most entertaining ? but not most relaxing ?events of the night is the so-called “combat juggling.” Everyone and anyone who can juggle clubs stands in a large circle and begins to juggle. The object is to be the last juggler standing or rather, juggling. The only rule is that no one may hide in a corner. The only thing more amazing than seeing nine clubs fly between two people is to see one person bounce a club off the wall, knock someone else’s club out of the air, grab his own club that is falling away from the wall and continue on as if nothing happened.
Vice President of the Strong Jugglers and sophomore Mike Sweeney encourages anyone who wants to juggle. “It’s not hard to learn and it’s a social thing, very fun,” he said.
Meetings are from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays in the May Room of Wilson Commons.
Snitkoff can be reached at bsnitkoff@campustimes.org.
This is the first installment of a regular column on SA groups at UR.
