From: ewn@vax5.cit.cornell.edu
Newsgroups: rec.juggling
Subject: Club building
Date: 13 Sep 92 01:10:13 EDT
Distribution: rec
Organization: Cornell University

Okay, my two cents worth....

It seems to me that, in order to build a club, there are two important things.
First, make sure you are in a highly visible area, and make SURE people notice
you.

Second, have fun.

i say this, because people won't stick with it unless they have fun. They're
not even going to look twice if they don't think you're enjoying yourself
immensly.  So, Feel free to pass nine or ten clubs, or work on that five ball
Mills Mess.  But every so often, turn to speak with your accumulating
spectators.  Tell them about the club, and let someone else do the passing for
a while.  Grab a handful of balls and offer them to a few spectators; offer
them the chance to learn.  Tell them that they're free to ask anyone how to do
a certain trick.  Let them play with a devil stick.  Chances are, at least a
few will already know the cascade, and will be very interested in a reverse
cascade - or even tennis.


I can say this from experience, of sorts.  I worked at a Renaissance Festival
over the summer(Larkspur, CO), selling a toy called Orbiton.  Basically a devil
stick.  I found that if I just sat around doing basic tricks, very few people
came by to play.  However, if I went all-out and did some fancy stuff, people
accumulated around the tent very quickly.  We had two people working there most
of the time, too, so while I was doing this the other guy could start teaching
the people.  Then after a while I would start teaching as well.  Pretty soon
people stopped by just to see what all the fuss was about.  And we had people
waiting to play with one of the 10 sets of practice sets.
	that's another useful point, actually.  Group pressure can be nasty. 
But it can also be nice.  If a lot of people are learning, a newcomer wont feel
so bad about coming up to you and asking for help.  However, if a lot of people 
are just standing about, chances are they're not going to ask, even if they
want to.  The group pressure is holding them back.  One of the most effective
techniques I found was to grab two or three sets immediately after a demo, then
hand them to a few observers and say "now it's your turn.  Would you like a
free lesson?"  (Keep in mind I WAS selling these things.  "Free" was an
important word.)  This took the group pressure off them - I had singled that
person out, they were effectively no longer a part of the group.  9 times out
of ten, they took the sticks, listened as I showed them how to do the tic toc,
then didnt quit until they had it.  SOme just plain didnt quit.  Not a single
day passed when I didnt have at least one person there for over two hours,
mastering one trick, then asking me "what's next?".
	This singling out also  changes the group pressure.  Suddenly you have
three or four people playing, learning.  It is no longer so oppressive, they
can join the group that's playing with the sticks without consequence.

Sorry this is so long:  Let me summarize.
	1) Be visible.  This means, don't be afraid to show offa little.
	2) HAVE FUN!!!  SHOW OFF ALREADY!!!
	3) Be Friendly.  Offer to show the gathering masses how it's done, or
	   at least how it's started.
	3a) If people seem nervous or afraid, and don't volunteer to try, grab
	    a few extra balls and single out a few of the people who seemed 
	    most interested in what you were doing and saying: i.e., the ones
	    who were the most alert and attentive.
	4) Watch out for group pressure.

In closing, I would have to say that the most important of these points is
number 2- HAVE FUN.  My best memories of summer were of those weekends at the
festival, selling Orbitons.  My best memories of that job were the days when we
sold 30-40 sticks.  Because those were the days that I was having the most fun
with them (blindfolded tictoc for minutes on end, the endless propeller, sky
tosses/kicks, hackystick, passing over the "road" to the joust - or over the
tent, combat(!), etc).

					Michael Baswell
					Cornell Jugglers -
					Our club name is up in the air.

Newsgroups: rec.juggling