From: miguel@aclcb.purdue.edu (PHILLIP_SANMIGUEL)
Newsgroups: rec.juggling
Subject: Re: keeping new jugglers
Date: 10 Sep 92 19:06:20 GMT
Reply-To: miguel@aclcb.purdue.edu
Organization: Purdue University AIDS Center

In article <1992Sep10.161256.16128@news.cs.indiana.edu>, FRIEDEMA@AC.GRIN.EDU (corn bear (Friedeman,Richard F)) writes:
>this is to phil sanmiguel
>our club in grinnell seems to have the same problem as purdue.  as near as i 
>can tell, there aren't any serious members who didn't know how to juggle at 
>least a little bit before they arrived.  i'd appreciate it if you'd post your 
>ideas about keeping new people, or, if you don't want to post it, just send 
>it to us.  
>we really need to get new jugglers, since most of our club consists of 
>juniors and seniors.  i don't want the club to disolve after we graduate.
>
>rich
>FRIEDEMA@AC.GRIN.EDU

  Okay.  My proposal is based on a couple of "departmental"
juggling clubs which sprang up more or less independently of the
Purdue Juggling Club.  These were the Veterinary Juggling Association (VJA
-- started by Sandy Amass) and an Engineering or Math (I forget
which) "club".  The latter was started by a fellow whose name
eludes me -- but who also juggled with us.  He used to be on the
net -- and may still be. 
  In both cases a skilled juggler taught people how to juggle. 
In contrast to what happened at the main Purdue club, the
majority of those initially interested in the club stuck around. 
They learned (or perfected) the 3 ball cascade and then went on
to pass balls in many cases.  Some learned to juggle clubs. 
  In the VJA, and I think also in the case of the other club, the 
entire club dissolved before the members lost interest.  (In one 
case the leader left Purdue, in another, sophomore year of Vet 
School arrive and there was zero time left for juggling.)

  The key points are as follows:
o	The vast majority of people simply are not ready to join
	a juggling club.  To stick around while learning a 3 ball
	cascade while all those around you are accomplishing 
	vastly more difficult tricks is a psychological feat too 
	herculean to be accomplished by almost anyone.
	(As I mentioned before -- out of over 100 non-jugglers 
	who came to various meetings or callouts of the Purdue
	Juggling Club none (or maybe one...) continued on to
	become a steady member.
o	Novices stick with juggling if not constantly surrounded
	by reminders of how pitiful their skill is.  (When 
	struggling with the 3 ball cascade even club juggling 
	seems a thousand years away.)  One skillful
	teacher is not detrimental because there are other 
	novices all around.
o	The 3 ball cascade can be too large a first step.  
	Learning to cascade scarves can significantly reduce
	the trauma of learning to cascade balls.
o	No matter what, there will be some attrition.  So gather
	as large a group as is possible at first.  Get the word
	out that BEGINNERS ARE WELCOME.

  So, my idea is that until the rank novice becomes proficient at 
3 ball juggling he or she should have their own club.  At that club 
only one or two advance jugglers would practice.  (If two, then 
they should refrain from passing with each other.)  The advanced 
juggler(s) would be available for questions, demonstrations or ball 
passing.  
  Further, some might learn to juggle with scarves, rather 
than balls.  Virtually anyone can be taught to juggle scarves in 
a matter of minutes, no matter how intimidated by juggling or 
otherwise clumsy they are.  Many activites and skills can be 
taught with scarves.  Essential here is that someone who won't 
show contempt for scarf juggling ("That isn't really juggling is it?")
give lessons.  At this stage it is essential that the novice be 
insulated from the snobbery the typical juggler will display 
towards scarves.
  I'd advertise the club as a sort of class and try to attract as 
large an number of people as possible.  The accomplished jugglers 
among them would be sent immediatly to the main club.  This would 
be a club for beginners.  
  I imagined posting a flyer of Deron Barnhart (our ex-local 
numbers juggler) cascading 7 balls.  The title would read "Don't 
you HATE this guy!!!"  The flyer would then explain the goals of 
the beginning juggling club -- a club for beginners with an 
environment to learn to juggle without the stress of advanced 
jugglers all around making your accomplishments seem meaningless.


  After becoming proficient with 3 ball juggling the participant 
would be encouraged to join the mainstream club.  Essentially 
what this will do is enrich the environment for people who could, 
if interested, join a juggling club and enjoy sticking with it.
In other words, it would divide that monstrous first step of 
"learning to juggle 3 balls and then becoming proficient enough 
to learn clubs" into a series of reasonably sized steps that 
anyone could do.
Newsgroups: rec.juggling