I had to take a break from the tech. I don’t exercise anymore. Cannot remember the last time I stretched. I find myself wanting to sleep more.
When I used to exercise and stretch regularly, I slept less and felt more alive. So tonight, I committed myself to meeting with the Knoxville Juggler’s Club.
Jan Sanders Hall at Cokesbury United Methodist Church will be open to jugglers from 7 to 9 p.m. on the first Sunday and the third Tuesday of each month.
I am going to do my best to show up to both meetings. And I promise not to make any more naked jokes in the church… There were some very talented jugglers there tonight! Dave juggled 5 rings beautifully with ease, a feat I cannot personally replicate. He also juggled five crystal balls without a sweat. Kevin, Jimmy and Doug (not me…the other one) were doing artistic passing. My loud mouth came in and talked them into throwing lots of clubs at the floor. Noah practiced diablo and the rola bola. And we indoctrinated a bystander into 3 ball juggling. I had a blast!
What type of people attend juggling clubs? A high school math teacher, a nuclear engineer (okay..I don’t really know what he does but its got "engineer" in the title and his job is in Oak Ridge so I’m sure its top secret!), a finish carpenter who runs his own business, a middle schooler, a web application developer aka computer geek (yeah that’s me), and an IT guy (yes, that’s a computer guy too).
Why juggle? Because juggling is fun! And so much more. For me, juggling is almost spiritual! Juggling is good for the body as it is very aerobic. Juggling is better than coffee for waking you up as it gets the blood flowing and more oxygen to the brain. Juggling is a social activity. When a person juggles, be it a child or a shy person or anybody, people take notice and often converse and ask questions. Juggling will break you out of your shell! Juggling is good for the mind. You cannot juggle distracted. When you focus on juggling, your worries and the clutter in your mind slip away allowing you to find serenity. This is why corporations have seminars to teach their executives to juggle (aside from the wealth of productivity metaphors that can be thrown into the juggling lessons). In short, juggling is good for the mind, body and soul!
Who can juggle? Anybody! I’ve seen a one handed man juggle. Children can be taught at a very early age. Typically the hand eye coordination required develops around 8 to 10 years old but with patience, a 5 year old could learn. And everyone knows that as soon as I can (usually around 10 months), I teach my children to balance in my hand. I hear people say, "I am too clumsy." Well, that is a perfect reason to learn to juggle! Juggling makes you more aware of things around you and can help make someone less clumsy. Juggling teaches hand/eye coordination and teaches the mind to handle a state of chaos as well as predicting the paths of objects in motion. Jugglers are better drivers! Another excuse is "I don’t have the coordination." Yes you do! Anyone that truly wants to learn to juggle, I can teach in about 10 minutes. As Gusto’s cousin, Marso, says, "Anyone can juggle!"
[…] legs still burn! I have not moved so much in ages. I suppose this means I really should exercise more. Comments after […]
Are there juggling workshops in the Tri-Cities area (Kingsport, Johnson City, Bristol) in TN? I’ve tried to learn to juggle and have spent hours “practicing” but it remains an unknown language.
I am sure that there are jugglers in the tri-cities willing to help you. I cannot be sure if they have a club. If you are every in or near Knoxville (or if I float up your way), I will happily help you learn.
You might try poking around the juggling information service.
Keep an eye out here and in the coming weeks I’ll attempt to post some tutorials.
[…] a reminder, the Knoxville Juggler’s Club meets the first Sunday and third Tuesday of every month. All skill levels welcome. Come and learn! Everyone can juggle. Juggling is good for the body, […]
Are y’all still meeting? Is it at the same time and place? Where and When? I can probably start making the meetings regularly starting in July, that’s why I ask. Very interested in meeting and juggling.
To the best of my knowledge, the club is still meeting. I don’t attend regularly for various lame reasons. Hopefully I will make the July meetings and see you there!
I’m the president of the ETSU Juggling Club in Johnson City, TN. Barbara, if you (or anyone else) are interested in joining, give me a call at (423) 782-6479. You don’t have to be a student to join.
I stopped by the church yesterday (third Tuesday of the month). No one was there. Wasted an hour of time and $5 of gas checking out what wasn’t there.
🙁
Please contact me if there actually IS a Juggling Club in Knoxville. It’d be great to meet somewhere closer to downtown (ie: the rest of us) instead of all the way out west…
Pan Walker
magician, amateur juggler, giant bubble maker
Hello Pan Walker! So sorry. I received your email and replied. You now have my phone number and should be added to a mailing list of announcements from the juggling club. Feel free to call anytime. Your call might just be the encouragement I need to get away from the computer and pass clubs for a couple of hours. I look forward to juggling with you soon.
A new juggling club is forming in Knoxville. We’ll try Sunday afternoons and see how the community likes that. Contact David Perkins 865-525-5846 perkinsmusic@bellsouth.net
David Perkins, where and when will this new club meet? And to be clear to other readers, the old club still meets on the first Sunday and the third Tuesday of each month so we will have two juggling clubs in Knoxville! Awesome.
Hello, can I get on the mailing list as well? I just arrived from Europe for a 2-3 years internship. I haven’t done serious training for a few years, but I would love to restart it. Just for the record (might encourage some others) when and were is the next meeting?
Sipi
Hello Sipi! Welcome to here! I hope you enjoy your 2-3 year stay and I hope we get to juggle together. The Knoxville Juggling Club communicates through Google Groups. Check out: http://groups.google.com/group/knoxville-juggling-club/