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JUGHEADS
Youth Juggling Company, LLC
5905 Concord Avenue
Edina, MN 55424
jugheads@comcast.net
612.229.3348
Developing youth through juggling since 1994.
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JUGHEADS
Journal November, 2004
Why Join JUGHEADS?
The 50/50 Principle for Rec. Clubs
In recent
weeks, Paul has had several conversations with parents of Rec. Club members
regarding mutual concerns over the level of focus exhibited by a growing
number of Jugheads. In short, there is only so much Paul can do to inspire,
require, and encourage the Jugheads to actually juggle at club. There
will come a point where Paul may recommend for certain kids to discontinue
if they don't apply themselves to a minimal juggling effort at JH. For
several years, there has been a 50/50 principle of our Rec. Clubs: Jugheads
may choose whatever they'd like to do for about half the time spent at
club, but the other half of the time should be spent on juggling. For
example, a Valley View 6th grader arriving at ECC between 2:55 and 3:15
p.m. has at least 2-3 hours of club time before leaving between 5:30 and
6 p.m. "Non-juggling time" (60-90 min.) could include eating
snack, hanging out with friends, and even playing non-juggling games (cafeteria
football, wall ball, tag, wrestling, etc.). "Juggling time"
(60-90 min.), the core reason for joining JH in the first place, includes
working on endurance
records, learning new tricks or new props, participating in juggling contests
and games, and choreographing/rehearsing routines for Juggle Jam, gigs,
or a personal challenge.
Whereas some parents may think it's too liberal to even allow a Jughead 50% of club time to not juggle, the reality is that juggling can become very physically and mentally exhausting, not to mention exasperating, so pacing oneself over a 2-3 hour workout is often necessary to optimize the enjoyment and effectiveness of juggling. Furthermore, JH exists equally for building healthy relationships and strong character as it does for building skilled jugglers, so the 50/50 principle is not a concession, but a design, reinforcing the balance of what it means to be a Jughead. The phenomenon lately is that too many Rec. Jugheads have forgotten (or have been improperly conditioned) that they should come to club each week with goals: what to learn/improve/rehearse. A goal-oriented Jughead earns value for the tuition dollars and builds character and friendships at the same time.
ELECTION
2004
Jugheads compare to State, Nation
Because patriotism and citizenship are among the values reinforced through JH, we held our own presidential election during weekday juggling clubs from Oct. 25-29. The guidelines were as follows: every Jughead was eligible to vote once; the voting booth and ballot were designed for anonymity; the youth had the right to abstain from voting; and no adult (including Coach Paul) could vote. 97 Jugheads cast votes, the majority of whom had strong opinions as to who they preferred for President. Compare the percentages below alongside the popular votes cast in Minnesota and nationwide:
U.S. President
| Jugheads | MN | US
George W. Bush | 37% | 48% |51%
John F. Kerry | 45% |51% |48%
Ralph Nader | 9% |1% |1%
Write-In | 8% | 0% |0%
The Move:
Late May
Auditorium to remain "home" all year
As all regular
JH families should know by now, we face an imminent need to change our
regular juggling home base sometime in the first half of 2005 (see October
JH JOURNAL). After much survey-gathering, proposal-writing, and soul-searching,
Paul decided it is the better part of wisdom to delay our move as long
as possible, favoring a move in late spring instead of mid-year (January).
While details are still being worked out between Paul and Colony Park
Church, plans are to move our program to 5532 Wooddale Avenue after Memorial
Day 2005. This will give us the final two weeks of the school year as
a "trial run" in our new setting before the start of our summer
juggling camps and as a preview of our Fall 2005 clubs based out of the
church. While more will be written about this move in the coming months,
here is a checklist of notes/reminders: 1) Our move will be for at least
15 months, until the
ECC construction is completed in late Summer 2006. We'll decide at that
time whether it's better to return to ECC or stay at Colony Park Church.
2) The clubs, camps, rules and expectations of JH will not change due
to the new setting.
While some
ground rules may become more strict due to sharing
our space with an active church, our overall experience promises to
be more intimate and versatile due to the facilities (split-level
juggling plus use of the large yard) and relative permanence of our
lease agreement (dedicated office space and snack area). 3) JH will
have a close working relationship with the church, but will remain
an independent, not church-sponsored, company.
CLUB SPOTLIGHT:
Boys Elite
Standard-testing, contests aid club
Boys Elite has more history and tradition in JH than any other club save for Wed. Rec. The boys cherish their friendships as much as their achievement of the standards required for membership, and a typical club scene ranges from intense contests to extended periods of belly-aching laughter. This fall, the boys have been tested on the club's standards in order to pinpoint areas of weakness, and most recently, they participated in a 90-minute contest of 5-Ball Endurance, during which each boy was assigned an overall rank of 5-ball ability. Although the club has had a lot of membership flux with boys switching to H.S. Club or Wed. Rec. (and waiting list boys moving up to take those vacancies), this club has a core of members committed to advancing their individual and collective abilities. Whether training for Ultimate Club or simply enjoying Tuesday afternoons as a highlight of their week, Boys Elite Club is an important priority in the lives of these boys.
Bulletin Board
- WELCOME TO NEW JUGHEADS: Emily (Wed. Rec. 6th grader); Emma (Mon. Rec. 3rd grader); Mitchell (Mon. Rec. 3rd grader); Jack (Thur. Rec. 6th grader).
- CONGRATULATIONS to Daniel, Wed. Rec. 8th grader, for achieving the Boys Elite standards!
- THANK YOU to Geri Martin for the donation of a copy machine from her State Farm Insurance office.
- THE ALL-JUGHEADS HOLIDAY PARTY is on Saturday, Dec. 11 from 5-9 p.m. at the York Plaza Party Room (7230 York Ave. S.). Please sign up via the attached invitation by Dec. 9.
- JUGGLE JAM 7: May 6-7, 2005 marks our 10th annual JUGHEADS juggling show. All weekly Jugheads may perform.
- E-MAIL
LIST: E-mail wendyarneberg@comcast.net
to be added to our group e-mail list or to change your e-mail address.