 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||
 |
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|||
 |
 |
|
|||
 |
 |
|
|||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
JUGHEADS
Youth Juggling Company, LLC
5905 Concord Avenue
Edina, MN 55424
jugheads@comcast.net
612.229.3348
Developing youth through juggling since 1994.
 |
JUGHEADS Journal September, 2005
The
Clubhouse is Open!
12th year kicks off in our new home
During our two-week orientation period and five weeks of juggling camps
from May 31-July 15, 2005, our new home at Colony Park Church was affectionately
described as "a big clubhouse" by this director. A high-ceilinged
gym; a spacious office/storage/conference room; permanent snack storage
with serving counter and tiled floors joined by a comfortable carpeted
area for low-ceiling juggling; picturesque lawns for outdoor juggling
and games; and an overflow space in Lexington (aka Fellowship) Hall make
for the most flexible, accommodating, and reliable space we've ever known.
All of that real estate would mean nothing, however, were it not for the
youth who populate it on a daily basis. JUGHEADS is about relationships;
juggling is the tool. Sure, we'll all continue to adjust to our new setting,
especially when cold and snow may hinder some Jugheads' walk from ECC
or South View. However, what we're gaining is worth the small price of
occasional inconvenience. Thank you for staying with us through our move,
and we anticipate the further development of this company and the youth
under its care and influence.
No
Potatoes in Davenport
Jugheads sweat & shine at IJA '05
Our 10th annual trek to the International Jugglers' Association Festival
in Quad Cities (Davenport), IA in July was active to say the least! No
time to be "Davenport (couch) potatoes." :-) Space prevents
a comprehensive account, but here are a few highlights:
- An unprecedented number of JH families made it down to the festival this year, due to the proximity of Quad Cities to the Twin Cities. In addition to the 27 Jugheads and six chaperones who formed our official group, 15 current and former Jugheads (and parents) attended, as well as many first-time JH parents.
- The Jugheads were a formidable force in the Joggling Championships, with several of our kids taking home individual and/or team medals: Bernard, Ricky, Ben, Broderick, Jonny, Dan, and Silas.
- Scott and Amanda were awarded $200 for "Best Stage Presence" in the Youth Showcase. Aka Genetic Fallout performed "School of Rock" as seen in Juggle Jam 7.
- Spencer, Broderick, Les Filles and The Ringmasters also performed in the Youth Showcase, earning praise from a rare audience composed of nearly all jugglers.
- Scott (Ultimate Club junior) made it into the finals of the Juniors Stage Championships with his new solo juggling as Jack Sparrow from "Pirates of the Caribbean." Scott also won 3-Ball Simon Says, defeating his friend and fellow Jughead, Ryan (2nd place).
- The Swing Sisters made the finals of the IJA Teams Championships with their routine to the song "Shivers" as seen in Juggle Jam 7. They were the largest all-female juggling team in IJA competition history!
- Billy, Ultimate Club junior who re-defined hard work by juggling 3-5 hours a day for the past 1.5 years, saw fruits of his labors by winning endurance contests (both 5 clubs and 5 rings) as well as the Combat Championship. Of the 10 Combat finalists, five were Jugheads! Joining Billy were Sean, Selby, Asher and Kelvin.
- Nate and Kelvin earned their 2nd consecutive Gold Medal in the Teams Numbers Championships with 80 total catches with 12 ball passing. In prelims, they even qualified 13 ball passing with 53 catches! Proving their versatility, Nate & Kelvin also won Speed Club Passing (100+ passes in 60 seconds!).
- Riley, fresh from debuting his new "Footloose" solo in the Youth Showcase, earned a "very honorable mention" for a brand-new award called "Juggling is Rough Work." Given in memory of IJA celebrity Sean McKinney, this award recognizes an IJA Festival performer who demonstrates a unique, free-spirit style. Jay Gillgan, co-founder of the award and long-time friend of both Sean McKinney and the Jugheads, told Riley, "You have your own style. Don't change it."
- Amanda was honored the same night with the Flamingo Award which encourages an outstanding young girl juggler to continue honing her craft. Amanda received five Todd Smith clubs, an IJA Bag, an IJA DVD, and a trophy.
- By design, our Chaperone Team was half as large as it has been in recent years. This was to maximize the freedom of any given Jughead and minimize the complications of moving as one huge group. Each chaperone had 4-7 Jugheads assigned to him or her at any given time during meal times, and they tag-teamed duties at the festival site so that breaks could be taken. Paul Arneberg was the overall leader of the group, but it was Wendy Arneberg who was the organizer, keeping everything running smoothly and sanely. Mitch & Darcy drove our cargo van and were completely dedicated to taking care of the kids assigned to them, as were Diane and Rhonda, each of whom drove a 7-passenger van to and from Quad Cities. Everyone liked our new system of a slightly smaller group with more freedom for the kids and more responsibility for the chaperones. Despite our collective and individual fatigue after seven days of non-stop activity, the trip truly was a success!
In Other Summer News...
- Two acts from Juggle Jam 7 made it to the semi-finals of the 2005 MN State Fair Amateur Talent Contest! The trio Les Filles competed on Aug. 26 with a more technical routine and only 3 drops! They didn't place, but one solace is that the boy who beat them tap-danced his way to win overall in the Grandstand on Sept.
- Genetic Fallout competed on Aug. 29, achieving runner-up status. The boy who won wrote his own song, but the judges may not have known that the Richters wrote their own choreography! ;-) Oh well; other than the anomaly year in 2002 when both of our duets made it to the finals (Mr. Fantastic and the Sally Jessy Boys), five of our last seven acts to audition since 2003 achieved runner-up status, always to a teen with a "traditional" talent. Kudos to Les Filles and Genetic Fallout for keeping juggling on the map of this top-notch contest!
- The Swing Sisters were the honored guests at the 5th Annual Coeur d' Alene Juggling Festival in Idaho in Aug. 19-21. The show featured women jugglers, and the Swing Sisters were the closing act! Of special significance to this director is that partly as a result of their success in Quad Cities and Coeur d' Alene, all three of the eldest Swing Sisters have chosen to stay juggling through their senior year in high school. Kelsey and Lauren are the first-ever Jugheads to commit to weekly juggling clubs through their senior year, fulfilling the company dream to expand juggling as a legitimate and worthy activity through 12th grade. Jill is training twice a week with Circus Juventas in St. Paul, but she will make it to High School Club whenever possible. The Swing Sisters are not only role models for other girl and women jugglers nationwide, they stand as models for their 100+ peers right here at home among the Jugheads.
Welcome Wagon
- Welcome to New Jugheads: Maggie (Girls' Elite 6th grader); Matt (Mon. Rec. 3rd grader); Neil (MR 6th grader); Ryan (MR 5th grader); Mark (MR 4th grader); Pat (MR 3rd grader); Jack (TR 7th grader); Lizzy (GE 9th grader); Sarah (GE 7th grader); Ryan (MR 5th grader); Peter (MR 4th grader); and Jackson (TR 7th grader).
- Congratulations to the new Ultimate Club members: Kelsey (senior; also a member in 6th, 7th & 9th grade); Ricky (freshman); Ben (freshman); Jonny (7th grader); and Amanda (8th grader).
- Congratulations to the Jugheads who have achieved all of our Elite Club standards since April: Andy (freshman in his 2nd JH year); Mitchell (freshman in his 2nd JH year); and Scott (7th grader in his 2nd JH year).
- E-MAIL
LIST: E-mail wendyarneberg@comcast.net
to be added to our group e-mail list or to change your e-mail address.