You may have seen the Juggling
Club in action while walking
near the library. Members toss multiple balls and clubs through the air, walk on one hand and handle soccer balls and yo-yos in ways that don’t look possible,
Some of these activities are not typically what comes to mind at the mention of the word juggling. However, one definition of the term lists juggling
as a performance skill of manual dexterity.
The wide range of talents on display by Juggling Club members
all fall under that category.
“Really it would probably be more accurate if we called it the circus arts club,” said Craig Lewis, Blountville, Tenn., president
of the Juggling Club, “but that just sounds stupid.”
Jason Noblit, Cookeville, Tenn., is a good example of the juggling club’s expansion beyond the strictest of terms.
His specialty is advanced soccer
ball manipulation, known as “football freestyle.” In less than a year, he’s already participated in various tournaments including
the Red Bull Stree Style show in Nashville.
“I started off just playing
around, just for fun” said Noblit who recently qualified for the national championship in Houston on Oct. 4.
Another student with a skill less traditionally thought of as juggling is Sam Scott, 19, who is also heading to a national championship on Oct. 4, this one in Chico, Calif.
Scott has been to 12 states in the last six months for state, regional, national and international
competitions. Scott is currently the Georgia state yo-yo champion, winning in both the open and 1-A (one handed) divisions.
“I was just hanging out at school one day and someone
had a yo-yo,” said Scott. “I started with the basics like everyone does, then one thing just led to another. Now I make up my own tricks”
Lewis helped organize the group, which had its first full semester of activity in the spring of this year. At the last meeting, nearly 30 people were on hand to either participate or watch.
“People can come if they want to just watch, or if they want to learn,” said Lewis. “We’re very laid back.” Jugglers typically refer to the items they juggle as props. There are a wide range of props used, from basics like devil sticks, to acrylic balls used in body juggling. Some with a greater risk factor are utilized more at off-campus meetings held by the group.
“At the first meeting, a guy brought some knives,” said Lewis. “We’ve never tried to juggle them on campus, we’ve just assumed we wouldn’t be allowed.”
Lewis says that off campus,
group members do juggle knives as well as fire. One member,
Curt Gill, 23, is very adept at handling clubs lit on fire.
When Gill and Lewis combine,
they can keep six items going between them. Individually,
Lewis can maintain five items in the air, placing him in the upper echelon of the group.
Juggling since 8th grade, Lewis has also been DJing and running his own DJ company for nearly as long.
“I really can’t say which I like better between juggling and DJing,” said Lewis. “They’re so completely different. They are both performance art. I could see how they’d be related, but not so much for me.”
The Juggling Club has bi-monthly meetings on Thursdays
at 5 p.m. at Bolchuck Plaza. The next meeting is Oct. 2.

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