As president of the Rubber City Jugglers, I would like to thank IJA members for making the 40th Annual Convention a huge success. You proved yourselves to be delightful and entertaining guests in our city. We were proud to serve as your hosts.
In the months prior to the convention I heard some "Why Akron?" comments. I think when those people arrived, they were pleasantly surprised. Our city and university proved what we have known for some time. Akron is a clean, pleasant, entertaining place to be.
On behalf of the City of Akron, the University of Akron and the Rubber
City Jugglers, thanks for coming. We're proud to call you our friends.
Kevin Delagrange
Akron, Ohio
I want to extend a hearty congratulations and sincere thank you to the
entire staff of "Juggler's World" for the outstanding work on the anniversary
issue of the magazine. All of you have done so very much to make my dream grow
and develop far, far beyond anything any of us could have imagined four
decades ago!
Art Jennings
San Antonio, Texas
Bounce and I want to express our gratitude to you for awarding us the
People's Choice Award. It's a great honor to be so recognized by our friends
and associates, and we will cherish our trophy for many years to come. We're
giving the money collected in our hat to the IJA, to help continue the great
work!
Bounce & Ooo La La
Key West, Florida
In Nashville, the Country Music Hall of Fame has achieved preeminence among organizations devoted to a special interest. The backbone of its success is its archival excellence in collecting every country music record charted since the first vinyl disc was spun.
Juggling is a visual medium. Its beauty lies in its transitory nature. The elements of skill, art, performance and risk can only be captured through a visual medium. And the video revolution is poised to capture our juggling history -- all it takes is a little focus.
Juggling has grown dramatically, due in large part to our magazine that inspires and spreads the word. That growth would compound itself if the IJA spread both the word and the vision. To fulfill its true potential, the IJA must strive to create visual and written juggling archives unsurpassed in the world. Today's collectors should automatically hope that, when they pass on, their collection will become a part of the IJA's archives. With the commitment, focus and leadership of IJA supporters, the IJA should take its rightful place as the archival mecca for the juggling world.
There are, of course, many loose ends. But expecting to solve these loose
ends before committing ourselves to the vision is a total dead end. What we
need now is consensus, motivation and financial commitment to the idea of IJA
video archives.
Carter Andrews
Nashville, Tenn.
"Stop killing Ben Linder!" With these words Elizabeth Linder, Ben's mother, closed her talk and sat back down in the pew. The audience knew who killed Ben -- it was us. By allowing our government to stay involved in the Contra terrorist campaign against the Nicaraguan people.
It is time for each of us to form a firm opinion on the Nicaraguan issue. Did you know that we stand virtually alone in the World in our support for the Contras?
At the 1980 convention in Fargo, a North Dakota professor of political science collared me and gave me a message I'm sure Ben would echo. "You jugglers get peoples' attention and you have an opportunity to give them significant messages. Don't miss that opportunity!"
The Linder family is on a US speaking tour. They would appreciate your
attendance. To get the itinerary call (2020331-7675. You can also contribute to
continue Ben's work. Make checks payable to: Tax deductible _- "Ben Linder
Memorial Fund/Earth Island," or not tax deductible -- "Ben Linder Memorial
Fund." Mail to: 3558 SE Hawthorne, Portland, OR 97214.
Dave Finnigan
Edmonds, Washington
A group of us were sitting in a local establishment after a long, hot, wonderful day at the Winnipeg juggling festival. As we replenished our bodies with beer we realized, to our surprise, there was something lacking in our celebration of the day's events: a juggler's toast.
Maybe members could send in suggestions for an appropriate sentiment,
capturing the essence of juggling and partying. If "Juggler's World" would
print the best of them, a lot of us would spend many nights field testing each
one for suitability and ease of pronunciation!
Bob Palmer
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
As an avid devotee of combat juggling, I think the time has come for all of us to consider wearing protective equipment to avoid serious injuries. At the very least this means eye guards with lenses.
I don't think practitioners of combat juggling are too reckless, but lately combat seems to have become more of an aggressive sport. I've been playing racquetball for over ten years, and have seen some eye injuries leading to temporary or permanent loss of vision. I don't want to see injuries in combat juggling like I've seen on the racquetball court, especially when it's so easy to avoid.
Thanks in advance to all combat jugglers considering this. The money you
spend on eye protectors or other gear may be the best investment you make. It
only takes one wild swing to do serious damage.
Russ Kaufman
Laurel, Maryland