I started juggling in January 1992 when one of the local juggling clubs came in and taught juggling at a Mensa RG -- I got hooked! Well, obsessed is more like it. In April I finally found a place to get clubs, rings and new balls and I started working out on my own. Then I found out more about the local clubs and started going to them each week! By June I was starting to work on 5 balls. By August I could get to 50 catches without any problem. The next month I picked up contact juggling and just about mastered that in a year.

I just started seriously working on 7 balls at Burlington (for non-IJA'ers that means the Burlington IJA festival in 1994 -- jugglers tend to relate time in terms of festival locations). At the end of the Third Annual Continental Congress of Jugglers (the DC/Baltimore festival in May of 1995), I made 32 catches with 7!!! I hope to some day be able to make 100 catches.

When I am not working on 7, I usually have an acrylic ball rolling around on me somewhere, or at least in a pocket ready to pull out the instant I get bored or want to show off! :-) If you ever see me and want to learn how to Contact Juggle, just ask. I am always happy to show new people!

I do not juggle like I use to... There was a time when I thought I would be juggling till I couldn't move any more. I have found that everything changes. Juggling was one of my big obsessions and is still a fun activity, but I cannot say I do it like I use to. I sometimes miss my juggling friends, but life goes on. Now it is time to go dance!

I use to be one of the Juggling Capitol's *best* customers! The Juggling Capitol was a great store in DC where I would often go hang out for fun, play around, teach people to juggle and just enjoy life. Unfortunately, it is hard catering to such a small niche market and appears the Juggling Capitol is no longer. While I seemed to buy at least one set of everything they ever got in stock, they could not survive off the sales just to the few die hard jugglers alone and the tourists which use to come through the store. I will always have great memories of my days there (including meeting one girlfriend there!) and wish Neil the best of luck with whatever venture he tried next! His support of jugglers everywhere will be missed.

For those who do not know, there is a newsgroup for juggling: rec.juggling.

What juggling festivals have I been to???

Oct 1992, Philadelphia, PA

Feb 1993, Virginia Tech, VA

April 1993, UNC/Chapel Hill, NC

May 1993, First Continental Congress of Jugglers, DC

June 1993, Hugo Festival, NC

Jan 1994, Second IJA Mid-Winter Festival, Las Vegas, NV

Feb 1994, Virginia Tech, VA

April 1994, 7th Annual British Juggling Festival, Manchester, England

April 1994, UNC/Chapel Hill, NC

June 1994, Second Continental Congress of Jugglers, DC

August 1994, 47th Annual IJA Juggling Festival, Burlington, VT

Sept 1994, Philadelphia, PA

Jan 1995, Third IJA Mid-Winter Festival, Las Vegas, NV

Feb 1995, Virginia Tech, VA

June 1995, Kutztown, PA

June 1995, Third Continental Congress of Jugglers, DC

July 1995, 48th Annual IJA Juggling Festival, Las Vegas, NV

Oct 1995, Philadelphia, PA

Feb 1996, Virginia Tech, VA

June 1996, Kutztown, PA

June 1996, Fourth Continental Congress of Jugglers, DC

July 1996, 49th Annual IJA Juggling Festival, Rapid City, SD

Sept 1996, Yale Juggling Convention, CT

Oct 1996, Philadelphia, PA

Feb 1997, Virginia Tech, VA

May 1997, Fifth Continental Congress of Jugglers, DC

Aug 1997, 50th Annual IJA Juggling Festival, Pittsburgh, PA

May 1998, Sixth Continental Congress of Jugglers, DC

Oct 1998, Philadelphia, PA

May 2000, Eighth Continental Congress of Jugglers, DC

April 2001, Nineth Continental Congress of Jugglers, DC

April 2005, Thirteenth Continental Congress of Jugglers, DC

June 2006, Fourteenth Continental Congress of Jugglers, DC

I use to attend the Fairfax Jugglers and U.S. Department of Juggling (USDJ) meetings on a regular basis. Every once in a while, I even make it over to Jugglers of Bowie. Check out the Juggling Information Service for information on these clubs and more!

So, if you are in an airport and you see some guy in a suit over in the corner, laptop computer buried under a bag of props, rolling a crystal ball around or throwing countless balls up . . . walk over and say "Hi Ray!"