False Promises vs. True Hope

 I may be a rare person who pays (nearly) equal attention to the Oscars as I do the Super Bowl. As both a movie buff and a football fan, I enjoy seeing the best in their respective crafts. On the opposite end of lauding greatness, Wendy & I privately pan the writing of certain movies and TV shows which resort to rampant profanity, innuendo, and other offensive or sloppy use of language. For instance, I really dislike the cliche “Everything’s going to be all right,” parodied when Marge Simpson tries to reassure her kids that Homer will survive a doomed space shuttle mission. In the words of Lisa, “What are you basing that on, Mom?”

My example of precise word choice points to our serious yet hope-filled opportunity: JH is searching for a new home. (If you haven’t read my email from 2/11, we’ll forward it by request and invite you to join our email group list.) On the one hand, this is the end of JH as we know it. For 21 years, we’ve been based either in or within walking distance of the Edina Community Center, and now we need to relocate further from the hub of Edina Schools. On the other hand, “Great moments are born from great opportunity” (Herb Brooks, “Miracle,” 2004). His words to the U.S. Olympic Team 35 years ago didn’t guarantee victory, but they were based on the team’s hard work, study, and support. Similarly, any hope offered by Wendy or me (or by our myriad of supporters) regarding our successful move this May won’t guarantee victory; but we do have the history, structure, community support, divine grace, and collective will to bring us future successes, whether things look the same in a new setting or the company is re-invented, at least in part, as it has been many times since 1994.

So, I’ll resist the urge to offer the false hope as seen in so much misplaced cinematic optimism which dismisses reality and the pain of change. But I will say with one of my all-time favorite writers, the Apostle Paul, this true hope: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). We’ll hope for the best; plan for the “worst”; and mightily strive to usher in a new normal, perhaps even with expanded horizons.

Director of Empowerment

For me, February epitomizes “Groundhog Day” (1993) in reverse: in this crucial month of JJ progress, I feel as if I don’t change while everyone else changes around me. This is especially true as I get older and directing is (more) routine: my role is much more about coordinating many student leaders, choreographers, coaches, and Jugheads, but one may be surprised at how rarely I actually come up with ideas from scratch. (My strength is in tweaking existing ideas.) Even this winter, I’ve still struggled against that reality, thinking that I’m “scamming” people who may assume that every dance move, juggling trick, team triumph, or even life lesson somehow originated from me. But my ongoing solace is that to be a good director, I need not also be a good choreographer; instead, I need to help to bring out others’ talents. (I credit Wendy and several trusted parents and grads for that reminder.)

Recent Jughead graduate Erica Liddle (Class of ‘14) blessed me years ago with a saying by John Maxwell, and her calligraphy still hangs in my office: “Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others.” That’s the goal for every leader that pours into our JJ rehearsals (23 official leaders at last count). Even if a leader changes little, one’s job is to empower others to change. Even so, in my heart and theology, I know that I am changing (even if imperceptibly at first), trusting my ultimate Choreographer and Director to weave all moves together into this Juggle Jam called “Life.”

The Social Benefits of JUGHEADS Membership, Part 2

 

Personal character, the body, the brain, and healthy co-ed friendships among our 10-year age range with a long tradition of custom-made special events...those are some benefits of juggling in general, and Jughead membership specifically, to which I’ve devoted this monthly column since September. This half-year series concludes with some thoughts on two dramatic and contagious benefits of being a Jughead: student leadership and Juggle Jam. 

Remember, I didn’t set out to be a juggling coach; in fact, I never even set out to work with youth, even upon college graduation! Instead, my presumed career in radio led me to pursue theatre, music, speaking, and writing from ages 12-22, with athletics and hobbies thrown in for fun. Therefore, when God called me to pursue youth work rather than the media, I created my coaching role as I went along, growing as our rosters grew. Many kids quickly matched and surpassed my juggling skills, making it necessary for them to be cutting-edge instructors of each other.  

I established club captains right away in ‘94-‘95, but it wasn’t until the original 1999 Juggle Jam that I introduced older teen leaders to my Rec. Clubs, followed by establishing an Officer Team to plan Juggle Jam 2000. Now, I’ve settled on 17 as the ideal size of my Student Leadership Team:  students who are regularly trained through meetings; learn that servant-leadership can be both overt & received gratefully and menial & thankless; and whose roles as current members (i.e., still in childhood) carry with them a credibility and effectiveness that is different from even my college-aged coaches. It could be argued that being on our SLT carries with it an honor similar to that of a high-ranking Boy Scout or Student Council member; even so, the virtues of learning responsibility and giving of oneself aren’t easily articulated on a resume or college application. But several former leaders have done just that! 

The social benefits of Juggle Jam? For rookie families, just you wait till May. For veterans, it’s self-explanatory. Chris Jost (Class of ‘12) once quipped, “Juggle Jam weekend should be a national holiday!” That sentiment from a young man who didn’t even join till 9th grade encapsulates much of the magic of JJ: 120+ youth working together for months toward a shared goal which is then applauded by hundreds of supporters over two nights in one of the best high school venues in the state. Many lifetime memories are made; friendships are solidified; skills are stretched; stage fright is forgotten; and there is a very special bonding that is parallel to experiences of actors, athletes, and even extended families.

The word “Jughead” combines both athletics and the arts but is cemented by friendships. As long as this company exists, there will remain ongoing benefits that can’t be fully chronicled but will continue to change lives and develop youth. And even when the juggling stops, the changed lives go on, and hopefully, go on to change others’ lives as well.

The Social Benefits of JUGHEADS Membership, Part 1

Having touched on the body & brain boons of juggling, I’ll wrap up this fall series with the social benefits of Jughead membership. This vast topic warrants two parts: our co-ed age range & special events; then Juggle Jam & leadership development next month.

Compared with the more tangible benefits of athletics & academics, the social benefits of being a Jughead member are intangible—but arguably far more lasting.  Consider: in what other setting can both boys and girls in a 10-year age range work (and/or serve) side-by-side in a structured, shared activity that is both adult-led and student-led, and invites maximum member input? Smaller schools/church youth groups have some age crossover, and some sports or productions can be team-led, but ours is a unique combination of demographics through a shared (and unique) culture with common technical and performance goals.

When I started out coaching through the Wise Guys childcare program, the jugglers had a special identity because their skills at our weekly club were carried over to free time, overnights, and gigs. As we developed, spun off, and expanded to 12th grade, the company’s social culture took on a life of its own. For instance, girls and women represent a small minority of jugglers worldwide, but we’ve enjoyed a vibrant percentage of girls in our history, including many serving as student leaders, captains, award-winners, and grads. Beyond a mere bragging right, our balanced co-ed culture makes for a more enriching environment and a place for healthy, platonic friendships. Theatre & music groups do offer such co-ed experiences, but usually only for a season (such as a play) and in a limited age range (e.g., two to four years).

All of our special events were grassroots from the start. In 1995, I took just two kids to MONDO. In 1996, our first IJA Team had 13 kids in 5th-7th grade, and Jingle Jam was a multi-night, club-specific event in the Arneberg home with 10-30 kids at a time. To this day, special events allow for joyful gatherings that transcend the setting of each weekly club, and Jingle Jam and our festival trips are among many Jugheads’ most cherished experiences in all of childhood, let alone in their juggling-specific identities.

Whether in snack-time conversations, playing dodge ball at Jingle Jam, or attending a winter festival with us, may the Jugheads treasure their social connections here and know that being a Jughead—and a Jughead parent or coach— is a blessing from above (James 1:17).

The Cognitive Benefits of Juggling

Continuing my fall series on the benefits of juggling (see last month, “The Case for Juggling as a Sport”), this art and sport develops more than the body: juggling is also a boon to the brain.

On 10/11/09, none other than Oxford University published a study which found that in addition to the grey matter of the brain growing as a result of juggling, the white matter is affected as well. According to the article, “white matter...(conducts) electrical signals” that “connect different parts of the brain together, while the grey matter is where the processing and computation in the brain is done.” The Oxford study had 12 young adults juggling 30 minutes a day for six weeks. While the students had varying degrees of success as jugglers, “all showed changes in white matter...suggesting that this was down to the time spent training and practising rather than the level of skill attained.” Did you read that? It’s not how well one can juggle, it’s the very act of learning and practicing that is a brain booster!

While my career with youth through juggling has been based exclusively here in Edina, Dave Finnigan (jugglingforsuccess.com) traveled the country and taught juggling at more than 2,000 elementary and middle schools from 1976-2005. He had an interesting quote in an article on educationworld.com: “While they’re learning to juggle, they’re using the left side of the brain; when they’re juggling, they’re using the right side. After they’ve been juggling for a while, both sides of the brain are active.”

From my own non-scientific anecdotal observations from 20+ years of coaching (and talking with parents), juggling directly benefits academic abilities in math, reading, spelling, and concentration (e.g., homework focus). It has been an effective therapeutic tool to help learning and behavioral disabilities, including dyslexia, vision issues, ADD, and ADHD. Furthermore, juggling is a great study break tool and stress reliever, since it keeps the brain active within the guise of a fun diversion from studying for hours on end!

So, far from being only a physical challenge or a social benefit (more on the latter next month), juggling is often a key to a student’s better grades, sharper thinking skills, and even bigger brains.

The Case for Juggling as a Sport

This month continues a fall series of columns on the benefits of juggling. Perhaps the most disputed claim among non-jugglers regarding juggling’s many benefits is that it actually is a sport. Since virtually every hobby or passion that people choose to pursue have accompanying strong opinions, allow me to briefly flesh out why I hold to the claim that juggling indeed is a sport and should be honored (or at least acknowledged) as such.

For starters, any common definitions of “sport” can easily be applied to juggling, such as “a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other” (Merriam-Webster) and “an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature” (Dictionary.com). Secondary definitions are even more broad: “a physical activity (such as hunting, fishing, running, swimming, etc.) that is done for enjoyment” (M.-W.) and “diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime” (Dictionary.com). And for what it’s worth, consider excerpts from Wikipedia’s rather extensive definition of “sport(s)”: “competitive physical activities...casual or organized participation...physical ability and skills...either in teams or as individuals.”

In none of these definitions does a “sport” need qualification by the MSHSL, NCAA, NFL, or USOC, to name just a few acronyms of athletic governing bodies. Juggling has benefited them nonetheless: athletes from Edina High School to the Dallas Cowboys to legendary U.S. Olympic hockey goalie Jim Craig have learned to juggle to improve focus, balance, peripheral vision, and reflexes for their respective sports. Admittedly, juggling isn’t as formally and/or frequently organized as many other sports, but the IJA Games & Joggling Championships and WJF annual competitions (aired on ESPN) have gained mainstream credibility in the past 25 years. For our part, JH has treated juggling as a sport (in addition to a performance art) since Day One.

Here are additional reasons from our own JH traditions to give legitimate athletic status to juggling. Juggling is (or can be): individual or team; objectively measured (e.g., through our system of standards); often purely athletic (e.g., numbers juggling and daily group warm-ups); and a boon to hand-eye coordination for daily life and...other sports. Juggling offers constant physical challenge, frequent casual competition (Combat, Endurances, Trick-Offs), and yes, even formal recognition, such as Ultimate Club lettering, EYJA-sponsored pin awards, our annual organized Standard Testing, and our often grueling all-club fall Endurance Contests for every club level with 4 or 5 balls, 4 or 5 rings, and 5 clubs.

If ever I were to write a book on JH, a whole chapter could be devoted to this topic—not to sound self-justified, but to exonerate the many children, youth, and adults who have chosen juggling as one of their primary athletic pastimes. I’ll focus on the cognitive and social benefits of juggling over the next two newsletters. For now, the reader can know that we do treat juggling as a sport here, but beyond that, it offers more variety and more long-term participation than many other physical pursuits. Whether for a year or a lifetime, happy juggling, you athletes!

Juggling: A Conduit for Character-Building

One of the most oft-repeated phrases I use in meetings, interviews, and in writing regarding this juggling company and my own career path is that juggling is just an excuse to work with kids. Due to the long-term, developmental, and relational aspects of this work, such a philosophy is meted out on a daily basis. After all, even from the kids’ perspective, the vast majority wouldn’t bother returning year after year were it not for the friendships and life lessons they’ve gained here on a regular basis!

Having said that, juggling itself (like virtually every other worthwhile endeavor, whether hobby or profession) does have some inherently beneficial qualities and rewards. Over 20 years of coaching, I’ve directly observed, heard from parents, and read research about juggling’s physical benefits: improved hand-eye coordination (notable for athletes such as goalies, golfers and other precision sports); better reaction time and peripheral vision (making for better drivers and general physical awareness); and even arm strength and cardio for the most driven jugglers (have you ever seen the amount of sweat by hard-working Jugheads at summer camps?). Then there are the cognitive benefits: improved math scores, reading ability, concentration, focus, and even the literal growth of the brain’s grey matter. Finally, the social benefits: goal-setting, self-confidence, performing ability, leadership skills, risk-taking, permission to fail, and more relaxed, personable interactions between boys & girls, 3rd graders and seniors.

Even with all these researched and time-tested values of juggling (physical, cognitive, social), it still all boils down to character. I’ve seen countless instances of kids earning international, regional, local, and company-specific recognition, and nearly every one of those kids will testify that more important than records, standards, rank and fame is the value of strong personal character.

Juggling in general, and Jughead membership specifically, has many benefits; the unseen benefits are the most lasting. Whether here for one year or 10, the mission is that each Jughead will walk away better people for being here, with juggling as the conduit and the means toward that noble end.