I arrived at Jacksonville Airport on the first official day of the convention(Sept 13.).
I if I had the energy to check my ticket, I would tell you what time I got in(but I know that you don't care anyway:-). Just like Shifty told me, he and Rich were waiting for me near the baggage claim area(both were palmspinning). We went out to Shifty's car and started on the long two hour ride toward Florida Bible Camp.
Thank you Shifty, Rich and Ferret!
The first people that I would like to thank are Shifty and Rich Shumaker. From what I hear, I was the last one to be picked up from the airport. Shifty and Rich had driven the 13 1/2 hours(i think that figure is correct) from Pennsylvania to the convention. Then he had to pick up everyone from the airport(a total of 4 trips). I really do appreciate what you did for all of us. Thank you. The second person that I would like to thank is Ferret. Without your contribution(financially and otherwise) there would have been no way for this convention to happen. The first(official) day of the con seemed a little hectic(spelled right?) for him in particular. Thank you.
Check in
Shortly after I got to the campsite, I was checked in and ready to settle in at the cabin. The cabin smelled(what do you expect for a summer camp?) and was situated about a hundred yards from the main hall. I decided(like several others) that I didn't feel like walking that football field distance to my cabin at 2 o'clock in the morning. I got changed, grabbed my stuff and setup on a church pew in the main hall. The main was great. This was where everyone spent all of their time. Below is(or will be) a crappy hand-drawn map of the main hall.
Wow!
I will describe my first impressions of some of the more impressive people that I met at the con. i really hope that this little list will not end up like the CJers page(everyone asks why they aren't on it).
GREG MALDONADO - This guy was amazing. During the time that I saw him practicing, I saw literally almost any body roll that I could think of. He also did a lot of really good headrolls and variations. His palmspinning was flawless and amazing. ROBIN SPEHAR - This guy was also amazing. Just as many chest and neck roll variations as Greg. Robin puts a lot of movement into his contact juggling. When you watch him. it's almost like you're watching him dance as well as CJ. His 8 and 7 ball palmspinning is awesome. The guy also has the most solid outside elbow stalls that I've ever seen. FERRET - The Ferret was the one who most matched up to my own personal style(lots of butterfly combos and back armrolls). He puts a lot more movement into his CJ than I do however. He wasn't around quite as much as he should have been(thank you again Ferret). SHIFTY - Two words...palmspinning god(or God if you like). Turned me on to a new style of palmspinning: Line and Box. He is also an awesome body roller. He beat everyone in every game of "horse". REMY HOLWICK - Incorporates a whole lot of body movement into her CJ. Can also stretch and hyperextend amazingly. Great at body(chest and neck) rolls. GREG IRWIN - There is no way that I could possibly explain how amazing this guy is. When you think about finger exercises, you think dull. When you see the kinds of things that Greg Irwin can do, it totally changes your perspective.
Those were the people that I was the most impressed with. There were many others that were better than I impressed, but these are the ones who stuck out and had a style that I can remember the best.
Horse
This is a great game that several of us played the first night. It is a very simple concept, but it leads to some great moves. First, form a circle(ours had about seven people in it). Next, one person does a move or short combo. Everyone in the circle tries the move one at a time(counter-clockwise). If they fail to do the move, they get a letter(H...O...R...S...E). After you get an "E" you are out of the game. If it is a single move, each person gets only one chance to do the move. If it's 3 moves strung together, each person gets 3 tries to do the combo. If the move is done in the left hand, you must do the move in the left hand. Shifty was left-handed, so we made an exception for the body-rolling version of the game. There were some weird one and two ball body rolling moves going around, but the palmspinning version was really cool. In the palmspinning variation of the game, all of the combos/moves start and end in a four ball line(two sets of two balls held horizontally in front of you in the palms). This is the style was refered to as "line and box". I highly recommend that you try this game.
The Balls for Sale
Greg of Infinite Illusions and Rich of the Bob Hughes Company were both selling some awesome colored acrylics. The first night when Greg showed up, I bought a 3" Mountain Dew Acrylic. It glows bright green under a black light and is very visible. One of the other balls that II was selling was really cool. It was a 3" that was a very light shade of yellow, but when you held it under a blacklight it glowed bright blue! I also bought a 3.25"(i think) Dube Stage Ball from Rich. Thanks for the balls you guys!
Hot and Cold
One of the cool things that most everyone tried was this:
1) get two metal chinese exercise balls(without bells!),
2) put one in an oven until it's really hot.
3) pack the other in ice until it's really cold.
4) palmspin them!
This little exercise will confuse the hell out of your hand(is that possible?). Try it sometime, you'll be glad you did.
Stump the Chump
This was a really cool game that we played(even though i did "bust my ass"). You need a few things in order to play: a soft, large diameter rope about 15 feet long, two small stumps(not in the ground), and two players. Place the stumps about ten feet apart, and stans them on their ends. Each player stands on the stumps and holds one end of the rope with one hand. On the count of three, both players try to grab as much rope as they can. Then they try to pull and "push" the rope so that the other person falls off. It isn't a game of strength at all. It's more a game of "give and take". During one "round" of stump the chump, I fell really hard and gave myself a bruise. It was caught on tape by Shifty's brother and was really funny. I didn't get hurt so it was alright.
Workshops
Remy - Stretching
- The first workshop that everyone attended on Saturday was Remy's stretching workshop. Those stretches are hard! But they are important if you CJ with a lot of movement. Great job Remy!
Ferret - The First Five Steps
- The Ferret taught a beginner body-rolling workshop that was based upon his First Five Steps essays. You can find the essay at contactjuggling.org. Go Ferret!
Rich - Ball types
- If I remember correctly, the next workshop was with Rich Shumaker. He went over the various materials that spheres can be made of and let everyone play with them. Ok fine...Great Job Rich!
Robin - Outside Elbow Stalls
- About halfway through Rich's workshop, Robin Spehar presented a small workshop about how to do outside-elbow stalls. He was very helpful to everyone that was having trouble. Robin's stalls are supernatural!
Shifty and Greg - Palmspinning
- Shifty and Greg Maldonado went over just about every single palmspinning variation that anyone had ever seen and then some. I have to say that I was inspired. Great job guys!
Remy - Body Movement
- Remy showed us how to completely change the look of a move simply by moving our bodies in various ways. This made the stretching workshop that she taught earier very valuable. Go Remy Again!
Michael and Remy - Intermediate Bodyrolling
- Michael Glenn and Remy also taught a great workshop on using your whole body for rolling a ball. This included chestrolls, neckrolls, between-the-leg-rolls, "foot butterflies", and everything in-between. Great stuff!
Greg Irwin - Hand Health
- WOW! This guy was amazing. Greg Irwin of handhealth.com has been developing finger control and strength for years and it shows. He has a ton of finger exercise that seem impossible to most people. He also palmspins chinese exercise balls. Since he has been isolated(no pun intended) from the CJ community, he has come up with a dozen palmspins that no one has ever seen before. Simply amazing stuff.
The Campfire
This was a great experience. Lord Krullen and Kitty led a campfire on Saturday night i think. Morg, Robin, and a few others provided the music("techno primitive"). Morg and the others played several tribal drums and Robin played the digiry-doo(spelled wrong). There was one point where they were all really jammin good(i hope it got recorded). While they were playing the music, a lot of people were swinging fire poi. Those things look great when done well(go Remy!). Shifty, Ferret, and a few others also spun fire staffs(staves?). A few of the better club jugglers were also passing(5-person star) with Morg contact juggling in the middle. Later we created the "world's largest palm circle". The coolest part of the campfire was the display that Lord Krullen and Kitty put on. They were doing fire breathing. Krullen wasn't just doing blasts, he was also acting as a human flame-thrower(continuous blasting). Krullen also spit fuel straight into the campfire:-) When you combine these sorts of things with someone(Ferret or Shifty?) spinning a staff the results are pretty cool.
Conclusion
I had a great time and really hope that I can get there next year. If you are considering going to CJC 2003, then go! It's worth it.
