Persistence Is Key

All summer I've been juggling outdoors at the tennis courts and on cement in other places. I learned the hard way that you will put holes in the sole of your shoe in no time at all when you practice hundreds of spin moves every day. I've gone through two pairs of running shoes, two pairs of boots, and one pair of Airwalks in less than three months.

I plan on practicing 100% indoors for the next several months while we go through the Oregon rainy season and cold weather. I am working as a temporary employee at Oregon State University so I get to use their Mega-Ultra-Huge gym until June. After that, if I go back to school next fall (as planned), then I'll get to use the gym anyway. If for some reason I don't go back to school, then I'll have to strike up a deal with the local churches in the community because they are the ONLY ones with basketball courts or raquetball courts! Small town... has no YMCA or equivalent sport center.

Because of the shoe thing and various other "things" that have gotten in my way of training like I want to, I've had to seriously keep my mind contemplating on my long term goals. It's hard to keep myself from training like I want to. I have one new pair of shoes left and I will not do spin moves on cement or tennis courts with them (grass sucks by the way). That means I must be PERSISTENT in my vision and have faith that these little bumps in the road will soon pass.

I'm so ready to get indoors. I should be there early next week when my employment paperwork finally goes through. Believe me... I'm gonna train like there's no tomorrow. I've made some changes to my training program and I am working on some more.

• Continuing focus on mastering WJF Beginner A, B, & C level moves through January 2007 when I will move to the intermediate level moves
• Adding focus on 3, 4, & 5 Ball Siteswaps for variety in training and technical skill building
• Adding tennis balls & can routine training to improve my "entertainment value"
• Continuing contact juggling becuase it's relaxing
• Adding club juggling for variety & freshness in training

After my talk with Matt Hall at the Portland Juggling Festival last weekend, I realized that I will have more fun and become more rounded if I juggle other props once and a while instead of just focusing on balls. Thanks Matt!

Something I forgot to mention before was that I'm going to get some new props. I couldn't see my Ruby corduroy bags in the gymnasium or in the Renegade Show last weekend. I like them, but will probably just use them outside in the future. I learned from them that I like heavier 5 ounce-ish balls and underfilled. I'm planning on getting some Juggling Thingies that are all white. I used some of Curt Carlyle's from Vanillatown for the Renegade Show and I liked their feel and visibility in that "stage lighting" environment. Thanks Curt!

~Ed Provencher

Quote of the Day

If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we are not really living. Growth demands a temporary surrender of security. It may mean a giving up of familiar but limiting patterns, safe but unrewarding work, values not longer believed in, relationships that have lost their meaning. As Dostoevsky put it, "taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most." The real fear should be of the opposite course. ~Gail Sheehy