World Juggling Federation
Encyclopedia
The World Juggling Federation (WJF) is the world's only organization devoted to the promotion and advancement of the sport
of juggling.
member, Jason Garfield
. Garfield attracted interest and membership by framing the skills of juggling as a sport. The federation became more widely known in 2003 when Jason bought airtime on ESPN
, televising his WJF II juggling
competition.
. The organization encourages jugglers to compete against each other in order to get better. In WJF-sponsored events, the participants use juggling props, which include:
WJF competition events sometimes include (pending enough competitors attending):
There are "junior"-, "beginner"-, "intermediate"- and "advanced"-level competitors in each of the three main WJF disciplines.
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
of juggling.
History
In 2003, the WJF was created by long-time International Jugglers' AssociationInternational Jugglers' Association
The International Jugglers' Association or IJA is the oldest and largest organization of jugglers. It is open to members worldwide.-Benefits of Membership:* Special from major prop vendors worldwide.* Member prices in the IJA’s ....
member, Jason Garfield
Jason Garfield
Jason Garfield is a juggler and entertainer from Norfolk, Connecticut. He is the founder and president of the World Juggling Federation .-Sport Juggling:...
. Garfield attracted interest and membership by framing the skills of juggling as a sport. The federation became more widely known in 2003 when Jason bought airtime on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, televising his WJF II juggling
Juggling
Juggling is a skill involving moving objects for entertainment or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling, in which the juggler throws objects up to catch and toss up again. This may be one object or many objects, at the same time with one or many hands. Jugglers often refer...
competition.
Competition
The WJF's most well-known event is the WJF convention, which has been broadcast on ESPN2ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
. The organization encourages jugglers to compete against each other in order to get better. In WJF-sponsored events, the participants use juggling props, which include:
- BallsJuggling ballsthumb|right|A set of juggling beanbagsJuggling balls, or simply balls, are a popular prop used by jugglers, either on their own—usually in sets of three or more—or in combination with other props such as clubs or rings...
- RingsJuggling ringJuggling rings, or simply "rings", are a popular prop used by jugglers, usually in sets of three or more, or in combination with other props such as balls or clubs. The rings used by jugglers are typically about in diameter and thick....
- ClubsJuggling clubJuggling clubs, or simply clubs are a prop used by jugglers, as are other props such as balls or rings. A typical club is in the range of long, weighs between , is slim at the "handle" end, and has its center of balance nearer the wider "body" end...
- Cigar boxCigar boxCigar boxes are popular juggling props. Their rectangular shape resembles that of its namesake; they are sometimes padded on the ends and/or the sides with a felt-like material....
es - DiaboloDiaboloThe diabolo is a juggling prop consisting of a spool which is whirled and tossed on a string tied to two sticks held one in each hand. A huge variety of tricks are possible using the sticks, string, and various body parts...
s - Devil SticksDevil sticksThe manipulation of devil sticks is a form of gyroscopic juggling or equilibristics, and is generally considered to be one of the circus arts...
WJF competition events sometimes include (pending enough competitors attending):
- Club passing
- 360s (and similar)
- Endurance
- Freestyle
- Extreme Competitions
There are "junior"-, "beginner"-, "intermediate"- and "advanced"-level competitors in each of the three main WJF disciplines.
Conventions and Championships
Annual WJF conventions are held; and juggling competitions produce annual winners who are named "overall champions". At WJF 5, the top competition event ran along side the Battle for the WJF Presidency, with Thomas Dietz as the inaugural winner, beating Jason Garfield. However, Deitz resigned from presidency soon after, saying he didn't have time to fulfill his duties as president. At WJF 7 in 2011, Doug Sayers was initially named overall champion, but due to a miscount of the scores this was proved not to be the case, as Vova had scored more points overall.| Year | Event | Location | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | WJF Convention | Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| 2005 | WJF2 | Las Vegas | Thomas Dietz Thomas Dietz Thomas Dietz is a professional juggler from Regensburg, Germany. He is recognized as one of the greatest technical jugglers in the world. He holds various unofficial juggling records and also the five club juggling world record of 53 minutes and 21 seconds... , Overall champion |
| 2006 | WJF3 | Las Vegas | Thomas Dietz, Overall champion |
| 2007 | WJF4 | Hartford, Connecticut | Thomas Dietz, Overall champion |
| 2008 | WJF5 | Las Vegas | Thomas Dietz, Overall champion. |
| 2010 | WJF6 | Las Vegas | Doug Sayers, Overall champion. |
| 2011 | WJF7 | Springfield, Illinois | Vova Galchenko, Overall Champion |
| 2012 | WJF8 |