The World Juggling Federation (WJF) is the world's only organization devoted to the promotion and advancement of juggling as a sport (competitive juggling).[1]
 | |
| Abbreviation | WJF |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2000 |
| Type | 501(c)(3) |
| Purpose | Promote sport juggling |
Founder and President | Jason Garfield |
| Website | www.thewjf.com |
History
editIn 2000, long-time IJA member Jason Garfield founded the WJF.[2] Garfield attracted interest and membership by framing the skills of juggling as a sport.[3] The WJF broadcast its first juggling convention on ESPN2 in January 2005[4] and its second convention on ESPN later the same year.[5] In 2021, the WJF was reestablished as a 501(c)(3) organization[6][7] and announced its goal to create a juggling event at the Olympics.[8][9]
Competition
editThe WJF's most well-known event is the WJF convention, which has been broadcast on ESPN2. 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: Balls, Rings, Clubs, Cigar boxes, Diabolos, and Devil Sticks.
WJF competition events sometimes include (pending enough competitors attending):
- Club passing
- 360s (and similar)
- Endurance
- Isolated Endurance
- Freestyle
- Extreme Competitions
There are "junior"-, "beginner"-, "intermediate"- and "advanced"-level competitors in each of the three main WJF disciplines.
Conventions and championships
editAnnual WJF conventions are held; and juggling competitions produce annual winners who are named "overall champions". At WJF 5, the top competition event ran alongside the Battle for the WJF Presidency, with Thomas Dietz as the inaugural winner, beating Jason Garfield. However, Dietz 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, Nevada | Thomas Dietz, Overall champion[10] |
| 2006 | WJF3 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Thomas Dietz, Overall champion[11] |
| 2007 | WJF4 | Hartford, Connecticut | Thomas Dietz, Overall champion[12] |
| 2008 | WJF5 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Thomas Dietz, Overall champion.[13] |
| 2010 | WJF6 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Doug Sayers, Overall champion.[14] |
| 2011 | WJF7 | Springfield, Illinois | Vova Galchenko, Overall champion[15] |
| 2012 | WJF8 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | Doug Sayers, Overall champion |
| 2013 | WJF9 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Jonah Botvinick-Greenhouse, Overall champion |
| 2014 | WJF10 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Doug Sayers, Overall champion |
| 2015 | WJF11 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Jonah Botvinick-Greenhouse, Overall champion |
| 2016 | WJF12 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Delaney Bayles, Overall champion |
| 2017 | WJF13 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Spencer Androli, Overall champion |
| 2018 | WJF14 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Christian Hauschild, Overall champion |
| 2019 | WJF15 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Eivind Dragsjø, Overall champion |
| 2021 | WJF16 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Spencer Androli, Overall champion |
| 2022 | WJF17 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Spencer Androli, Overall champion |
References
edit- ^ Christel, Matthias. (2009). Bewegungskünste: motorisches Lernen in der Zirkuspädagogik, p. 30., p. 30, at Google Books
- ^ "Interview with Mark Bakalor about the WJF". jugglingdb.com. November 17, 2004. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011.
- ^ Grossman, Lev (July 16, 2006). "Up In the Air". Time. Archived from the original on July 18, 2006. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ "WJF 2004 Advanced Ball Competition". February 14, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ "2005 WJF ESPN Ball and Club Competitions Trailer #1". March 18, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ "WJF 2021 Year in review". February 18, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ Martin, Stephen A. Determination Letter of Tax Exempt Status, May 27, 2021. irs.gov. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ Betuel, Emma (February 24, 2021). "A circus act turned extraordinary sport is making its case for the Olympics". Inverse. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ Jillette, Penn (June 14, 2021). "Olympic Juggling With The World Juggling Federation". Penn's Sunday School (Podcast). Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ Thomas Dietz, Overall champion
- ^ WJF3, Dietz, Overall champion
- ^ WJF4, Dietz, Overall champion
- ^ WJF5, Dietz, Overall champion
- ^ WJF6, Sayers, Overall champion
- ^ WJF7, Galchenko, Overall champion (Doug Sayers had originally been announced the winner due to a math error, but Vova Galchenko ended up winning.)
External links
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