World Juggling Federation

In 2000, long-time IJA member Jason Garfield founded the WJF.{{Cite web |date=November 17, 2004 |title=Interview with Mark Bakalor about the WJF |url=http://www.jugglingdb.com/compendium/world/jugglers/interviews/markbakalor.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713065716/http://www.jugglingdb.com/compendium/world/jugglers/interviews/markbakalor.html |archive-date=July 13, 2011 |website=jugglingdb.com}} Garfield attracted interest and membership by framing the skills of juggling as a sport.{{Cite magazine |last=Grossman |first=Lev |date=July 16, 2006 |title=Up In the Air |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1214960,00.html#ixzz15Hl547SP |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060718111436/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1214960,00.html#ixzz15Hl547SP |archive-date=July 18, 2006 |access-date=2023-03-01 |magazine=Time}} The WJF broadcast its first juggling convention on ESPN2 in January 2005{{Cite web |date=February 14, 2021 |title=WJF 2004 Advanced Ball Competition |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQfdF1WNozQ |access-date=January 26, 2023 |via=YouTube}} and its second convention on ESPN later the same year.{{Cite web |date=March 18, 2008 |title=2005 WJF ESPN Ball and Club Competitions Trailer #1 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5zlAuxxb2o |access-date=January 26, 2023 |via=YouTube}} In 2021, the WJF was reestablished as a 501(c)(3) organization{{Cite web |date=February 18, 2022 |title=WJF 2021 Year in review |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6rVw31RWgU&t=24s |access-date=January 20, 2023 |via=YouTube}}Martin, Stephen A. [https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/dl/FinalLetter_86-2307541_WORLDJUGGLINGFEDERATION_04102021_00.tif Determination Letter of Tax Exempt Status], May 27, 2021. irs.gov. Retrieved January 20, 2023. and announced its goal to create a juggling event at the Olympics.{{Cite web |last=Betuel |first=Emma |date=February 24, 2021 |title=A circus act turned extraordinary sport is making its case for the Olympics |url=https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/competitive-juggling-is-about-to-get-real |access-date=January 29, 2023 |website=Inverse}}{{cite podcast |url=https://omny.fm/shows/penns-sunday-school/olympic-juggling-with-the-world-juggling-federatio |title=Olympic Juggling With The World Juggling Federation |website=Penn's Sunday School |publisher= |host= |date=June 14, 2021 |time= |access-date=January 29, 2023 |last=Jillette |first=Penn}}

The 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.

Annual 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.

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.thewjf.com/ World Juggling Federation official website]
• [https://www.thewjf.com/results/ Competition results]
• [https://www.youtube.com/@WJF WJF] on YouTube

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Category:Juggling

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