John's Blog

Jugglers With Altitude

2009-08-24T20:23:00.004-06:00

My wife and I went to Denver's Juggling Club (Jugglers With Altitude) this week. Most of the other people there were also Boulder Circus Center regulars, but it was interesting to drop in at another juggling club. They have a really interesting space--Aerial Dance Over Denver. They have silks, hoops, and trapezes hanging from the ceiling, just like the Boulder Circus Center, but there is also a padded floor, which made it nice to juggle barefoot, which I usually prefer because you can do more tricks with your feet that way.

As often as people who live close to Denver come to Boulder to juggle, I thought that it would be nice to reciprocate. I am going to try to make it a monthly thing to go to one club meeting down there. If any other Boulder area jugglers want to come with me, or Denver area jugglers wanted to make the trek to Boulder once a month--hint, hint--that would be cool, too.

Walking Globe

2009-08-17T20:36:00.004-06:00

After I published my website last week, I noticed a number of problems, most of which I fixed today. For some reason, I had a hard time changing the video and photos pages so that they no longer said "FREESTYLE"--the name of the iWeb template I used--across the top. I also changed all my fonts to make the print more readable.

Last night at juggling club, I got up on a walking globe unassisted for the first time. Balancing on a walking globe is not a huge achievement as far as circus arts skills go, but it's something that I was afraid to do, so it was really exciting for me when I found out that it was easy for me. It also seemed to be easier on my back/hip than unicycling. Maybe I should get one... but not until I get a new camera.

John Erikson is up and running!

2009-08-10T15:59:00.002-06:00

Juggling is a very athletic activity, and my ability to do it proficiently will not last forever. It was largely the phenomenon of having my physical abilities disappear that prompted me to take my juggling seriously.

After a back injury that literally kept me flat on the floor for several months--and I am still recovering--I have finally reached a point at which I can do most of the things I could do before.

I still can't lift heavy things, but I can run, swim, cycle, and above all, juggle. As long as I can do these things, I will. I'm now in the best shape I've been in since I was on the track team in high school, and I am juggling better than I ever have before.

I'm not the only thing that is back up and running, though. Check out my website at www.johnerikson.com which I just relaunched today!

Something Old, Something New

2009-08-03T14:23:00.001-06:00

My name is John Erikson. I've been juggling for over ten years. During that time, I have learned a lot about juggling, leadership, and life in general, mainly that I still have a lot to learn. I am a member of the International Jugglers' Association, I have been a member of three different juggling clubs, one of which I founded, and I have been to juggling festivals all over the United States. I have performed, I have taught, I have even made juggling props.

Since the day that I first managed to do a three ball cascade, juggling has been an important part of who I am. I have already gotten more out of juggling than I could ever give back to the world, but today is the day that I start to make an earnest effort to do so.