Juggling Games


Juggling Games are probably the highlight of a meeting for newbies. The bizarre but often merciless nature of some of the tactics employed cause much joy and anguish.

The staple game for JuggleSoc is Unicycle Gladiators - where participants juggle and try to put other participants off. This includes all tactics which are not likely to cause physical damage to your opponent. Good beginners' tactics include backing into an opponent and giving them a shove with your hiney, backing into your opponent's pattern thereby obliterating any chance of their continuing same, or just plain menacing and out-psyching someone.

As we move up the scale, we have waving hands through other patterns, throwing a ball high and knocking balls away, or even, for the most skilled and least merciful of us all, throwing one of your own balls away and in the same motion stealing one of your opponent's balls.

Gladiators is played in a variety of flavours - 3 ball, 4 ball, 2 in one hand, two in other hand, 3 balls with one balanced on head, club balance, 3 club, 4 club, 5 ball endurance (no attacking) and, oh anything else our deranged imaginations can come up with.

A winning streak on any player's part is usually met with an 'everyone get so-and-so' game or three, or may result in outright exclusion from the game in Hairy Rob's case (Sorry Hairy ... have you got internet access? You prolly can't read what I'm writing about you...)
 
 

Other Games

Gandini Gladiators is a form of gladiators with three clubs balanced on the head in a particular configuration. The game is best played accompanied to the Eno track offa Trainspotting as it has an amusing slow motion feel to it...

Unicycle Hockey occasionally Miark (of 'But I haven't got a sheep' fame) brings Uni-hockey sticks and ball to the club and a bunch of us get together and fall off a lot. There's actually a national league of Unihockey - those who are interested can get into it through Unicycling or Juggling conventions, one of which York Hosts.

Stredging is a game pioneered by York at last year's festival, involving a lot of hopping and throwing (with the feet) of balls in myriad directions, while a trusty assistant rushes about attempting to catch them all in a bag or bin. An offshoot, Extreme Stredging is now banned by the Stredging Federation (i.e. Me) after a participant drew blood after a mis-stredge.

Diabolo Games are hard to house and to judge because the diabolo is a BIG toy - i.e. the competitions tend to be Highest Throw - prolly of the order of 200ft - and Longest Throw - shorter because the diabolo must be caught by a partner to qualify. Diabolo into a bin was a demonstration sport at last year's convention, and looks set to become a fixture.

We might even play Rob Stone's favourite game - see how long you can balance a burning newspaper on your chin! 


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