My friend, Annie, and I just got back from the 12th NZ national Juggling Festival. This is our third one and I'm quite proud because we more of less organised our transport, food and accomodation for 4 days and we're 15yrs old. Well, we didn't do it very well, but still. The festival was five and a half hours drive away from where we are, which is really quite far away considering that the longest you can drive for in NZ is about 10 or 12hours before you hit ocean.
The festival rocked and we got a number of compliments on our two person juggling routine (I'll try not to bore you with too much juggling terminology). The general schedule was that on thursday, people would start arriving, you could juggle to music in the marquee. On friday, workshops started up (you could learn to juggle, do tricks, diablo, devil sticks, contact juggling.....), talk to others, swap tricks, juggle to music in marquee. On friday was the renegade show, more workshops and other random juggling. Saturday was juggling olympics, public show and, after teh show, the fire show.
Last year we had decided that we'd stay up late every night so that we wouldn't miss all the exciting stuff. We definately accomplished this aim - earliest night: 11.30pm; latest night: 4am.
Ok, I don't really know where to start... I'm not sure if there will be any particular order to this...
We met soooo mnay people. Max and Ashley from Germany and England. Ashley invited us to help ourselves to his beer. I love jugglers.
One night was the renegade show. This is just a show where jugglers get up and show unpolished routines. Totally informal with no pressure not to drop stuff or screw up. At intermission beer and drinks were being sold at this table in the back of the marquee (a big tent sort of thing) and me and Annie decided we'd try and get one. Obviously it wouldn't work to walk up to the table and ask for a beer. We are 15 but look much younger (unfortunately). It then occured to us that we'd have more success if we asked a an adult to buy it for us. We walked up to Leila, the organiser of the festival, adn asked her politely to buy us a beer and a lemonade/sprite (I don't like beer on it's own - shandies are what I like), assuring her that we were responible young ladies. You can't imagine our surprise when she stopped to consider it. And then said yes. She told us to get one and said to say that she said it was okay. Haha. Yay for us. OK, so it probably deosn't seem all that special to some people, but we're underage and I'm not much of a drinker - I've never been drunk.
On the last night we met Max and Ashley. At 11pm we started to really get talking and by 1/1.30am we were drinking their beer. The last night was defiantely the craziest. Ashley decided we had to do something as a group. SOmething to include everyone.
What is a juggling activity which everyone can join in on?
Three club combat
The aim - to be the last one still juggling
How it works - everyone juggles three clubs. You have to use any means to stuff the other people up and stop them juggling.
So basicly, theres a large group juggling trying to bash each other.
I was the youngest and the smallest - everyone involved was atleast over 20. And it was 1am. I took out a few of the guys
Hehe.The festivals are really quite small. I think there was about 200 people who registered (it costs to go - it pays for workshops and teh public show amongst other things).
Well, it was a great weekend heaps of stuff happened and we learned a whole lot of new tricks and met lots of people and everyone should get into juggling
The plan for gettign to the festival was to take a bus up on thursday morning. Before that we ahd tried to get a ride with these people who actually own a big yellow bus. Seriously. But they weren't home so we ended up booking the bus. At morning tea on the wednesday I got a call fromt hem offering to take us but, before I could say yes, I thought it would be better to pass it by my mum first. At lunch I tried to ring her at work but couldn't get through so we just assumed it would be okay and we rang Annie's Dad to pick us up from school. The big yellow bus people had said they were leaving fairly early in the afternoon and I still ahdn't packed (
) and we realised that if we left AFTER school then we wouldn't ahve time to get ready and get to the people. Instead we walked out of school and stood outside the gates for fifteen minutes, waiting for Annie's Dad. Without permission. My mum didn't know we were leaving and, as far as we could work it out, neither did the school despite our conspicuously waiting outside in our *shudder* teal-coloured uniforms. Mum was so horrifeied that we had just walked out of school withour anyone realizing, that she rang the school and told them we'd left to which they answered "..What...?....they have...?"Well, I must be off now. Mum is insisting I get an early night....
I bet this all sounds very random...Bye all
Potholer
