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It's been a while since we've had an update but we've been busy. Here's what's going on.
WJF 5
http://www.thewjf.com/WJF5/WJF5.php
WJF 5 is confirmed and registration is now open. Convention registration and hotel reservation information is all on the WJF 5 page linked above. This is the longest amount of time before the convention date that we've been prepared, so we have plenty of time to make this one the best so far. Already, we have an impressive line up of competitors. Two new competitors from the Ukraine, Alexandr Koblikov and Grigoriy Lovigin, will bring a new element to the ball competitions and the 360s competitions. With 10 ball multiplexing and 360s faster than I've ever seen, they will be a very interesting addition to the WJF competitions.
http://www.thewjf.com/WJF5/yuriy.php
Yuriy Pozdnyakov
Yuriy Pozdnyakov will be giving workshops and judging some of the competitions. In 1973, Yuriy completed his juggling training with Sergey Ignatov and began a career performing world-wide for 21 years. In 1994, Yuriy started training jugglers and he will be bringing two of his current students, Alexandr Koblikov and Grigoriy Lovigin, with him to compete at WJF 5. When asked why he and his students were interested in competing at WJF 5, Yuriy had this to say," WJF are competitions only for jugglers. For this reason, for us it is an estimation of our forces in juggling. And, certainly, participation in WJF is very prestigious and important for me, my students and our school."
We look forward to seeing them in competition this December.
WJF 5 Competitors
http://www.thewjf.com/WJF5/WJF5CompetitionRules.php
If you are interested in competing at WJF 5, there is an exhaustively extensive description of everything you need to know to prepare in time. We've also included a competitor help manual to supplement (Not replace) the rules page.
The main thing to remember is that the due date for competitors to have acquired uniforms, submitted music license, routine forms, purchased convention and competition registration is December 1st, 2008 (October 1st is strongly recommended. See the competitor's manual for more information)
Here's the most common questions regarding the convention and competitions:
WJF 5 FAQ:
Q: Do I need to get the uniform from the website provided in the link on the WJF 5 competition rules page, or can I find one similar somewhere else?
A: You must get the uniform from the company we've linked to on the website and the correct style for the competition you plan on competing in. We do not make any money off of these uniforms. We do want to make sure that everyone is getting the same style uniform for the competition they're competing in as deciding what other shirts are similar is subjective.
Q: What about the shorts? Do I have to get them from the uniform company as well?
A: No, you can get shorts or pants anywhere else, but they must meet the following criteria:
The pants or shorts must be made of the same or similar material as the shirt. No denim, khaki, cargo or any form of casual wear will be permitted. Colors must match. WJF logo must be embroidered as specified. Refer to the "attire" link on the WJF 5 rules page and in the competitor help manual. All uniforms must be submitted for approval.
Q: Do I have to pay to attend if I'm just coming with my son/daughter and I personally will not be doing any juggling?
A: Yes, everyone who enters must pay the current rate to attend. Children 12 and under must be supervised by a paying adult. It doesn't matter what you plan on doing once you're inside the facility. We can't monitor everyone and make sure they're not juggling, and that would be silly. So the rule is simple. If you want or need to be in the facility, you also need to pay admission.
Q: Will you have equipment and DVDs available at the convention?
A: Yes, we will have plenty of PX3 clubs, balls, beanbags, rings, and WJF DVDs available for purchase at WJF 5.
WJF 5 Sponsorship Program
http://www.thewjf.com/WJF5/wjf5sponsorship.php
Last year the WJF raised money to bring Adrian Pole from the U.K. to WJF 4. This was made possible through the help of kind donations, a raffle, and a sponsorship from the WJF. This year we've already received donations that will allow us to bring another young juggler to compete, all expenses paid. Who that will be, depends on who wants it most.
Sponsorship applicants must be 15 years old or younger and produce a 3 minute juggling video. This video should demonstrate a WJF Juniors routine without any edits. Refer to the junior compulsory move list for more information. The video must be submitted to the WJF no later than June 15th, 2008. Winners will be announced on July 1st, 2008. And here are the sponsorship prizes the WJF will be awarding:
1st Place: All expense paid trip to WJF 5. This includes one roundtrip flight, one hotel room for two, WJF 5 Convention Package for two, all competition fees waived, uniform and competition music.
2nd Place: WJF 5 Convention Package for one and all competition entry fees waived
3rd Place: WJF 5 Convention Package for one
We would love to offer the first place prize to 2nd and 3rd place as well, so if anyone wants to support that cause you can make a donation to the Sponsorship Program on this page:
http://www.thewjf.com/support.php
All donations made for the Sponsorship Program will be applied exclusively for that program.
Women's Division Going Strong
We've had unprecedented interest in the Women's division, and we have two surprise competitors that I'm sure you'll all be happy to see in competition. Their names and profile videos will be released soon. Laura Ernst will be returning to defend her title. Let's make her work for it. If you're a female who would like to compete, we have the junior girls competition for girls 15 years old and younger and the women's ball, ring, and club division ready for you. Check it out here:
http://www.thewjf.com/WJF5/WJF5CompetitionRules.php#JUNIOR
http://www.thewjf.com/WJF5/WJF5CompetitionRules.php#WOMEN
Competitor Profile Videos
If you are planning on competing at WJF 5 and would like to have your name and a profile video included on the WJF 5 Current Line Up of Competitors page, email us at
WJF5@thewjf.com and email a link to download your video (Do not send videos as attachments)
WJF 5 Prize Money
This year we're making the process of prize money donation as specific or general as you would like. You can pick the competition you want to support, and make a donation for that competition's prize money fund. These can be made on this page as well:
http://www.thewjf.com/support.php
If giving away large sums of money is not your thing, here's a few other ways you can help us out:
1. Attend WJF 5 and get two to three other people attend with you
2. If you can spare air miles, you could help us save money by flying in competitors.
3. Become a WJF member or upgrade to a higher membership level (See the information on new member's DVDs and online videos below)
4. Buy a membership for a friend
WJF Membership
Over the next month I plan on uploading a lot of members only videos on the WJF members channel on youtube. Bronze level members and higher have access to view these videos and to the training help section on the WJF forum.
Silver Level Members will also receive the 2008 Members DVD. This DVD contains about an hour and a half of behind the scenes footage from WJF 1-3. It's more like juggling wallpaper for your monitor, but it also holds your attention and has some pretty good juggling on it.
Gold Level Members will receive the 2008 member's DVD and the WJF 4 Extreme Juggling Competitions DVD. I'm currently editing this video and at first I didn't think it would take this long to edit. I thought it would be a short video but I forgot how good the competitions were and so I'm taking extra time to make it extra EXTREMELY good. This video will also be available for purchase, but Gold Level Members will receive it before the official release.
VALENTINES DAY SPECIALS AND NEW PX3 CLUBS AT THE WJF STORE
We just received a fresh batch of PX3 clubs from Italy. Get online now and take advantage of our Valentines Day specials, even if it's just for yourself!
http://www.thewjf.com/store/valentines.php
That's all for now. Expect a lot more information on WJF 5 and new videos over the next six months.
Jason Garfield
World Juggling Federation
President
The World Juggling Federation is sponsored by Duncan Toys
www.yo-yo.com
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