COMPETITOR PROFILE
SPENCER HEARNE Born in Concord, Massachusetts, now living in Boxborough, Massachusetts.
Q: How long have you been juggling?
A: I learned to juggle when I was six, but just started practicing simple three ball tricks about a month after I turned eleven. I practiced those and a three club and three ring cascade for about a year because I thought that was all there was to juggling, so I didn't improve or practice much at all. Counting that year of three ball, ring, and club juggling, I have been juggling for two years and two months. Not counting that year, and counting the years where I actually practiced and learned more than easy three ball tricks, I have been juggling for one year and two months.
Q: How did you learn how to juggle?
A: My dad taught me three balls when I was six, but I would walk around a lot and had trouble keeping it going, because I never broke it down to one or two balls. When I was eleven I bought three clubs and learned those from a video they came with. The Theory and Practice DVD and book is what really taught me a lot, and the WJF forums.
Q: Why did you keep juggling?
A: I think I saw a street performer juggling, so I asked my dad to teach me. When I discovered the Chris Bliss video I found out there were tricks with three balls, so that inspired me to learn three ball tricks. Then I discovered the WJF and that is what really motivated me to keep juggling. I have a lot of fun juggling, because I am always getting better because there are endless levels to juggling, so that keeps me going as well.
Q: Why do you want to compete in the WJF competitions?
A: I love sport juggling, so I think it would be a great experience to be with other jugglers, and I would like to share my juggling skills with other jugglers, and see how good I am compared to other jugglers my age.
Q: What are your goals in juggling, technically and professionally?
A: I want to be one of the best jugglers in the world, and make people aware that juggling is a sport and an art, not just what you see on the street or in a circus. I would love to be a professional juggler. I would also like to inspire many people to learn to juggle, or at least to work hard at something you want to accomplish.
Q: What kind of training has been the most beneficial in progressing your juggling skills?
A: Breaking down whatever I am trying to learn to easier steps to work up to the full trick, and working on those steps until I get them ten times in a row perfectly, and then progressing to the next step. Also spending a maximum of 20 minutes each day on any one trick, and spending the first five minutes of each trick warming up with the simpler steps that I have already executed ten times in a row.
Q: What has had the most influence on your juggling?
A: Other jugglers who have good form and are better than me, because it inspires me to be as good as them, and my own improving, because it is a great feeling when I see myself improving, and it motivates me to practice more.
Q: Do you practice with any other jugglers?
A: I used to practice with another juggler my age because we both started at the same time, and sometimes I still practice with him, but now I mostly practice by myself.
Q: When did you start preparing for the Sponsorship Program competition?
A: I started practicing a lot for it right when I found out about it, but I only started making my routine about three weeks before the deadline though.
Q: What did you think your chances were of winning?
A: I didn't think I would win first second or third, because I knew that Lauge is better than me, and I also saw another video of Patrick Jenkins, and he had better tricks than me, and those were the only two people I knew that were entering, so I figured that if they were better than me, there was bound to be someone better than me in the other four entries, so they would all take first, second, and third.
Q: How did you feel when you found out you won second place?
A: I felt happier than I had in a long time. I was also very surprised. I wasn't able to eat much breakfast that morning, because I was too excited to eat. The thought that I would be seeing all the other jugglers up close, and be at all the competitions and workshops made me so excited.
Q: Who was the first person you told?
A: The first person I told was my mom, because she was closest, and the only one awake in my house other than me. She sounded so surprised and excited, and congratulated me.
