Nine Balls

records as of 15 May 1995

Current bests

Anthony Gatto    200 catches in practice (_Juggler's World_ 44.2, Sum. '92, 
                 p.24).  Official run: 78 catches on BBC's "Record Breakers".
Sergei Ignatov   has juggled 9 "the size of croquet balls" in practice ("4000
                 Years of Juggling", Vol.II, p.100, and _IJA Newsletter_ 2/80). 
Bruce Sarafian   Florida juggler who flashed 11, as of a year ago could do 35+
                 catches of 9, but is said to have improved on that. 
Ken Burke        (of the Barrage) up to 45 throws.

Matt Cantrell    (Seattle) around 35 catches in practice.  (Weighted tennis
                 balls.)
Gregor Popovich  in practice as seen by Alan Howard and Dick Franco: cascade to
                 neck catch with a high "degree of confidence" (_JW_ 37.4 p.9).
Jason Garfield   can qualify it in practice.

Jimmy Shafer     can qualify it in practice.  

Dan Bennett      has had close to, and probably more than 18 catches, judging
                 by the '86 IJA numbers competition (13 catches).
Haggis MacLeod   has been spotted with a good 9 ball pattern.

Sean Gandini     is said to juggle 9.

Ed Carstens      20 catches.
 
Morten Hansen    19 catches.

Toby Ayer        18 catches.
 
Bruce Tiemann    (Boppo) has gotten 17 catches ("GRRRR!").

Alan Morgan      is also at 17 catches ("Damn and blast it").

Steven Geddes    (Australia) is close to qualifying.

Cyril Bartolo    (France) 16 catches, and moving up fast.

Jim Strinka      23 throws (implies at least 14 catches) at '81 Cleveland IJA
                 fest (see _Juggler's World_ 34.2, Feb.? '82).
Dave Morton      13 catches.

Rod Kimball      12 catches.

Ben Schoenberg   12 catches.

Peter Blanchard  more than a flash.

Jack Kalvan      can flash it nicely, probably more.

Dana Tison       same as above, considering that he was flashing it at 14!
                 (_Juggler's World_, 37.2, Sum. '85, p.17.)
Donnia Ray Smith 9 catches (letter to _Juggler's World_, 37.1, Spr. '85, p.14).

Rick Moll        9 catches.

Arthur Lewbel    9 catches.

Robert York      9 catches (_Juggler's World_ 34.2, Feb.? '82). 

Sue Kirby        mentioned in _Juggler's World_ 34.2, Feb.? '82.  A photo of
                 her throwing 9 appears on p.55 of "Juggling with Finesse".
Geoff Thorpe     (New Zealand) 9 catches.

Billy Glidden    9 catches.

David Sallee     9 catches.

Bob Behsman      9 catches.

Andrew Denton    9 catches.

Jon Stadler      9 catches.

Greg Warrington  9 catches.

A guy I used to see at Ann Arbor fests, had graying hair, worked well on 9 and
                 on cascading 3 sets of multiplexed balls in threes and fours.

Jugglers of the past who did 9

Massimiliano Truzzi at one time regularly did 9 in his act (according to his
                 son Marcello in _Natural History_ 12/79, p.51).  Bill Gnadt 
                 mentions Truzzi's 9 in _JW_ 40.1, Spr. '88, p.23.
Bengt Magnusson  reported getting qualifying runs.

Jenny Jaeger     juggled small balls in performance as a young girl in the 
                 1910s.  "4000 Years of Juggling" (Vol.I, p.226) reports that
                 she could run 7, qualify 8, and flash 9 and 10 in the show.
Pierre Amoros    of the Werner-Amoros-Troupe (around 1905) juggled 9 small 
                 balls ("4000 Years of Juggling", Vol. I, p. 90).
Lucy Gillet      performed with 9 small balls ("4000 Years", Vol.I, p.223). She
                 came from a French riding family, and used a kitchen scene.
Bobby May        did 9 according to Bill Gnadt in _JW_ 42.1, Spr. '90, p.30,
                 though in the documentary by Lippe, May only mentions doing 8.

Historical note

"Chinese Acrobatics Through the Ages" (p. 8), by Fu Qifeng, gives a reference
from "Xu Wugui" (Chapter 24 in "Zhuang Zi") that "Yi Liao of Shinan juggled 
balls, and the conflict between two houses was eliminated."  The author goes
on to tell us about Xiong Yiliao of the Chu State.  "Once, in a battle between
the states of Chu and Song, the troops of the two sides were confronting each
other in a fight at close quarters.  Yiliao appeared in front of the Chu troops
and calmly, in the face of the enemy's axes and spears, juggled nine balls at
the same time.  His superb performance stupefied the officers and the warriors.
The Song troops fled helter-skelter without fighting and the Chu troops won a
complete victory."  This was either during the Spring and Autumn (770-476 B.C.)
or the Warring States (475-221 B.C.) periods.

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