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Sophomore Joanna Topp and freshman Jacob McDermitt pass rings with juggling club adviser Craig Muhlenkamp.
MINSTER - Balls, clubs and the occasional spinning plate filled the air of the Minster High School gymnasium Monday morning, as the school's juggling club worked on the art of keeping it all up in the air.
Now in its fifth year, the Minster Juggling Club was created by eighth and ninth grade science teacher Craig Muhlenkamp for his younger students.
"There's just not a whole lot of clubs for junior high kids. So, I started it mainly for the eighth graders, and each year it kind of grew, and they've done more and more progressing," he said.
What was once a group of around 20 eighth graders has now nearly doubled to almost 40 eighth and ninth graders, with a few sophomores as well.
Sophomore Joanna Topp rides her unicycle during juggling club.
The club meets during students' free time just before noon every Monday in the gym to hone skills like juggling, balancing and plate spinning, along with more complex expertise like passing between two to three jugglers, or, for sophomore Joanna Topp, riding her unicycle.
"She got one for Christmas," Muhlenkamp said. "That's probably one of the hardest things to do."
Ninth grader Jacob McDermitt is another high-achiever, Muhlenkamp said, noting that students like Topp and McDermitt have been able to take some skills farther than he has.
Freshman Jacob McDermitt juggles tennis balls.
"This guy right here, he's done a lot of (things)," he said. "Jacob's done a lot of balancing stuff. Like he can balance all kinds of stuff on his chin. And so that's cool because they took it farther than anybody, even myself, has done it before."
When they first join the club most students come with little to no juggling experience, Muhlenkamp said. From there, it usually takes them about three to four weeks to learn basic juggling, starting with juggling scarves first.
"Some of them get really good. The more they practice, they can start doing tricks. Some of them started four ball juggling. … You break it down when you teach it, teach it one step at a time. Most of them pick it up pretty well."
McDermitt initially joined the club as a break from schoolwork, but ended up enjoying the social opportunities it presented him, he said.
This year he's been focused on tackling the skill of passing.
Juggling club adviser Craig Muhlenkamp and freshman Jacob McDermitt pass clubs.
Passing is juggling between two or more people. McDermitt and Muhlenkamp demonstrated it Monday morning by facing one another, each holding three clubs.
Once Muhlenkamp gave a signal, they both began solo juggling in time with one another. Then, on a count, they each threw a club across their bodies to one another, throwing a club in one hand, and receiving one in the other, all while still juggling.
He had like a year of juggling under his belt," Muhlenkamp said of McDermitt. "If you're a solid juggler then it's easier to transition (to passing), but it works your brain a lot because you're not only crossing this way but you're crossing this way. It is very challenging for most. There's a couple people in here that can do ball passing as well."
His students aren't just learning to keep things in the air, they're also learning perseverance and other qualities, Muhlenkamp said.
"Not being afraid of failing is a huge one because we drop (objects) all the time, but they just keep going, so that's huge," he said. "I think (they build) confidence too by learning a new skill. When you get a trick after working at it, it just builds confidence."
Minster students Grace Meyer, Ashley Tyler and Grace Larger spin plates in juggling club on Monday.
Superintendent Josh Meyer echoed Muhlenkamp's point, adding that the club allows students to be creative in a way that challenges them.
"Our juggling club provides our students an activity that allows them to be creative and challenges them at same time," Meyer said. "They learn a unique and interesting skill and perform at several school and community events allowing them to grow in self-confidence while having fun."
The club's rolling cart of supplies, full of things like clubs, balls, diablos, plates, scarves and more, is funded through donations from a variety of community groups in town.
Eighth grader Branson Riethman shows off his juggling skills.
The club often juggles for Minster's kindergarteners - who are always a great crowd, Muhlenkamp said.
"You can do whatever and they think it's awesome, so I think that's good exposure for them," he added.
The last two years, some of his jugglers have also performed at Ohio Has Talent in Van Wert.
Presented by CHP Home Care and Hospice, the event showcases regional performers during an annual show at the Niswonger Performance Arts Center. Acts must audition in advance before finalists are chosen. The night's top performer takes home $1,000.
"I think about maybe 12 of us perform at Ohio Has Talent, and that's getting in front of like a thousand people watching, Muhlenkamp said. "I'd heard about it many years ago and it's a big fundraiser for hospice. I just asked the students if they wanted to try out, and we tried out. We made the finals the last two years and we've got honorable mention, which is kind of like fourth place."
McDermitt encouraged those interested to give the club a shot.
"Don't think of it as an event to perform," he said. "Just think of it as an event to have fun with your friends. (As an opportunity) to learn a new skill."
