COMPETITOR PROFILE
LAURA ERNST Born in Dubuque, IA. Now living in Syracuse, NY.
Q: How long have you been juggling?
A: This is a tricky question. I learned how to juggle 10 years ago, but I only learned a cascade and didn't juggle again for years. When I started college 5 years ago I joined the juggling club and started juggling on a weekly basis, but I didn't really practice it. Then about 3 years ago I really very seriously got into juggling. At that point I practiced everyday and it became an obsession. So, when did I start juggling? You decide.
Q: How did you learn to juggle?
A: I was in a play called Pippin in junior high, in which everyone had to learn to juggle for the first song. I was really ambitious and wanted to juggle clubs. I dropped every single night of the show.
Q: Why did you learn to juggle and why did you keep juggling?
A:
When I was just starting college the Dew Drop Jugglers came to perform at my home town county fair. After I saw their show I talked with them for a bit and they taught me how to pass. Fast forward to about a year later, I had been going to the juggling club on campus but it was just something I did on the side. Then I saw Drailion, and after seeing Victor Kee I was hooked. I thought "Wow! I bet I could do that- years from now with tons of practice."
Q: Why do you want to compete in the WJF competitions?
A: For me it's the challenge. I would not be a very skilled juggler if it were not for the WJF. When I first decided to compete at WJF I had never done a 441 in clubs, but I worked really hard and decided to go for it. I wanted to prove to myself that I can get up in front of the judges and the audience and not fail at life.
Q: What are your goals in juggling, technically and professionally?
A: I want to continually improve. There's no definite goal of juggling 19 clubs or anything like that. More than that I want to entertain and awe people. That's the ultimate goal.
Q: What kind of training has been the most beneficial in progressing your juggling skills?
A: Basically I've been following Jason Garfield's advice. I blame him for my technical juggling improvement over the last 2 years. Working on tricks until you get them 10 times in a row or for 15 minutes- whichever comes first and working on lofty throws have really helped. Seriously- the guy knows what he's talking about. I would also recommend stretching before practicing and weight training.
