After mastering the art of magic at age 15, it was only natural Chris Hatcher should learn how to juggle and become a true entertainer.
It was a hobby that would turn into an obsession and become a major part of his life. While many students get summer jobs at fast food restaurants, Hatcher profited off his special talents and learned how to sell his act.
“Throughout high school and college I would perform at events and get paid to do what I love,” Hatcher said. “It’s really awesome to have a hobby people like to watch. When I juggle, I try to engage the audience with confusion. They’re entertained because they see the mind focused on five objects at once.”
Hatcher is a 2004 University of Toledo graduate, but he founded the University’s juggling club in 2006 with University graduate Zak Newman.
Newman said it was easy to start a group on campus because the juggling community is so welcoming.
“It wasn’t hard finding members to join the club,” Newman said. “Chris [Hatcher] was a buddy of mine and I knew a couple of people who were into juggling so when he told me about starting a club in Bowling Green, it was easy to find a few chill people to get together and toss some stuff around for a couple hours.”
Whether balls, rings, or clubs, Hatcher has performed with all sorts of objects and has expanded his talents to different techniques. Contact juggling is a style of object manipulation where the ball is moved with the hands, without being released in the air, to build an illusion-floating affect.
“Learning a new style of juggling is always appealing to me,” Hatcher said. “You can really juggle with just about anything, and people do.”
Recently, Hatcher attended MadFest, a juggling festival in Madison, Wis. that welcomes jugglers from all over the world to share their unique juggling talents. Though the festival isn’t a competition, Hatcher performed with some of the most skilled jugglers around.
A free show can be seen every Saturday afternoon at the Union second floor where Hatcher and members of the University’s juggling club hang out and practice their skills.
The club has performed at the Wood County Fair and regularly attends juggling workshops to not only improve their own skills, but also to learn how to teach others to juggle as well.
“I can teach someone the basics of juggling in a half hour,” Hatcher said. “Once you have the pattern down, you can start to build the coordination. It’s a process where you start with one ball, then two, then three, and you can involuntarily learn the motions.”
The yearly highlight of the juggling club is the burning club festival which takes place the first week in November. The festival begins early in the afternoon with a juggling tutorial at the Perry Field House where attendants can be taught to juggle by club members. Later in the afternoon, a coordinated routine is performed in the Union ball room.
Senior Cameron McEwen, a juggling club member, said Hatcher and the whole organization look forward to putting together events and recruiting new jugglers.
“We welcome anyone who wants to join and be a part of our organization,” McEwen said. “For the last two years, we have been fortunate enough to have Doug Sayers perform. He is considered by the International Juggling Association to be one of the best jugglers in the world and the fact that he has been a part of our festival is really awesome.”