There are many interesting people you can meet in Pottsgrove High School. One such person is Matthew Walmsley, an 11th grader who is a professional juggler. Matt has been juggling since he was 10 years old, and he still practices his skills today. Matt tore his rotator cuff when he was 10 and couldn’t play sports, so he decided to try juggling since he could do that pain-free. Matt looked forward to juggling everyday, and over time he decided to get more serious and technical at juggling. When he started getting serious about juggling, he set a goal in his mind to win the IJA Juniors Championships, and he’s been working toward that ever since. IJA stands for the International Juggling Association, and it’s a large organization focused on assisting, inspiring, and supporting jugglers around the world. They host competitions and other events around the world to bring jugglers together and give them a chance to show off their talent. Matt started his juggling career on December 31st, 2017 when he uploaded his first video to Youtube, and he has uploaded a total of 85 videos since then. Matt has accomplished many milestones in his juggling career; he’s learned how to juggle clubs, rings, balls, and even juggling knives, and he has also been able to show his skills in performances. Matt has performed at the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts, cub scout troop meetings, and even at our own school during the musical last year. Matt is a very talented individual who continues to strengthen his talent.

Matthew Walmsley recently flew out to Iowa to compete in a juggling competition hosted by the International Juggling Association. Matt competed against several other very talented jugglers, but he overcame his nervousness and did his best. Matt spent several hours each day juggling in order to train for this event, and in the end all his hard work paid off because he won and is now the 2022 World Junior Juggling Champion. Matt achieved his goal which he has been working towards for the past 4 years. This is a huge milestone for him and I’m sure he will be working harder and training more in order to compete in more competitions. If you see Matt in the hallways or at lunch, be sure to congratulate him for his great accomplishments. 

If you’d like to see Matt’s IJA performance, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL8rIHWVa-w 

If you’d like to see any of Matt’s other videos, click here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJROr7U3z-SpKJ6E-Y_PBaA 

If you’d like to learn more about the International Juggling Association, click here: https://www.juggle.org/