The story of Jugheads Youth Juggling Company begins with Paul Arneberg. Because the story of Jugheads is the story of Paul Arneberg, really.
The creation of Jugheads, a youth juggling club in Edina, was a mere coincidence for Arneberg. He never intended to be a juggler. He never intended to work with kids. Like so many people, he fell into a career he never imagined.
Going through college, Arneberg had planned on being in radio; a vivacious personality who loves telling stories, Arneberg seemed like the perfect fit for the job. But one summer while attending college and while working toward his radio dream, Arneberg’s brother recommended him for a camp counselor position in California. Arneberg had never considered working with kids before, but he thought it sounded like fun so he gave it a try. Around the same time, again at the urging of his brother, Arneberg also took up juggling.
It was 1992 when Arneberg’s path officially changed. He remembers it so clearly because Arneberg is a deeply faithful man, and this was a time when he sought divine guidance for direction in his life.
He had a job offer on the table from a small radio station in Wisconsin, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to work the grind of a radio personality—bouncing from market to market, slowly working his way to a pinnacle that might be unreachable. He also balked at the idea of moving to a small town away from his family. So at the urging of his then-girlfriend and now wife, Wendy, he applied for a youth leadership job instead.
“I was working data entry when my wife told me about a job opening for a youth leader,” Arneberg says. “I thought I had no chance because of my limited experience, but I got hired at Kids Club in Edina.”
Arneberg didn’t plan on teaching juggling at the club, but as it turned out, he was hired in part for that very skill. And in 1994, he started a juggling group within Kids Club. By the end of that school year, the club put on a show featuring 22 youth jugglers.
Jugheads was born, and Arneberg would break away from Kids Club in 1998 and register Jugheads Youth Juggling Company as an LLC in 2005, although he still cites 1994 as the inauguration of Jugheads. Today, the club has more than 130 youth members, and offers classes for a variety of skill levels.
Yet Arneberg knows there is far more to the club than juggling. “If you want to summarize in one word what I am doing, it’s mentorship,” Arneberg says. “Juggling is just the tool.”
The club is divided into six groups: recreational, advanced, elite, ultimate, and super ultimate. These are designations for skill levels, with recreational for beginners and super-ultimate for experts. Any third- through 12th-grader can take part in the recreational clubs, but kids must showcase specific juggling skills to move up a level, and the top tiers are reserved for high school kids.
Classes take place at Wooddale Church, although Jugheads is not affiliated with the church or any religious group. Arneberg is motivated by his faith, which drives him to be a role model for the kids, but he does not push faith on the children.
The most amazing thing when speaking with anyone involved in Jugheads is how dedicated they are to the club. Whether it’s the coaches, participants or parents of the kids, everyone feels at home with Jugheads.
Edina resident Rich Lovdal has two children, Chris and Natalie—both in college now—who went through the Jugheads program.
“It really meant everything to us,” Lovdal says. “Our family is a Jugheads family to the point that when the kids were graduating I didn’t want to leave, so I joined the Edina Youth Juggling Association so that I can still be a part of it.”
Barbara Johnson of Eden Prairie has two children in Jugheads, 11th-grader Reid and 9th-grader Elise, as well as Brendan, who participated and has since gone to college. Johnson believes Jugheads has been transformational in her kids’ lives.
“My kids have gotten huge character growth and character development,” says Johnson “They have adults who are investing in them and who care about them and their lives.”
Juggling clubs meet weekly, each skill level on a different night. There are also summer camps and programs available during breaks from school. Arneberg opens the doors at 2:45 p.m. so kids can come straight from school and enjoy a snack, but the actual juggling club sessions don’t start until 4 p.m.
“Kids come from all over the metro,” Arneberg says. “Only about one and a half hours are highly structured. There is free time before and after the structured classes so kids can just enjoy hanging out with each other.”
Being a social group is one of the most invaluable aspects to the club. Many of the kids take part in other clubs or sports, but have found a sense of home at Jugheads. The club opens its doors to everyone and allows kids of all ages to interact in a place that truly feels comfortable, all while learning a fun and exciting skill.
Kelvin Ying, a Jugheads graduate and now a program coach, says, “I go into teaching wanting the kids to enjoy themselves, but I also want them to be aware that they can achieve a lot if they put hard work in.”
All that hard work pays off at the end of the year with Juggle Jam. Every May, the Jugheads put on a show around graduation to showcase their talents. The show, much more than a simple juggling performance, is an extravaganza—a variety show with multiple acts, all celebrating the juggling skills the kids have learned.
For Paul and Wendy Arneberg, it’s hard to see kids graduate and move on because, in a way, Jughead kids become like their own. This is especially poignant since the Arneberg’s discovered they couldn’t have children of their own at around the same time Jugheads was launched. When you speak to a Jughead participant, family member or coach, you understand the Arnebergs are truly doing what they were meant to do.
Community support
- In 2005, a group of parents collaborated with the Edina Community Foundation to form the Edina Youth Juggling Association, the fundraising arm of Jugheads.
- The foundation serves as a charitable giving partner taking care of the tricky logistics that can come with fundraising.
- Dick Crockett, foundation executive director, explains, “Our purpose is to encourage and facilitate philanthropy in the community. We help people give back.”
- To donate to EYJA or other Edina Community Foundation focus areas, visit edinacommunity foundation.org and click on Contributions.
For Jugheads Youth Juggling Company classes, camps and performance information, visit: jugheads.com
