Episode 100: Barrow on Juggling for Well-Being
Head Counselor and GAC’s very own Circus Skills Coach tells his GAC story and about the passion for circus skills that he’s shared with our 2024 and 2025 campers and staff. Barrow’s high energy, positivity, and his love of juggling and circus skills have made a huge impact on our community, and we’re so grateful he’s part of our community. Many campers have headed home with their own diablos, practicing new skills they learned from Barrow. Each 2025 Appreciation Campfire featured “Cirque de GAC,” a performance of campers who’ve practiced new circus skills they learned from Barrow. Talk about trying something new!
We talk about some of the many positive benefits of juggling, including reduced stress and anxiety and improved perseverance and confidence.
According to Google:
Diabolo juggling provides a wide array of benefits, from enhancing hand-eye coordination and concentration to boosting confidence and promoting social interaction. The practice can be mentally engaging, physically challenging, and a source of personal expression.
- Improves focus and concentration: Diabolo requires intense and continuous focus to keep the prop spinning and balanced. This is a form of mindfulness that can help with concentration in other areas of life.
- Sharpens reflexes and coordination: To maintain the diabolo’s spin and execute tricks, your eyes must track the diabolo while your hands manipulate the sticks and string. This process improves hand-eye coordination and quickens reflexes.
- Boosts brain health: Learning a complex bilateral motor skill like juggling encourages neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to form new neural connections. This can improve brain health and function throughout a person’s life.
- Increases perseverance: Mastering a new trick is a process of trial and error that teaches patience and persistence. Each failure offers a chance to refine your technique, and the eventual success provides a rewarding sense of accomplishment.
- Reduces stress: The rhythmic and meditative nature of diabolo can provide a healthy distraction from daily stress and anxiety.
- Develops fine and gross motor skills: The delicate, precise movements of the sticks train fine motor skills, while the larger motions involved in tossing and catching the diabolo work gross motor skills.
- Offers a low-impact workout: Diabolo is a physical activity that gets you up and moving, which is healthier than remaining sedentary. Higher-level tricks involving multiple diabolos or acrobatics provide a more athletic challenge.
- Enhances physical expression: As you become more proficient, you can develop your own style and create artistic routines. The diabolo becomes a medium for physical and emotional expression, akin to a form of visual music.
- Builds confidence and self-esteem: Every new trick you master gives you a tangible sense of achievement, which builds confidence and a positive self-image. This reinforces that you are capable of learning and growing.
- Fosters a sense of community: The diabolo community is largely non-competitive and supportive. Sharing knowledge, practicing with friends, and attending juggling clubs or conventions can be a great way to make new connections and bond with others.
- Inspires creativity: From inventing a new trick to choreographing a performance, diabolo encourages creative exploration. Its open-ended nature means there is no limit to what you can learn and create.
Resources/Related
5 Surprising Benefits of Learning to Juggle and Why it Might Improve Your State of Mind
Beyond the Balls: Unlocking the Surprising Benefits of Juggling
Juggling: A Fun Way to Boost Focus and Beat Anxiety
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Episode 99: Pua on Overcoming Discomfort
Second year staff member, Natalia “Pua” Elias Rodriguez, talks about coming to Gold Arrow Camp from Mexico, not knowing anyone else who worked here. Pua had a rough start and talks about her adjustment and the fun, friends, and growth she’s experienced at GAC. Pua has worked as a horseback riding activity counselor for the past two summers.
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