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Frank Smith

When Frank Smith took up his tossing-catching-balancing hobby more than 30 years ago, he didn’t realize it would evolve into something useful.

“The reason I took up juggling was because I wanted to be a PE (physical education) teacher,” Frank said.

After graduating from Kentucky State University in 1995, he took a student teaching position at Bridgeport where he developed a juggling lesson for his elementary students.

With a little coaching – even if they’re skeptical at first – many students pick up Frank’s hobby. In the process, they improve hand-eye coordination, tracking skills, peripheral vision, shoulder and arm strength and confidence.

He enjoys seeing their self-esteem increase when they master juggling – including one boy in particular.

“You should have seen his face light up,” Frank said. “I’ve used it many times when I thought children weren’t feeling good about themselves.”

Frank – who is left-handed – said juggling improved his ambidexterity.

“That became beneficial to do things with either hand,” he said. “There are lots of benefits – mostly focus and concentration.”

He said it’s best to start tossing one object in the air then from hand to hand and gradually add others. Using three different colored objects helps him keep track of rhythm.

“The toss is more important than anything else.”

He’s always willing to show others.

“Any time I have three objects and someone who wants to learn how to do it … I’ve taught it all kinds of places. They always want to know how you do it.”

Frank started juggling with three balls – which he still prefers and usually carries – but also uses marbles, bottle caps and cigar boxes.

“You get tired of one thing so you continually change,” he said. “With juggling, it’s all rhythmic.”

He said different objects, like the cigar boxes, require a different pattern of movement and shifting. Some jugglers balance plates, hats or Chinese yo-yos, but Frank said he’s not that advanced.

Juggling is an inexpensive hobby – although there are special objects that can be costly – Frank said he shops at Goodwill to find items like marbles.

When he shops, he picks up items to see how they feel and their weight to determine if they’d make good juggling equipment.

There are varying types of juggling – underhanded, over handed, circular and overhead are among the most popular.

Frank said he’d like to learn a style called “contact juggling” where he’d move a crystal ball over his hands and body instead of tossing the ball in the air.

He’d also like to work on partner juggling – juggling while tossing objects back and forth to another person. Additionally, he’s developing a type of juggling where the juggler moves an object around his body.

“Right now I use it mostly to entertain nieces and nephews and grandchildren,” he said. “I’ve used it in a variety of instances.”

He said he’s used juggling at baseball fields catching foul balls and in airports. One time he made a deal with workers at the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. If he could juggle baseball bats, they would give him a Louisville Slugger for free.

He did – and Louisville Slugger followed through.

Frank said he’s juggled to get children to stop crying and fidgeting.

“(When juggling) you’re always entertained and you entertain the people around you,” he said.

Originally from Illinois, he’s assistant coordinator of the after school care program at Thorn Hill Learning Center. He and his wife, Bonnie, have been doing massage therapy for 25 years. He has a son, David, who also juggles, two granddaughters and a third on the way.

He hopes to start a juggling club in Frankfort.

“I’m hoping there are people in the community interested in juggling,” he said. “I would like to see people seriously interested in juggling meet once a month.”

He recently taught a class at Frankfort Yoga Studio to gauge interest. He said his main goal with the class and club is to meet fellow jugglers to trade tips and equipment.

Five participated in that class and used objects from balls to rings to clubs to juggle and learned techniques such as behind the back tossing.

Frank concedes no matter how skilled a juggler he becomes, there’s one force constantly working against him.

“Gravity always wins.”

“Frankfort Faces” is a series that highlights people from within the Frankfort and Franklin County community. Each feature follows one of the city’s most unique personalities and includes a story, photos and video, which can be found by clicking the TV icon attached to the story online at state-journal.com.