Local Man Insists He Can Juggle, Demonstrates by Throwing One Ball Up and Catching It Repeatedly

Area resident Dale Turkel, 51, announced at a neighborhood barbecue Sunday that he 'used to juggle,' then demonstrated by tossing a single tennis ball approximately eighteen inches into the air and catching it with the same hand, a motion he repeated seven times while maintaining steady eye contact with onlookers. 'See? Still got it,' Turkel said, placing the ball on a picnic table with an air of finality. Witnesses at the event reported being unsure how to respond. 'He threw one ball,' said neighbor Christine Volante. 'One ball, one hand, straight up and down. That's not juggling. That's catching. My golden retriever does that, and we don't put him on a stage.' When a guest gently suggested that juggling traditionally involves multiple objects in simultaneous flight, Turkel retrieved a second tennis ball and proceeded to throw them alternately — completing what jugglers would recognize as a two-ball shower in one hand, but which Turkel described as 'the advanced version.' 'I learned this at camp in 1987,' Turkel explained. 'Three balls is just showing off. Two is elegant.' Juggling pedagogy experts note that Turkel's claim is surprisingly common. 'Approximately forty percent of adults believe they can juggle based on a single childhood experience that never progressed past what we call a "one-ball comfort toss,"' said Dr. Anna Antipodean, director of the Cascade Research Institute. 'It's the juggling equivalent of claiming you speak French because you can say bonjour.' Turkel has since posted a video of his one-ball technique to Facebook with the caption 'still got the touch,' which has received three likes, all from family members.