About Randy Mayo

When this real estate agent hands you his business card, turn it over. You haven't met any ordinary Realtor; you've met the Earl of Twirl, The Doctor of Dexterity, the Top Cat of Toss and Catch, the Duke of the Devilsticks, the Hat Manipulator and Master juggler, Mr. Randy Mayo.

By reading the front of his business card you'll learn that Randy is an agent for House of Hallmarke Realtors here in Charlottesville. Reading the back will show you that he is also a professional juggler andjuggling teacher. For a fee, he'll demonstrate his skills and teach you how to duplicate his tricks. As he says, "Anyone can learn. " A native of Charlottesville with two degrees from the University of Virginia, Randy claims that he can teach any hopeful participant how to juggle or do the many other tricks and routines he Performs.

Now then, do we pose the question "How did a Realtor become ajuggler," or "How did ajuggler become a Realtor?" In reality, Randy Mayo was a juggler for many years before he started selling real estate. A native of Charlottesville with two degrees from the University of Virginia, Randy claims that he can teach any hopeful participant how to juggle or do the many other tricks and routines he performs.

His cigar box routine and hat manipulation (a la W. C. Fields, perhaps the best ever at this form of entertainment) have, for years, made him a frequent guest at get-togethers all over Central Virginia-he has been performing and teaching since 1970.

Juggling has many benefits including improving hand-eye coordination. Randy is now in the process of teaching local basketball teams how tojuggle. Not only doesjuggling basketballs improve hand and wrist strength, it increases one's confidence in handling a basketball. Randy hopes that success in teaching basketball juggling will open the doors to working with the University of Virginia basketball team. After all, if some major college football teams benefit from ballet lessons, any basketball team should benefit froinjuggling.

Mayo benefits from juggling, too-financially. When asked whether he would rather sell real estate or teachjuggling, he's philosophical. "They're equal parts of my life and they complement each other," he says. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

His performances at everything from weddings to Fridays After Five provide him with a steady second income. His teaching fees also help the old bank account.

There is not much that Mayo can'tjuggle. Scarves are the easiest. They're colorful, they have a great hang time, and they don't hurt your hands if you catch them wrong. The most difficult, he says, are chain saws

There is not much that Mayo can't juggle. The most difficult, he says, are chain saws and squid unless you're juggling both together, in which case you can find yourself knee deep in sushi.

Randy teaches people of all ages and backgrounds. He will not teach how to juggle torches or machetes as many of his students are children and he's mindful of the don't-try-this-at-home syndrome. He claims that he only teaches the basics. Once a student can juggle three of something "they're beyond being taught, it's teaching yourself' at that point.

Finding something to practice with is easy, says Mayo. "Take some tennis balls and cut a small slit in them just large enough to fit a penny in. This also helps you to save money," he says. Fill the tennis ball with pennies and you have a perfect practice ball. It won't bounce, it's not too heavy and it'sjust the right size."

For an impromptu demonstration, lemons are great. Randy likes them because they're colorful and round. "You can drop them and they won't bounce and you can make great lemonade afterward." Toss in an orange for color.

For a second job to be rewarding, it must do several things. First, it must occupy your mind without wearing it out. It must exercise the body while building it up, and it must be totally removed from your firstjob. While the first job is work, the second one must be play! If your second job also entertains, provides stress relief, teaches and gets you in shape, that's not bad either.

Juggling has been practiced for more than 2,000 years. It is open to both sexes and all ages. Practice for less than 2,000 years and you still better not mix chainsaws and squid, unless you're preparing dinner for the seafood lover in Yu.

Can Randy Mayo juggle two careers? As he says, "Anybody can juggle two of anything!

Albemarle Magazine
December 1995 - January 1996

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