Who here likes the circus? 🤡
Simeon Graham from Birmingham, UK, is a circus star and record-breaking juggler... oh, and he's 15 years old!
He has broken 3 records so far:
- most juggling catches in one minute (five balls) - 423
- most juggling catches in one minute (six balls) -396
- most juggling catches in one minute (seven balls) - 378
But don't let that fool you - breaking a world record is super hard! In fact, Simeon has been training non-stop for eight years now.
“I’m focused on becoming the best ball juggler that I can possibly be,” he told us.
Some of his juggling idols, like Luca Pferdmenges and Josh Horton, hold multiple world record titles, and that always inspired Simeon to aim at gaining a title of his own one day. ❤️
But how did it all start?
According to Simeon, quite... randomly: “One day, when I was 7 years old, I was sent home from school because I had chicken pox. Also, that day, we spoke about what we wanted to be when we were older and I wasn't sure what I wanted to be.
“I got home and decided to fend off boredom by learning how to juggle. I learnt by watching YouTube videos!”
Fast forward a couple years, he was confidently juggling five balls and his parents decided to recruit a teacher to help improve his technique. 🤓
More recently, Simeon has performed with the Circus Mash group and even appeared as a guest artiste with Gandeys Circus.
Simeon is a natural-born performer... How do we know, you ask?
Well, he recently visited the Guinness World Records Headquarters in London, UK, where he showed us his amazing skills and even taught us some of the juggling basics!
Lucky us, right? 🤩
He also runs his own YouTube channel full of simple and fun tutorials.
I like being a teacher for the next generation of jugglers, so they can become better jugglers than myself.
And in case you're wondering what it takes to become a pro juggler...
According to Simeon, you need to have good hand-eye coordination and dexterity, but also: “Perseverance, determination and resilience.”
Simeon's records may be on 5, 6 and 7 balls, but he can juggle even more than that!
I’ve achieved an 11-ball flash on camera. My dream is to one day be able to surpass Alex Barron’s all-time record of 14 balls… I’m determined to make it to 15 balls!
What is more, he can juggle other objects too, such as clubs - although, for now, he’s keeping his eyes on the ball (get it?🤣).
About his training, Simeon said: “In the summer, I practise outside for at least an hour a day. However, in the winter, I get less time to practise outside because the weather is bad. But I’ve also learned how to juggle inside, under a low ceiling!”
Simeon is an outgoing teen, and his friends love seeing him juggle: “My friends think that [what I do] is really cool. One time, my friend came to see me perform and he loved it!”
If possible, he wants to break even more records in the future! That would be absolutely mind-blowing. 🤯
Also, he wants to turn his passion into an amazing career: “I have been attending classes at the Circus Mash school for the past six years, because I want to become a professional circus performer when I am older.”
So, would you ever consider becoming a juggler?
If you're thinking about it, here is Simeon’s advice to start your juggling journey:
“First of all, never get angry while juggling. Secondly, have fun with it – if you’re not having fun, you simply won’t learn.
“Finally, never give up; this is not just advice for juggling, but advice for life. If you give up, you will never reach your full potential.”
And we couldn't agree more! 👏
The one thing that I love about what I do is inspiring other people to start a hobby that they are passionate about and love doing. Being inspirational is the coolest characteristic to have.
Welcome to the Guinness World Records family, Simeon! Who else cannot wait to see what record he'll break next? 🙋🏽♀️
Did you know that Simeon is one of our Young Achievers in the Guinness World Records 2024 book? Find out more about him here.
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