Bruce Foreman Joggling Interview – The Hong Kong Joggler

One day stumbling around the internet, I happened upon this website called A Hong Kong Joggle. It’s another blog dedicated to the wonderful sport of joggling. I contacted its owner, Bruce Foreman, and asked him for an interview. Here’s what this interesting character had to say.

Introduction

My name is Bruce. I am from Sydney Australia, but currently live in Hong Kong. After a four year stint leading tours in China and Tibet, I now work as a writer, photographer, tour guide/ operator and tour leader, occasional chiropractic assistant, script reader, location- scouter, herbal remedies researcher, avid traveler, occasional blogger and joggler.

Firstly, thank you JYAJ for wanting to interview me. What an honour, ’cause when I look back at the beginning of my joggling days, back when I thought I had totally invented the sport myself, I scoured the website and it was you who appeared to have all the cyber limelight with your highly original joggling blog.

This interview is also very timely as the premise for my own joggling blog which started 2 years ago, was to attempt bring recognition to this fantastic sport by bringing it to the Beijing Olympics, which we are now in the exciting 6 month lead up to. If you have followed any of my own blog at http://joggle.wordpress.com you can follow some of the heartache and the anguish that has gone into this journey towards Beijing 2008; about ten minutes worth. Yes… I am sorry to say, my joggling journey has been weak as piss and constantly pushed aside by other fads, though I do remain true to my love for this sport.

But just because I am slack, and the journey has been less than anguished, doesn’t mean that it isn’t going to happen. Joggling will be taken to Beijing in August this year; to what I am sure will be the rapturous appreciation of 1.4 billion Chinese, not to mention the rest of the world, as I set out to snag the world record for the fastest joggle around Tiananmen square. Exclusive coverage to be viewed on A Hong Kong Joggle.

JYAJ: Why did you start joggling?

FOREMAN: The thing that I love about joggling is that you can choose the terms of the competition. Usually I am happy just to run circuits at the Taihang sports Ground and meditate on the waterfall of joggling balls. I personally find it very effective in distracting my attention from the tedium of plain old jogging, but every now and then I will jump from the 400 meter jogging track to the 100 meter sprint track and attempt to race against the senior citizens who are shuffling along, or the kids doing little athletics. So far I have won every race against these tough competitors, even when I have fumbled the joggling balls and had to return to the starting line

JYAJ: How fast do you run?

FOREMAN: I race the clock. My personal best on August 18th 2006 was 24 seconds for 100 meters on rubber.

JYAJ: What is your best joggling story?

FOREMAN: My favourite form of joggling is cross-country. I like to go up into the Hong Kong hills behind where I live, and joggle in the fresh morning air with the birds singing and the pollution pleasantly diluted by sultry breezes from the South China Sea. I have almost stepped on several snakes in the course of such jogging in the hotter summer months, so whilst looking at the balls one must also look out for the local wildlife. I have joggled in Phuket, Macau, and at the Alhambra in Granada, which made a local drug dealer who was trying to pressure-sell me hashish, think that I was already too loopy, subsequently leaving me alone. “Joggling scares off local drug dealers” is a story that I was too lazy to blog but is definitely one of my favourites.

JYAJ: What kind of training do you do?

FOREMAN: In terms of training, I do track-work and cycling, beach running and swimming, and yoga stretches and try and integrate juggling into all of these things, hence joggling has new relatives called swiggling, yogauggling and hikegeling, and daggling (dance juggling), and tai-chiggling, all of which I am hoping to get recognition for inventing.

JYAJ: Do you have a special diet?

FOREMAN: I eat everything, but have been attempting in recent months to focus on alkalizing foods and do away with refined sugar altogether (except for in dark chocolate), whilst introducing super herbs like Gotu Kola, as advocated by the 256 year old Chinese dude Li Ching-Yun whose philosophy –

Sit Like a tortoise
Walk like a pigeon
And sleep like a dog

This serves as a guide to both my joggling and non joggling life.

I drink tea in all forms excessively. I also advocate lemons with water, with avocado, with vodka and gin, and as the hardiest fruit for joggling with – and one that enhances the experience with lovely whiffs of citrus as you jog through the juggle zone.

JYAJ:  How long will you continue to joggle?

FOREMAN:  I am sure I will fall off the joggling band wagon from time to time (not because I am not obsessed by it but because I get obsessed by too many things), but do intend to joggle for the rest of my life, which I am sure will also be lengthened by this healthy and meditative form of exercise… touch wood.

JYAJ: Where do you see the sport of joggling in 10 years?

FOREMAN:  Joggling does require people to look a little silly which is one of the most healthy things about the sport.  But I do think this may hinder the sports uptake by the majority of the population who are stuck on being serious.  So, in ten years time I picture a few more people joining the joggling ‘way’ but not too many.

Its fun, healthy and silly, and it makes people laugh.

Give it a go I say.

Thanks Bruce.  You can read more at Bruce’s joggling blog called A Hong Kong Joggle.  And if he’s successful in his attempts, you might even see him joggling in this year’s Olympics.  See this page for interviews with other jogglers,