Last night I participated in the Winter, 2005 Strolling Olympics at the Magic Castle. There were over twenty competitors and sixteen tables of "guests" - among them the judges. I had to hit as many tables as possible in an hour - that's 3-4 minutes per table average, assuming there's always an open table, and with more magicians than tables that's a failing assumption.

I did horribly.

I think that the biggest problem is that my magic wasn't flashy: no coin flurries, no big productions, that sort of thing. I did the kind of magic that I usually do when I'm strolling at parties, and my style is more deliberate than frenetic.

I'm also coming off nearly three weeks of bronchitis, so that didn't help, either.

Ah, well. There's always the Spring.

Audiences cannot always concentrate on the magic with patter. You need to be able to catch their attention with a little flourish or two. This would have greatly helped you.

Keep working at it.

Jason

S2000 magician, you did great. I was there and you did some great magic. Don't beat yourself up. Ewizardmagic, you weren't there and he didn't need more flourishes to make his magic better. He was professional and kind. Magicians don't need to be able to cut a deck into ten or more packets while striking a pose. I hope s2000magician participates again next time. Good for you for trying, it's more than I can say for a lot of others.

Thanks for your kind words.

I e-mailed Jeff Ezell today and he said the same thing. I based my conclusion on the tally of scores. Jeff wants to get together with me to go over a few ideas. I appreciate the support.