Juggling clown brings message to students

LIMA - Juggling three balls at ease in front of a crowd of 400, it's hard to imagine Derek Dye ever dropping the ball.

He did, many times.

"Anybody who's ever juggled before, when they first start juggling, they dropped the ball," he told high school students Friday. "No matter how good they are now, when they first start juggling, they dropped the ball."

Dye delivered a juggling and balancing act keynote address at the Business Professionals of America regional fall leadership conference held at the University of Northwestern Ohio Event Center. Ten schools that offer career and technical education attended.

A former Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus clown, Dye used the tricks he learned as a clown and professional juggler to grab his audience's attention. The motivational speaker made sure to sock the students with life lessons, too.

"Don't be afraid to fail. Don't be afraid to make that mistake. A mistake isn't always a bad thing," he told the students.

Dye always dreamed of being an entertainer. He tried out along with 2,000 people for the circus, being one of 30, and the youngest, to get selected. He later became a Major League Baseball mascot for the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates. It all started with just a dream, he reminded students.

"If you are going to get that dream, you have to start working toward that dream today. And I don't mean putting it off until tomorrow," he said. "If you put something off until tomorrow, that tomorrow will never come."

Juggling baseball bats while students sang "Take Me Out to the Ballpark," Dye also wowed the students when he balanced a chair and then a ladder on his face.

"Every time you hit a goal, you have to have another," he said.

Dye encouraged students to spend some time daily daydreaming, but not to stop there. Once you have ideas, he said, research them, get involved, and "blaze a new trail to that dream." This year's BPA theme is "Blazing New Trails."

To achieve their dreams, Dye told students they needed to stay away from alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs and pre-marital sex, all things that will hold them back. They also need to choose their friends wisely.

"You need to surround yourself with a group of friends that respects the fact that you are different," he said. "Every opportunity you are going to get is because you stand out."