The Pros and Cons of Magic Clubs

I can wholly attribute my rapid rise in the world of magic to a small group of people in my home state of Michigan: IBM Ring 54, Doug Dean Ring: The Magicians' Guild of Lansing.

Because of the camaraderie of my fellow Ring members, I was motivated to continue on in magic, pushing me to learn and practice, and later to compete, all the while creating some meaningful, lasting friendships.

But I also know that not everyone can claim as life-changing an experience as I can. In fact, some people downright hate magic clubs, often with good reason. Things can become more about the politics of running a magic club, and less about the magic.

All too often, I hear clubs who lament the lack of participation by most members, the drop in attendance, and fewer new, young members to perpetuate the club's existence. To attract new, young members, clubs need to offer them a reason to come. Meetings should be organized to create interaction among older, more experienced members and the new members who are eager to learn.

Avoiding the problem doesn't solve it. For members to join a club, then never make any attempt at fixing it while complaining the while accomplishes nothing in the long run.

If you see your club heading down a path you don’t think it should, you should make it known in a diplomatic way. Get involved, step up. Run for an officer position. Bylaws and parliamentary procedure are only tools used at meetings to make them run orderly. The original purpose of the meeting, to learn and perform, must always remain forefront.