Sean McKinney was born on December 11, 1974 in San Diego California to parents Jody and John McKinney. As a child, Sean showed an immediate interest and natural inclination toward playful games and sports. Of special interest to him were chess and baseball. These two activities would remain important to him throughout his life and demonstrate a remarkable balance between a complicated and sophisticated mind as well as an incredibly physical and athletic approach to life.

Those who knew Sean only through the world of juggling, watching him shine on stage as a remarkably innovative performer with a very distinct style all his own, may not have had opportunity to see Sean as philosopher, compassionate and caring friend, and ever the playful seeker of fun new games to enjoy.

Possessed of a cunning analytical mind, Sean was constantly thinking about the ways of the world, how systems might be improved, and the most appropriate ways to live an ethically correct life. Always ready for a friendly debate, Sean would happily engage anyone on any topic, simply for the fun and mental exercise.

Most people who knew Sean, knew him through the context of juggling. Sean learned to juggle as an eleven year old on the beach in San Diego at a family gathering. Shown how to juggle a basic three ball cascade, Sean was instantly hooked and juggling and his skills advanced rapidly, though baseball remained a more primary focus. Eventually this focus shifted when Sean began to realize that he would be able to take juggling farther than he would baseball.

He first competed in 1990 at the IJA festival in Los Angeles. Though he did not place, he did catch the attention of the audience for his unique style and flair. In 1991, at the IJA festival in St. Louis, Sean again competed with his Footloose routine and this time placed 3rd. Finally, in 1992 at the IJA festival in Montreal, Sean captured gold with a new set of choreography set to the EMF song Unbelievable!.

As early as 1989 Sean had started street performing in San Diego's Balboa Park. With a sharp wit, boyish charm, and a radical style, Sean was always a crowd favorite on the street, whether in Balboa Park, Pearl Street Mall in Boulder CO, San Francisco's Pier 39 or Keywest, FL. Some of Sean's closest friends were his partners in two-man street shows, Bob Hartman, and Steven Hess. Steve and Sean were known as "The Mean Green Juggling Team." One of Sean's other key performance outlets in San Diego was the Fern Street Circus, which he performed with several seasons.

Sean's style, original, edgy, extremely physical, and constantly risky, was the juggling equivalent of the revolution in sports brought on by the counter-cultural vanguard of the skating and surfing worlds. While skating and surfing have hugely impacted modern sports, spawning the XGames and the "Extreme" approach to athletic endeavors, Sean's pioneering approach to juggling also had a significant impact.

Sean felt that juggling had was stuck in a very narrow and limited range of expression and he very much wanted to push juggling in new directions rather than do what had been done before. This attitude toward juggling and life made Sean a perfect participant in the film Caught Clean, which combined juggling and skate-boarding in an unexpected but very effective fusion.

The fusion of the two was successful largely because Sean was to the world of juggling what skateboarding was to the world of sports; unique, aggressive, counter-cultural, and innovative for the sake of innovation. Laban Pheidias was the producer of the film and he, along with Jeff King, also a participant, were friends of Sean.

In 1999 Sean decided to compete in the IJA competitions once more. Traveling from San Diego to Boulder, CO he refined his Ant's Marching routine on Pearl Street before traveling the rest of the way to Niagra for the competition. Competing with only three clubs and three balls, Sean was uncertain how the routine would be received by the judges.

Simultaneously disappointing and remarkable, Sean took the silver with this routine which was one of the best that Sean had ever created. In 2000, Sean traveled to Montreal to compete with a routine set to the music of Shakira. In a decision that seemed surprising to many who saw the routine, Sean did not clear the preliminary round to be allowed to compete in the finals.

The following year, 2001, Sean competed with a new routine in Madison WI. Though he wowed the judges in the preliminary round, his competition attempt was not as strong and, disappointingly, he did not place.

In 2003, Sean moved from Colorado, where he had been living since 2000, back to his original home of San Diego.

Leaving a void that may never be filled, Sean died in early summer of 2004. Sean is survived by his mother and father, long time girlfriend Peggy Reuss, and a great many friends from along the way.

Sean had an air of magic about him that charmed and captivated people of all ages. As son, friend, lover, and juggler, he touched all those who knew him, even those who met him only briefly. He is sorely missed by those who held him dear.

Though his life was cut far too short, he has left an indelible mark upon the world and his legacy lives on in a large collection of video footage, in the stories and memories of countless people around the world, in a competition created to carry forward Sean's impact on juggling, and deep in the heart of all those who were inspired by Sean's electrifying presence.

Written by Sven Jorgensen