Abracadabra!

Charleswood

Riverview

East Kildonan

St. Vital

Magicians may never reveal their secrets, but that doesn’t mean they can’t take pride in their work.

Asher Kettner recently won the senior division at the 37th annual Young Magicians of Manitoba Showcase of Magic. The stage magic competition for youth ages 7 to 17, was held in Winnipeg on May 2. A student at Westdale School in Charleswood, the 12-year-old was also awarded a gold star for his sleight-of-hand performance.

“Just doing it in general is fun, but winning makes you feel like what you do is good and people really care,” Kettner said. “That it’s really important and making something, you know. It’s fun to be rewarded. It’s hard, lots of practise.”

But Asher isn’t the only young magician in his family. His brother Ben, nine, is also an accomplished magician. In March, the pair took home top honours in the Young Magicians of Manitoba’s up-close magic competition in the junior (for seven-to-nine year olds) and senior (12 to 17) categories.

“They are both very good and entertaining and very different personalities,” said YMM chairperson Bob Barker. “The winner takes home the trophy, but they’re all winners, because to be able to stand up in front of a crowd is really something. They can challenge themselves to do better.”

Both Kettners got involved with the Young Magicians of Manitoba through their father, Jacob, a street-performing magician who went through the program himself as a youngster.

“He showed me my first magic trick and I thought it was a really cool,” said Ben, a student at Pacific Junction School. “He signed me up for the magic classes for my birthday.”

“I came in after seeing how cool it looked,” Asher added, noting he has been involved with the club for two years, while Ben has been involved for three. “It’s just fun to be up on the stage showing people this, making them go ‘Whoa’ and ‘Wow’. It’s pretty fun experience.”

“It’s just really cool to get up on a big stage and perform magic to a bunch of people and amaze them,” Ben said. “Magic is really fun, because unlike hockey or soccer or any other sports, not many people do it. So when you do find a good magician, it’s something special.”

The Kettners are among a group of 20 young magicians who meet biweekly at Riverview Community Centre (90 Ashland Ave.) between October and May each year to study with the Young Magicians of Manitoba, a group dedicated to teaching kids magic, creating lifelong memories and helping them build confidence.

“It’s nice to see the kids succeed, regardless of the level they’ll attain,” said Barker, who has been involved with the YMM since 1990. “As they learn to do things, it’s nice to see their eyes light up. It teaches them self-confidence, as well as a lot of other skills beyond the eye and hand.”

As the only magic club for kids in the city, members are drawn from far and wide, including nine-year-old Korbyn Potter, who lives in Morden, Man., and won the junior title at the stage showcase earlier this month.

“It’s a pretty affordable hobby,” Barker said. “There’s so much around the house you can use as props. Sometimes that’s sort of the fun, you can do magic with every day objects.”

“There’s not a lot of places in town where a kid can come and pick up magic tricks,” said treasurer Carey Lauder, who has been involved with the group since 1994 and also works at Toad Hall Toys. “I know that many parents have said the one thing that we’ve really instilled in the kids is public speaking. We’re in a business where we have to talk, we have no choice. They can kind of hide behind their magic and do their thing.”

Formerly known as the Society of Young Magicians, the Young Magicians of Manitoba has been active since 1984, training hundreds of young magicians over the years. While the group has been at Riverview for the past decade, it previously held its meetings in St. Vital and East Kildonan. The club will begin meeting again in the fall.

For more information, visit youngmagicians.ca