Lucas explained that he went after the records in the first place because "I got tired of hearing about how great Ignatov was. I started telling people that there were jugglers here in the United States who could do the same thing if they spent the time at it."

 

In establishing these records, Lucas says he discovered the temporary nature of officially recorded limits of human achievement. "I did 10 balls, but I've started holding 12 now," he grinned.

 

Personally, Lucas believes he can execute a 12 ball flash at next summer's IJA convention. That will beat Rastelli's alleged 10 ball record, and Lucas wants to at least tie Ignatov's 12-ring record at the same time.

 

As stupendous as his personal feats may be it his yet young life, Lucas only considers them standards for other jugglers to snipe at. He knows he will only temporarily represent the limits of numbers juggling.

 

With that in mind, it isn't paradoxical that Lucas doesn't want to be remembered principally as a great numbers juggler.

 

The activity he takes the greatest pride in, and wants to be remembered for, is juggling on the ice.

 

For almost ten years, from age 12 to 22, Lucas excited crowds in large arenas all over the world with an ever-improving show as a performer with Ice Capades. Not one to hide his self esteem, he gets excited talking about his act as it had evolved by 1982, the year he left Ice Capades for the smaller ice rink at the Hacienda Hotel in Las Vegas.

 

"The main thing I did was move," he said. "I fired out right after they announced my name and did three clubs all over the ice for 90 seconds. I covered every inch of it! It was a hell of an opening!"

 

Then he juggled from seven down to to three balls with catches in a billiard pocket belt amidst pirouettes and flourishes. Next he juggled five tennis rackets the full length of the ice, then concluded with a hot and fast three torch routine.

 

The ice surface at the Hacienda is much smaller than the big hockey rinks of his Ice Capades days, and the ceiling height precludes the towering throws he used to enjoy.

His present act begins with 30 seconds of seven rings. The rest of the act is: Four tennis rackets with tosses over the shoulder, four split, two high with a pirouette (he can do four racket pirouette with adequate clearance). Five rackets with a toss under the leg. Four scarves. Comedy routine with three ping pong balls for fun and laughs and "to kill about 30 seconds."

 

Following are: three clubs. The seven balls (unweighted Cooper street hockey balls) with pockets includes a flash over for a pocket catch, then a half spin into a five ball shower. Two are caught left-right, boom-boom. Two double turns to a catch in left and right pocket, double turn to back pocket catch. Three ball flash to three catches, this ending includes a quadruple pirouette final catch!                 .

 

Penultimate is the self-described "garbage trick," a la Francis Brunn and his hero Ron Hennon - beach ball spinning on mouth piece, hoop spinning on right arm, ball spinning on finger, three hoops juggled with left hand, hoop spinning on left leg. The torch routine concludes the 7 minute act.

 

Lucas was glad to get off the Ice Capades tour and settle into Las Vegas after nearly a decade of traveling, but now he's not so sure he wouldn't enjoy another tour and the freedom to move again.