Polished Raspynis Take Teams Championship

 

In the IJA / Baby Ruth Teams Champ­ionships, the professional polish of The Raspyini Brothers scored higher with the judges than either the technical expertise of the Passing Zone or audience appeal of the Philippine Pride Jugglers.

 

The acts finished in the same order they took the stage, with the Raspyni Brothers winning in the generally disliked lead-off spot. It was the second time Dan Holzman and Barry Friedman had won the event, as they also took it in 1984.

 

They began with club solos, then did a leapfrog takeaway with sickles. They passed five clubs and a ball, then continued passing five clubs while bouncing the ball back and forth with their heads. They passed six clubs and kicked up a seventh into the pattern, then finished with eight clubs passed with single spins. The finale was a new routine of bouncing three bowling balls off a mini-trampoline to each other between the legs of a volunteer.

 

The Passing Zone, Owen Morse and Jon Wee, opened with eight rings passed on six foot unicycles. They did a two-person, seven ball lift bounce, then a leap-frog takeaway of three clubs. They passed six and seven clubs, did a 3-3-10 pattern with eight clubs and finished with nine clubs passing. The pair had only been working on the act for three weeks, since Wee moved to California from Minnesota . They plan to perform together this year while Morse finishes college.

 

The Philippine Pride Jugglers (Emily Cafina, Regina Tayko, Joyce Bonachita and Irlopal Macabinguil) brought down the house with their fast-paced club passing set to 1950's music and costuming. Wearing bright blouses and skirts, the girls and Irlopal wove dozens of different formations across the stage as they passed clubs and rings.

 

Darn Good and Funny, the Norman Oklahoma group of Kevin Holman and Karen and Paul Phariss, scored well with the audience and judges with a clean, bright, routine of cooperative club and hoop work.

 

Up In the Air, Mark Faje and last year's juniors winner Curt Bonnem, suffered from many drops in a routine that was geared toward their technical abilities. One highlight trick was a four club leap-frog takeaway.