Rapid City Awards

 

IJA Award of Excellence - Albert Lucas

Lucas showed that he richly deserved the Award of Excellence as few other award recipients ever have - by flashing 12 rings, setting an IJA numbers record by juggling 10 rings for 20 throws, and running away with four gold medals in joggling races! He explained in a workshop presentation that jugglers are witnessing a "Lucas renaissance" in which, at age 36, he has recommitted himself to numbers juggling before the inevitability of age begins takes its toll on his skills. It was with that in mind that the life-long champion spoke to the crowd about failure. He said, "I'd like to come back next year and be a little better, to see if I can improve on my records now. But if it turns out I'm at my peak and fade by next year, it would be OK to finish behind some of these younger kids. I look forward to the day I can sit in the audience and watch young jugglers better my marks. Nothing would make me happier than to have a young juggler tell me some day 'I saw you in Rapid City and that's when I decided I wanted to be a champion.' The important thing is not to achieve, but to make the commitment to try, knowing you might not make it."

 

IJA Historical Achievement Award ­ Bob Bramson

Bob Bramson honored the IJA by ending his 53-year professional career of hoop rolling and juggling as the finale act in the Cascade of Stars show. The long standing ovation he received at its conclusion should carry him for many years of retirement at his home in Bad Pyrmonr, Germany, with his wife, Liz. He leaves with no regrets. "I had such good success. Everything has an end, and I am able to finish on my own terms." He figures he lived three or four lives in comparison to others, traveling the world doing what he loved and getting paid for it, living for extended periods of time in places other people save for years to visit for a few days. The friends he made in those places support him still and greet him warmly when he visits. "My happiness here at the end has nothing to do with the money, it's for the richness of my life, which is something you can't buy for anything."

 

IJA Honorary Life Membership ­ Betty Gorham Willer

Just two days after the founding of the IJA, 15-year-old Betty Gorham's name was enrolled as the organization's first member, and she has remained a member to this day. She was a part of a new generation of jugglers and of women in post-vaudeville, post-war America. Acknowledged as one of the best jugglers of the era, she was the only woman to perform in center ring of the Ringling circus. She was also one of the fastest jugglers in the ring - her hands were an absolute blur when she did the claw. She performed across the country as a solo juggler until she and her husband, Ken Willer, began a duo act in 1970. The couple is still on the road, touring state and county fairs with a dog/clowning/balancing act.

 

IJA Excellence in Education Award ­ Kay Caskey & Laurie Young

These two women know that "Those who laugh, last." And juggling is one of the primary means by which they have helped countless people learn to lighten up during the past eight years. Old friends Laurie and Kay joined forces in 1988 to form "Laughter Works," a partnership in Decatur, Mich., that heals spirits and bodies more used to stress than smiles. They also teach courses at Western Michigan University entitled "Health & Humor," "Coping with Change," "Mind-Body Wellness," "Uses of Therapeutic Toys, and "Approaches to Vital Aging."

 

People's Choice Award ­ Gil Pontius (a.k.a. Dr. Stardust)

This Boston-area research associate at the Stockholm Environmental Institute studies the interaction between humans and the environment at the global scale. He made a personal impact on fellow jugglers with his "universal balance" of 19 objects at Club Renegade (disassembling them while maintaining the balance!), and a championships act that many fans felt should have earned him a medal. His prop stand represented a solar system, with a volleyball in the middle and five smaller balls suspended around it. He came stage costumed as an ancient astronomer to "discover" the solar system with a telescope, which he of course manipulated. He then juggled the telescope and the "sun" (volleyball) until they got sucked into a black hole. It got even better when he brought out the "orbitals!"

 

Founder's Award - Bob Nickerson

The Founder's Award ordinarily recognizes a performer who, during the festival, presents an act which reflects the best of vaudeville, including a beginning, middle and end. The judges made an exception this year since Bob Nickerson could clearly go on forever on stage! As championships MC, Nickerson, the King of Puns, expertly entertained the crowd for more than 40 minutes while the judges deliberated. Nickerson dug deep into his bottomless bag of tricks to pull forth swim flippers; bird jokes, baseball jokes, a suppine bowling ball juggle and a giant hula hoop juggle during the long wait.

 

Flamingo Club Award - Elizabeth Sanberg

This 12-year-old member of the Wise Guys Jugglers in Edina, Minnesota, made a significant impression as a team leader of that group and as a manipulator of seven balls and five clubs. The newly formed "Flamingo Club" honored her with a bouquet of new juggling clubs as an encouragement to this youngster to continue pursuing the art form.

 

Cascade Jugglers Outstanding Woman Award - Peggy Reuss

This most established of affiliate awards at the festival recognizes a woman who "helped make it the festival." For the past several years, Peggy Reuss has served as sign language interpreter for the championships and public shows, making her a highly visible but silent partner in these major events. Her skills have made the proceedings accessible for the hearing-impaired, and her good-humored graciousness in accepting grief from emcees has endeared her to all members of the audience.