Longest
upside-down juggling-world record set by Erik Kloeker
[Sep
21] NEWPORT, US--Erik
Kloeker, a 17-year-old from Cold Spring juggled for 90 seconds
and set a world record for the longest upside-down juggling, on
top of the U.S.S. Nightmare at Newport on the Levee Thursday night.
"I saw it in the Guinness World Book of Records
and just thought that it was something I might be able to do," Kloeker
says of his record-breaking attempt.
The previous record for upside-down juggling,
set by Australian Mark Easson in 2005, was 55.9 seconds, according
to Guinness World Records.
The Cold Spring resident juggles sharp objects,
eats fire, swallows swords and performs other risky feats as part
of the Pickled Brothers Sideshow, a Cincinnati-based circus sideshow
co-founded by his brother and manager, 34-year-old Travis Fessler
of Florence.
"He does everything I do," Fessler says. "Just better."
Erik
Kloeker, who taught himself to juggle at 13, trains by doing
about 100 sit-ups a day, plus about 10 upside-down sit-ups. He practices
juggling upside-down for about 20 minutes daily on the trapeze he
rigged up on a rope strung between two trees in his backyard. He
has broken the record in practice before - even doubled it, Fessler
says.
Kloeker's mother, Nancy Fessler, says she's OK with
her son's unusual part-time job - as long as it stays that way.
"You always worry they're going to get hurt, but then I think, playing
football or soccer, you get hurt playing those sports too," she
says."I think it's wonderful that you have something you love to
do and you can do it and make money."
Despite the hazards of the job, Kloeker says
he's never been seriously injured, only suffered - not surprisingly
- minor burns and a sore throat. "If it's something new, it's always
kind of scary starting it out," he says. "You never know what's
going to happen."