With the encouragement of his father, Albert began juggling at age 3[2] and performing at age 4 in comedy clubs, small circuses and nightclubs.[1] From age 8 to 11 he toured with Liberace and then performed in Las Vegas.[1] From age 12 to 22, he traveled the world performing his juggling act on ice with the Ice Capades.[1] Albert spent several years performing in the Around the World on Ice show at Busch Gardens Theme Park.[3] Albert has performed at both the NBA Finals and the NHL Stanley Cup Finals.[4]
Sport juggling
Albert co-founded the International Sport Juggling Federation[5] in order to develop sport juggling, including joggling, with the goal of re-introducing it to the Olympics.[6] He has joggled in 12 marathons,[6] including a marathon with no drops in 1987, which established a Guinness world record.[7]
Skills
At the age of 10, Albert won the Numbers Competition with seven rings at the International Jugglers' Association Summer Festival in 1970.[2] He was the U.S. Nationals Champion at the IJA Summer Festival in 1984.[8] He is the first person to have qualified 10 objects in competition, juggling 10 rings for 20 catches at the IJA Summer Festivals in 1996 and 2002.[9][10] He currently holds the world recordflash 13 rings.[11]
Albert throws
Kit Summers named a juggling trick after Albert[12]—an "albert throw"—which is a reverse club throw under the leg, made from front to back without either foot leaving the floor.[13] This trick was performed by many earlier jugglers,[12] originating with Morris Cronin,[14] who specialized in club juggling during the early 1900s.[15]
^ abKit Summers (1987). Juggling with Finesse: The Definitive Book of Juggling. Finesse Press. p. 86. ISBN0-938981-00-5. Retrieved February 20, 2011. I named this trick after Albert Lucas, who was the first person that I saw doing the trick, even though others, such as Fudi, Ron Hennon, and Rudy Horn, did it earlier.
^Alan Howard (March 1984). "IJA Scout Spots the Pros In Las Vegas Nightspots". Juggler's World. 36 (4). International Jugglers' Association: 4. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2011. The finishing routine is three torches, culminating with continuous throws of the torches through his legs from front to back. I mentioned to him that these between-the-leg tosses have become known to many jugglers as "Albert throws" and asked him what he called them. He was flattered (noting he certainly wasn't the first person to perform the trick), and said he had no name for the move although he used to call them "a pain in the neck!"
^"Shootin' the Breeze With the Bulletin Subscribers". Juggler's Bulletin. 38. International Jugglers' Association. October 1947. Retrieved February 20, 2011. Tom Breen pens, '...Wonder if some one would write a description of Morris Cronin's Act... Cronin was first man to Juggle three clubs and shoot club through legs while both feet are on the floor. He was also the first to throw a club back thru legs and catch it while juggling three.'
^Clever Conkey (October 1, 1915). "Just Juggling Jottings". Vaudeville Missouri Breeze. Archived from the original on January 13, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2011. Morris Cronin, who was formerly acknowledged to be the best single club juggler in every way, is getting away from that kind of work...
