TAKES JUGGLING METAPHORS TO SCHOOLS, CORPORATE WORLD

Toss five of just about anything in the air—balls, torches, cigar boxes—and Mike Vondruska will make your eyes pop. He even rides a unicycle while juggling.

“What I do is a comedy show that includes juggling and unicycling,” he says.

Don’t tell the kids, but it’s also educational. “In kids’ minds, it’s fun. That’s what they see,” Vondruska says. “I teach them that it’s okay to make mistakes as long as you try again. Every drop is one step toward getting it.”

Conveys Lessons for Life

He talks about goal-setting. “What do you enjoy?” he asks. “How would you go about learning more about what you enjoy?” Through his juggling, Vondruska complements what students are learning about respect, sticking with it and other life skills.

Similar opportunities are available to corporations and adults. “I use juggling as a metaphor for points I make,” he says. “I talk about adapting to overcome life’s extraordinary challenges, which are really adventures in disguise.”

He also teaches juggling.

Learned Young

Vondruska began juggling in sixth grade and learned more while a Western Illinois University student. When he graduated in 1978, he attended the International Jugglers’ Association festival in Oregon, and met someone who helped people launch juggling performance businesses.

A Universal Language

He’s been at it ever since, operating and serving as president of the Illinois Juggling Institute Inc. in Bollingbrook, Ill. (www.learntojuggle.net). “Juggling is a universal language,” he says. “Add it to music, and you can go anywhere.”

And he has. To audiences of more than 1 million combined at schools, community programs, conferences and more, most within a six-hour drive of Chicago. He’s also traveled; one of his favorite spots was Shanghai, China, where he drew as many as 1,500 at his shows.

Keeps Insurance on Solid Ground

While he loves keeping lots of balls in the air, insurance coverage is something he keeps on solid ground. “I found Spiris on the Internet,” he says. His previous carrier covered him, but not his students.

“I was in a rush because I had a gig coming up where my client wanted ‘an additionally insured’ document from my insurance company. I had just found out my former company did not cover students,” he says. “Spiris was the quickest to respond, had the coverage I was looking for, and for a heck of a lot cheaper than I was paying.”

Andy Pack from Spiris assured him he could meet the deadline. “And here’s the good part,” Vondruska says, “He then did what he said he would do. Those are the kind of folks you want to have representing you—those with integrity and timely care.

” He went on to tell other entertainers about Spiris.

True to his talents of keeping many balls in the air, Vondruska also operates another business—Discover Veracruz Tours, an adventure travel business that takes groups to jungles, the mountain top and the beach (www.discoveracrustours.com).