Zero Gravity Flair Competition in Omaha, NE

I've been so focused on working as a bartender and teaching flair bartending that I haven't competed in a flair bartending competition in almost two years. So when my old friend and coach Martin Janica invited me to the Zero Gravity Flair Competition in Omaha, NE, I knew it was time to dust of my competition bottles and enter the ring.

 

This is a video of the first night, the 3-minute qualifying round. All I really wanted was a clean routine and to advance to the finals. Overall, I was pretty happy with my showcase. The first two minutes are nearly flawless - I missed maybe two moves I wanted to land, but no spills or drops. The last minute, unfortunately, wasn't quite as smooth. After the first drop, I couldn't get my groove back. My juggling just fell apart. According to the judge's score sheet, I had 7 drops and 4 spills, all of them apparently in the last 45 seconds. Bummer. Either way, I took 12th place, which was enough to advance me to the finals the next night.

Home Sweet Home

Just got back home to Madison, WI, after three days in Omaha, NE, for the Zero Gravity Flair Bartender's Competition. Saw some great flair bartenders with some awesome routines, enough to make me completely happy with my 10th place finish (my goal was really just to make it to the finals.) Had a great time, but I'm completely exhausted.

I'll be sure to get the video of my round up over the weekend. Special thanks to my wonderful friend Martin Janica for inviting me, to Luciano Pontirolli for some coaching, to Corrie Jones for letting me crash with him and Martin for three days, to all the guys at Omaha Flair for putting on a great competition, and to all of the other competitors. I love you guys. My liver hates you.

Wish Me Luck

As soon as I finish typing this, I'm going to jump in my car and drive the 8 hours to Omaha, Nebraska to compete in the Zero Gravity Flair Bartending Championship over the next two days. I haven't actually competed in about two years, but I couldn't pass up the chance to hang out with my old Kahunaville co-worker Martin Janica and the rest of the guys at Omaha Flair. I was also pretty excited to see Tim "Flippy" Morris again; unfortunately, I just heard he had to back out due to another competition in Las Vegas this week. He's easily in my top 3 favorite flair bartenders. Aside from being one of the nicest people you'll ever meet, he brings an energy to his flair that his absolutely unparalleled. I could watch him for hours (and occasionally did when I lived in Las Vegas.) Regardless, I'm still anxious to see the other competitors bring their best flair and kick some ass, too.

I'm feeling pretty good about my routine though I couldn't find any 750s of UV (the competition sponsor) to practice with, so hopefully using live bottles doesn't throw me off too much. Either way, I hope to get some entertaining footage that I'll be sure to get up here in the next week. And I'll be sure to get a new tutorial up by the following week. In meantime, practice practice, and wish me luck!