Wednesday, March 31, 2010

RIT Alum Warren Hammond returns to host The Big Open

Warren Hammond is a freak. No, I'm not name calling here, anyone who can successfully graduate from RIT, then do longevity research, then switch gears and within just a few years become an award winning solo and team juggler must be a freak. The world needs more freaks like Warren.

Warren
is an alum of the Class of 2004 who majored in Biology. After RIT he spent 2 years in grad school at Baylor College of Medicine in the Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, then 1 1/2 years as a research tech at the university of Colorado health science center working on aging and genetic engineering.

He returns to RIT on April 16th doing nothing of the above. Although his knowledge of Biology probably helped when he first decided to drive a screwdriver into his nose...ewww.


Warren will be hosting the Big Open our Free Friday night show at RIT for the opening of 33rd RIT Spring Juggle-In and Emceeing the main show on Saturday as part of the award winning comedy Duo called SMIRK.

Currently living in Boulder, Colorado. he is veteran street performer, improv fanatic and an accomplished juggler able to handle 7 balls, 6 clubs and 7 rings. His recent awards include the Gold Medal for eXtreme Juggling, with 3 balls: July 17, 2009 at the International Jugglers Association Championships and a Silver Medal, for his team performance as SMIRK with Reid Belstock.

When you talk to him though, those aren't the things he is most excited about. Right now Warren is driven to put things in his nose. As he excitedly told me about all the new possibilities he could envision to do with putting things in his nasal passages.. qtips, nails, screwdrivers, I couldn't get over his enthusiasm and creative mind-set.

I suppose that's what happens when you mix a creative research scientist with a sideshow act and comic juggling enthusiast. I'm sure the show will be full of surprises with Warren as host.

For more about Warren you can find him on Facebook, or check out his website