CEDAR RAPIDS - It's more than a childhood phase or even a weekend hobby. Doug Sayers says he knew, the first time he witnessed this weightless motion, he would spend his life perfecting it.

"They were just teaching people with tennis balls with beans in them, and I picked it up pretty quickly in about 10 minutes."

His skills have come a long way from that 8-year-old boy's, but now on the brink of high school graduation he knows he never would've gotten this good at juggling without some help from mom.

Cheryl Sayers put her skills to use, as well, and became an entrepreneur in the process. As a one-woman assembly line, she can crank out one juggling ball in a half hour. At 4,000 a year, her skill has become a full-time job.

She says, “In any other sport, he'd have a sponsor, a corporate sponsor."

The Sayers found learning how to juggle is expensive. Jugglers learn the tricks from other jugglers typically at costly festivals nowhere near Iowa.

Cheryl says, "It takes a lot of balls to get him to travel to Europe to do a competition."

Her engineer husband came up with the design, and Cheryl sells the balls online and at the festivals. Now she has a reputation in the juggling realm as one of four juggling ball makers in the U.S.

Doug is also making a name for himself.

Cheryl says, "He's really improved his juggling since we've been at more festivals."

Now Doug dreams of teaching others - even his mom - how to juggle.

She jokes, "He tolerates me sometimes."

Actually, Doug says things aren't that bad.

"A lot of my juggling friends are pretty jealous."

They've found a way to juggle their roles as mom and son and become successful business partners, too.

After he graduates this month, Doug will move from Cedar Rapids to Chicago to pursue a career as a coach and a performer, possibly even opening his own studio someday.

Cheryl will continue her business and wants to work with area schools to implement juggling programs there.

E-mail Josh Hinkle at Josh.Hinkle@kcrg.com