Jamestown Whip Artist Places First in Speed and Accuracy

JAMESTOWN '" Writer and western performer Gery L. Deer, of Jamestown, took home the first place award in bullwhip speed and accuracy at the 9^th Annual Western Arts Showcase exhibition competitions in Greenville July 30th. Deer bested six of his competitors by cutting ten targets in just less than 13 seconds. He also performed and served as master of ceremonies for five western arts shows from Friday until Sunday.

Held during the Annie Oakley Days Festival at the Darke County Fairground, the Western Arts Showcase provides audiences with a unique look at professional practitioners of the Wild West arts including knife throwers, trick ropers and whip artists. Saturday's events were capped off with a full stage production Wild West show hosted by The Brothers & Co. Entertainers, a professional music and variety group based in Jamestown.

Known locally for his work as a business writer and op-ed columnist for area newspapers, Deer, 43, is also an internationally recognized master bullwhip artist and instructor. Deer performs throughout the United States on his own and with the two-man Vaudeville tribute show, Whips and Wands. He holds multiple regional and national whip speed and accuracy titles and was honored in 2007 by the International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame as Wild West Performer of the Year.

Deer's distinctive whip work was recently spotlighted on the PBS program, Our Ohio, in a feature story about The Whip Artistry Studio, his whip performance and educational facility based in Jamestown. The exclusive whip school is the only one of its kind in the country and provides certified, professional instruction in the use of the bullwhip as a sport and performance art.

"The showcase event is a lot of work for those of us who present it, but it's unique and a lot of fun too," said Deer, who hopes Greene County event planners will take notice and want bring the show to local venues sometime in the near future. "The whip is an elegant tool, amazing to watch in the right hands and precise in its ability to shock and awe spectators."

In addition to performing and teaching, Deer develops custom whip holstering equipment for feature films such as the 2003 movie, The Rundown, and appears regularly on national television programs like the CW's "Steve Harvey's Big Time Challenge," NBC's "America's Got Talent," and daytime's "The Bonnie Hunt Show." For more information about the showcase event or whip artistry performances, go online to www.thewhipstudio.com.