Father and son reminisce on their high-flying sport

+ LEARN MORE --> For one father and son, Alaskan blanket toss is a family tradition July 17, 20264:41 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition By Max Jungreis For one father and son, Alaskan blanket toss is a family tradition Listen &middot; 3:24 3:24 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5891637/nx-s1-9852354" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript A father and son discuss an old Alaskan whaling tradition known as the blanket toss. Sponsor Message Transcript (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) A MARTÍNEZ, HOST: Time now for StoryCorps. The World Eskimo Indian Olympics are underway in Alaska. Reginald Joule III grew up watching his father compete in the games by getting launched into the air from a walrus skin blanket.

+ REGGIE JOULE: I might be a short, little, fat man, but I love to fly.

+ MARTÍNEZ: That's Joule's father, Reggie. He's considered the all-time greatest blanket toss champion. Contestants get thrown up to 30 feet and perform spins and tricks. Father and son recently sat down for StoryCorps. REGINALD JOULE III: Can you tell me about the first time you did the blanket toss? REGGIE JOULE: Gosh, I was probably about 11. Just a skinny, little kid. I got thrown up, but I went off course over the people, and I was headed to the ground. One big man ended up catching me. I was pretty scared, and I turned to walk away, not knowing the blanket was directly behind me. I walked right onto it. So they picked it back up and tossed me again. (LAUGHTER) REGGIE JOULE: I probably would never have gotten back on that skin. But when I looked down, I saw 400 people all looking up to watch me. And I realized that I was enjoying myself. REGINALD JOULE III: You know, as a kid, I didn't know how big you were until I got older. And then I remember you cleaning out your showcase, throwing away a lot of the medals that you had. And I asked why. You told me, I don't want you to feel like you have to live up to it. You grow into what it is that you want to do. REGGIE JOULE: I didn't want you guys to live with this pressure. Children should have the liberty of finding their own gifts. REGINALD JOULE III: And so, what did you think when I first started? REGGIE JOULE: I was surprised that you were interested in learning the sport. But as a parent, I was proud. REGINALD JOULE III: You know, a couple of years back, you came out of retirement. REGGIE JOULE: I had just gone through cancer treatment, had my nose removed. But I wanted my grandkids to see that you don't have to let those things stop you. REGINALD JOULE III: Yeah. REGGIE JOULE: Both of us competed. REGINALD JOULE III: That was pretty cool. REGGIE JOULE: (Laughter) It was fun to watch you. And even though you're 50 pounds heavier, you still grabbed more air than I did. REGINALD JOULE III: Standing next to you on the podium, I was in your shadow. But you taught me over the years, what was more valuable is that we finished the finish line together. I just hope that we are able to do it every year. REGGIE JOULE: Yeah. REGINALD JOULE III: Because big boys can fly, too. (LAUGHTER) MARTÍNEZ: Reggie Joule and his son, Reginald, for StoryCorps in Anchorage, Alaska. MORNING EDITION and StoryCorps are marking America's 250th with a time capsule of American stories just like this. You'll be matched with a stranger from a different part of the country, and you'll talk about your lives. The recording gets archived at the Library of Congress. And you can sign up at connect250.org. (SOUNDBITE OF EDWARD HOGSTON'S "BLUE AFTERNOON") Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{310:function(e,n,o){o.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([o.e(1),o.e(2),o.e(3),o.e(4),o.e(80)]).then((e=>{o(15),o(769),o(155),o(176),o(93),o(447),o(254),o(128),o(130),o(754),o(175),o(755),o(255),o(78),o(773)}).bind(null,o)).catch(o.oe)},782:function(e,n,o){e.exports=o(310)}},[[782,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();