Extreme Atheletes in Wheelchairs
Reprinted with permission from http://www.newdisability.com
Aaron Fotheringham, wheelchair skateboarder and the first person to accomplish a backflip in a wheelchair. If you have not yet seen this, click here: http://tinyurl.com/marz6
NewDisability.Com (ND) caught up with Wheelchair Skateboarder Aaron Fotheringham and got to know him better.
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Aaron recently became the first know person EVER to do a Back Flip (click to see video) in a wheelchair. Below is the first ever interview with Aaron Fortheringham. ND: Hi Aaron. Let's start by getting to know more about you. H ow old are you and where are you from? Aaron : I am 14 years young and I am from Las Vegas , Nevada ND: How long have you been in a wheelchair? Aaron : I got my first wheelchair when I was 3. But until I was 8 I mostly used crutches. Sometime in my 8 th year I needed a second hip surgery that didn't really work. Then after a third surgery I started using the chair full time |
ND: You are obviously very good at what you do. How long have you been skateboarding? How old were you when you started?
Aaron : I've been 'Hard Core Sitting' for 6 years, so I was 8 years old when I started.
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ND: What is Hard Core Sitting? Aaron : That is a term I created for extreme wheelchair sports. It includes wheelchair skateboarding. ND: Does wheelchair skateboarding require a lot of practice? Aaron: Yes! I have to keep practicing or I will loose some skills. But I love doing it so much I don't think of it as practice, I think of it as a fun way to live my life. ND: How did you get started? What was the beginning? Aaron : I used to go to the park and watch my brother do BMX tricks. One day he said I should try dropping in. I was scared but tried, and from then on I was hooked. |
ND: How did you learn to do it? Do you have a teacher, a coach or a manager?
Aaron : No, I just thought of new tricks. I also get suggestions from bikers and skaters. To me it is more like biking than skating, and I get most of my ideas from what the bikers can do. But I do some board-like stuff too. It's actually kind of fun to do a little of both, and I can hang with the boarders or the bikers.
ND: How do you get motivated to go out and do this everyday? What drives you?
Aaron : I love doing it, I don't really need to be motivated. But I do use my Music. I put on my favorite song and that just gets me pumped.
ND: What advice would you give to others who want to try skateboarding? What are the most important things you learned?
Aaron : WEAR A HELMET.
ND: Do you need any special equipment? What makes the equipment special? Aaron: Yes, I highly recommend a chair with suspension. Like the Boing from Colours. I also recommend a grinding bar to protect your shocks while grinding. I also wear gloves, elbow pads, and a helmet, of course. ND: Why is suspension important? And what is a grinding bar? Aaron: The suspension takes most of the shock out of the landing. It really softens the ride. It also helps with my launches and hops. But without the suspension, the impact would be just too painful. So, the suspension protects me and the grinding bar protects the suspension from the extreme abuse that I give it. ND: Ok, now tell us about that backflip, Aaron, that is amazing! How many times did you jump into cushions before taking the cushions away? Aaron : Oh wow! That's a hard one, probably around 50 or 60 times, because I didn't want to land on my head. |
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ND: Was the first jump without cushions successful?
Aaron : Almost, but my momentum threw me on my back. It took about 15 more times before I landed it squarely. But it doesn't matter because I still can't walk. Just kidding I'm doing fine.
ND: It must have been a great feeling the first time it worked! Tell us what you felt.
Aaron : I felt like I accomplished what I had wanted to when I started riding.
ND: How many times have you backflipped? Have they all been successful? Did you ever land on your head?
Aaron : I flipped about 20 to 25 times successfully. I didn't really ever LAND on my head but a couple times I pulled off the lip too early and knocked myself out.
ND: Are you really the first person that has ever successfully completed a backflip in a wheelchair?
Aaron : I have reason to believe I am, because others have tried a flip but haven't gotten the full rotation even in the foam pit. Let alone on the Rezi. No one has come forward to say they have done it too.
ND: What is a rezi?
Aaron : Once a skateboarder masters the full rotation into cushions, the next step is a rezi which is a plastic sheet over the cushions. It is hard, but not as hard as concrete. The next step after the rezi is to do the jump onto a normal concrete ramp.
ND: I have seen a long video posted on the ColoursWheelchair.com homepage where you are taking some very nasty falls. Have you hurt yourself skateboarding?
Aaron : I did break my elbow once, but just bumps and bruises other than that. I wear a full face helmet because I have seen other kids get hurt bad. I saw a kid loose all his front teeth, I saw another kid crack his skull and nearly lose an eye in a fall.
ND: What are your dreams or plans for the future? Is there something you would like to accomplish as a skateboarder that you have not done yet?
Aaron : Yes, a backflip-180 also known as a Flair
( Note: to see a video of a boy doing a Flair on a scooter Click Here )
ND: Who is your hero?
Aaron : You mean heroes. My heroes are Mike and John Box. They are Super Heroes. They have been enthusiastic and supportive for years.
( Note: Mike and John Box are from Colours Wheelchairs )
Aaron, thanks a lot for the time. I wish you a lot of success with your skateboarding. I am sure we are going to be hearing a lot more about you in the future.
Note from ND: To watch a video of Aaron doing one of his earlier tricks, a 180 degree mid-air turn Click Here
Interview With Tyler Dieth
Reprinted with permission from http://www.newdisability.com
Below is an interview with Tyler Dieth, which was conducted by Ralph from http://www.rollingpix.blogspot.com . Ralph has an excellent blog about Wheelchair Sports and Tyler is a wheelchair skateboarder. We have a Video of Tyler wheelchair skateboarding on our video page (second from the top).
Interview With Tyler Dieth
Some of you may remember my posting about "chair skating," or "wheelchair skateboarding". I don't really know how to define or explain either term, I guess it is best left up to Tyler Deith himself in an interview he gave me over the weekend. Not in person either. Via e-mail. Cool huh?
Ralph : It says on your site you have been wheeling around for three years now. How did you get in the wheelchair? (I broke my neck in a diving acident seven years ago b/t/w.)
Tyler : Motorcycle accident. October 1st 2001. I was 21, went off the road on my way to work. I used to work at the airport as an airplane mechanic.I broke my spine at T-6.
Ralph : It's obvious from your videos you live a VERY active, some would say crazy life for a person in a wheelchair. What drives you, motivates you to drop in on a ramp?
Tyler : I get restless mostly, I think its just a good thing to do. It lets me feel normal.
Ralph : Have you had any serious injuries from your activities? In the " Bails Section " on your video page you have had some wicked looking crashes.
Tyler : Nothing to serious I've had a broken arm, broken toe, sprained wrist, a torn out shoulder, few cuts and bruises.
Ralph : I do photography as my hobby/part time job. How involved are you with the filming and production of your videos?
Tyler : My website was put together by a friend of mine Dave. I've been at it for about the past year or so and I enjoy it.
Ralph : What plans do you have for the future of your site and sports hobbies? I see you going a long way.
Tyler : I just got back from California two weeks ago. I had a good time. Bought a new wheelchair called a Colours. Its a much nicer ride. I have about a foot of snow outside, so just taking it easy and relaxing. I do a bit of construction work on my house, and working on an ultralight airplane. Planning a trip somewhere in the new year, Florida would be nice.
Ralph : Is there any message you have for people in chairs, or for people who percieve people in chairs as "less able"?
Tyler : Life rolls on.
Ralph :Thanks for this interview. It's damn cold in Ontario, if you want to come to Florida again, I have the hook up, thanks again and talk to you soon.
Tyler : OK
Ralph : Click Here to check out Tyler's site, and if you are in a wheelchair, get in it and do something with yourself. I agree with you Tyler, life really does "roll on."