FOLLOW-UP: Revisiting 17-year-old hardcore sitter Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham
Written by admin2 on July 14th, 2009Filed under: Themes, Wheelchairman of the Board, Irked Videos
Aaron ‘Wheelz” Fotheringham, who was featured on Irked last year, was recently the subject of a fantastic article and TV commercial appearing on the prestigious and award-winning website HowStuffWorks.com.
Excerpts:
Seventeen-year-old Aaron has invented an entirely new sport that blends the worlds of BMX and skateboarding with a unique twist. He calls it “hardcore sitting,” an admittedly odd name for an extreme sport. But when you consider that Aaron has spina bifida and has been in a wheelchair since he was 8 years old, it all makes sense.
Because nobody had ever tried doing BMX and skateboard tricks from a wheelchair, Aaron was self-taught from the beginning. He took advice and ideas from other skaters and bikers to create his own version of popular tricks, like grinding and 180 degree aerial turns. He got a special wheelchair from the custom company Colours in Motion, which allowed for a smoother and sturdier ride. Over the years, that chair has been modified to suit Aaron’s unusual needs—adding a shock system as well as special metal bars to beef up the suspension and protect the shocks.
Aaron received a fair amount of attention for his achievements, but everything changed on July 13, 2006, when he became the first person to complete a back flip in a wheelchair.
It took Aaron roughly 15 unsuccessful attempts before he landed a full back flip. Earlier attempts ranged from coming up short and smacking his helmet on the ground to overrotating and landing on his back. Finally, at about 9 p.m. on July 13, 2006, in front of a small crowd of fellow skaters, Aaron landed the world’s first wheelchair back flip . . . He’s now mastered the trick and performs it in competitions and exhibitions all over the world. In October 2008, “Guinness Book of World Records” certified Aaron as the sole inventor and performer of the wheelchair back flip.
For a young man who says that spina bifida has been a “great opportunity,” he’s shown that life in a wheelchair can be anything but confining.
Watch the awesome commercial that Aaron recently shot for HowStuffWorks.com:
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Learn more at aaronfotheringham.com
——————————————
This post sponsored by Colours Wheelchair.
——————————————
