WORLD RECORD:
Wheelchair athlete’s back flip lands him in record book
Stephen R. Sylvanie / Special to the Home News
With the top of his head mere inches above the lip of a jump, Aaron Fotheringham soars into the Guinness World Book of Records by performing a back flip in his wheelchair at Doc Romeo skate park on Oct. 20.
Friday, Oct. 31, 2008 | midnight
Going For The Record
Aaron Fotheringham, 16, attempts to set a Guinness Book of World Record for a wheelchair backflip.
Related story
Related link
Aaron Fotheringham went into the record books as a pioneer in wheelchair sports Saturday.
Guinness World Records recorded the Northwest Las Vegas resident, in front of a crowd of more than 300 at Doc Romeo Park, as the first to complete a back flip in a wheelchair.
"It feels awesome to get this," said Fotheringham, 16, who performed the flip before the Vegas AmJam skatepark competition.
To achieve the trick, Fotheringham, rolled down a skatepark ramp to generate enough speed. He then went up another ramp and landed his flip on flat ground.
He first completed the trick in 2006, and has dozens of videos of his backflips, but had yet to make it official.
"I think it's fantastic," his mother, Kaylene Fotheringham, said. "So often we said 'we think he is the first one,' but today we know he has the world record,"
Aaron Fotheringham, who suffers from spina bifida and has been in a wheelchair since he was 13, came up short in his quest to set a record for most consecutive backflips in 45 seconds. His unofficial record is six back flips in a row, however, he could not get consecutive flips Oct. 25.
"I'm a little bit disappointed I didn't get the consecutive flips, but I guess I'm taking it for granted that I got in the book," Fotheringham said.
Completing the trick requires perfect judgment of speed and concentration, he said. Approaching the ramp too fast or too slow could result in a nasty spill on the pavement.
Wearing a helmet, Aaron Fotheringham hit his head on a couple of falls on Oct. 25. Encouragement from spectators helped him get back up.
"I'm really grateful for all the support," he said. "They may not have been my biggest crowd, but it was the most important one."
After getting the record, Aaron Fotheringham competed in the Vegas AmJam finals, and took first in the BMX advanced division.
AmJam coordinators allow him to compete with his wheelchair in the BMX division.
Sean Ammerman can be reached at 990-2661 or sean.ammerman@hbcpub.com.
Discussion: 1 comment so far…
Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy.
Post a comment
Spotlight
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas to close in May
- Pricey land buy on Strip a bit of a surprise
- Engineering marvel taking shape near Hoover Dam
- Harry Reid’s co-writer unloads while discussing polls, Obama quote
- Grim numbers show Nevada leads nation in suicides over 60
- Police: Legal runner returned to home, shot husband and wife
- The 10 best steakhouses in Las Vegas
- UNLV back in the polls: No. 23 in AP, No. 25 in ESPN/USA Today
- MGM Mirage to leave N.J. in dispute over Macau partner
- GOP should blame itself for deficit, not Democrats
Blogs
Politics: Ralston's Flash
Miners sue to block mining tax initiative (3 Comments)
Shark Bytes
Willis reminds me of another great UNLV guard (5 Comments)
Elsewhere
With aggressive push, Internet gambling again in play
The Kats Report
A very quick list of which females could replace Steven Tyler in Aerosmith (18 Comments)
A 3.5-day sprint, highlighted superflously at Flamingo with Las Vegas newcomers
Politics: Ralston's Flash
Horsford: No taxes now, but tax reform later (14 Comments)
Gibbons: Cutting the budget can help me raise money (12 Comments)
Calendar »
- 10 Wed
- 11 Thu
- 12 Fri
- 13 Sat
- 14 Sun
-
Far East Movement at Blush
Blush Boutique Nightclub | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Benji Madden at Moon
Moon Nightclub | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Hugh Fink at the Riviera Comedy Club
The Riviera Comedy Club
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Technorati


























He is such an amazing athlete good job!