Thrill-seekers defy gravity at Nitro Circus
With its cast of eccentric barnstormers, Nitro Circus Live is a modern day flying circus — only these daredevils’ vehicles of choice have wheels instead of wings.
But that doesn’t stop the show’s stuntmen and women from spending most of their time in the air, much to thrill of their fans — including those gathered for Thursday night’s show at the Canadian Tire Centre. It was an audience of extreme sports devotees in which words like “double front-flip tailwhip” and “quadruple backflip” are said with reverence.
What goes up, must come down — including BMX bikes, roller blades, scooters, buggies and bodies — and, preferably, in one piece. Touching the ground is “the best feeling in the world,” explains Josh Sheehan, a 29-year-old freestyle motocross performer. For Nitro’s motorized vehicles, standard jumps are about 75 feet long and 10 metres high. Then add the fact that most riders are turning themselves into human pretzels in mid-air. Hand stands. 360 degree twists. Backflips. It’s all fair game.
“It’s all about muscle memory … and confidence,” says 21-yearold Ryan Williams, a scooter and BMX bike performer, of his mindset going into stunts. “I am always scared when I’m about to drop in. But when I overcome that fear and land it, it’s just the best feeling.”
Nitro runs on an electrifying mix of gasoline, testosterone and adrenalin. The fiery pyrotechnics and circus-like announcer may look like showbiz, but the dangers are all too real. Case and point, a female bike duo were injured early at the Ottawa show and had to be helped off the floor.
“We practice things so much that some people make the tricks look so easy,” Sheehan explains. “But when things go wrong, it’s quite dangerous. People have died. People don’t understand how much effort has to go into practicing the tricks.”
At the heart of the show’s nonmotorized stunts is the Giganta Ramp, a towering incline that looks like it was created by demented water park designer paired with Evel Knievel. Contraptions are launched with the help of the show’s Slingshot system, a powerful winch that can launch non-motorized vehicles at 60 mph in a matter of seconds. Where else can you see a man splayed out in what looks like a sun chair on wheels shoot down a ramp as if from a cannon?
It’s all about pushing boundaries, the never-ending pursuit of greater heights and distances. And performing one more flip than the last guy. You half-wonder if the bikes themselves run on hubris, but their riders most certainly do.
Extreme sports have gone mainstream. Nitro’s frontman Travis Pastrana and his high-flying, death-defying crews took them from the X Games to arena shows. And now mainstream TV. First there was the NBC movie special, Revolution Day, and Thursday marked the premiere of a new NBC Sports series Crazy Train. Even a big screen film, Action Figures, is on the horizon.
Nitro’s fan base is made up of guys like Nathan and Keaton Wilson, 15 and 13. “The crazy tricks” are what keep them coming back. And the thrill of watching their heroes overcome danger and seemingly impossible odds. The crowd hangs on every jump, every flip — the tension in the air palpable. Nothing beats the “thrill of being there to see it in person,” Keaton explains.
And the performers feed off that energy. “There are things we never do in practice and save for the show because it’s on front of thousands of people, and it’s going to give us the confidence and willpower to do something we’re scared to do,” Williams says. “It pushes us to try harder.”
Coming up with new harebrained stunts is almost an addiction for the Nitro crew. “Usually new tricks come from evolving older tricks,” Williams explains. “I’ve done a double front flip so what’s it going to take to do a triple front flip? It’s one more rotation …. I just lay there sometimes when I am trying to go to sleep and think, ‘What could I add to this trick to make it new and something never done before?’”
But Nitro’s extreme athletes had to learn showmanship and trust to pull of the spectacle. For synchronized duos and group feats, timing and precision is everything. “Action sports are usually independent,” Williams says. “Here it’s like a big family. When someone else lands a trick, you feel like you’re landing it to.”
The madcap performers share common traits, Sheehan says. To the man and women, they are fearless, outgoing, restless and driven. And maybe a bit “crazy,” he adds. “You have to be willing to push yourself. For some of the tricks, people have to have that edge — to want to push the limit. If you’re too worried about failure, you’d never be able do it.” TO SEE A VIDEO OF NITRO CIRCUS LIVE AND MORE PHOTOGRAPHS FIND THIS STORY AT OTTAWACITIZEN.COM