By Sloane Horton
Archivist

On Oct. 15, the stands at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA were filled as the wheels started to turn when Nitro Circus approached the ramps. Members took on some of the most challenging stunts in the world on motor bikes, bicycles, inline skates, scooters, and skateboards.

When the hosts were ready to begin the show, they took their place on top of the ramps. The two intriguing MC’s had introduced the members of Nitro Circus and brought out Travis Pastrana. “Pastrana is the starter of all action sports and the number one in the world,” said Jeremy Rawle. Three brave volunteers were chosen from the audience to help with a stunt in which they had no idea about. These children were geared up and brought out from backstage. A rider on a motor bike had the three participants join him on the back of his bike. In attempts to complete this in the last city Nitro Circus had attended, they could not seem to land and everyone had fallen off of the bike. Luckily at this event, the biker landed the trick and the audience roared. The next trick that the riders attempted on the motor bikes was called a “Nitro Bomb” and they had perfected the trick that night. This skill consisted of three sets of three riders performing back flips one after another. Following this, the hosts announced an intermission and audience members could take a 15 minute stretch and purchase snacks and drinks.

Shortly after the intermission, the show began to start up again. Rider Jed Miller was interviewed for his amazing performance on the first quad backflip. “We were going 42 mph 21 feet tall. It was one of the most terrifying moments of my life,” said Miller. Following Miller’s interview, the MC’s brought up another rider, Josh Sheeran, who accomplished the first triple back flip on a dirt bike. The crowd gasped as they could only imagine how terrifying it must have been to do the stunt.

“My ramp was 37 foot tall and I hit the base of it at 50 mph,” said Sheeran.

The next part of the show challenged the skill difference between the USA riders and the other riders from other parts of the world. The men were split into two teams, one named ‘Team USA’ and the other named ‘Team Rest of the World.’ Undoubtedly, everyone in the audience screamed for ‘Team USA’ and did not make a sound when ‘Team Rest of the World’ performed a stunt. At the end, USA took the crown.

The way that every rider was supportive of each other and congratulated their team mates as they stepped off of the ramp was a pure example of great sportsmanship. At the end of the show, the participants gathered on the stage for one last round of applause and the audience left the show with one thought: How did they do that?