By Emily Smith
Aaron, 16 — known to pals as “Wheelz” — is the first person ever to perform a backflip in a wheelchair.
He learned the feat at the age of 14 and had it accepted by the World Records Academy last month.
Aaron, who was born with spina bifida and has been in a chair since he was three, said: “It feels awesome to have the record.
“Being in a wheelchair is like carrying your skateboard with you.”
On 15 and 16 October 2008, Aaron Fotheringham, a 16 year old wheelchair athlete from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA performed at the Rehacare Exhibition in Dusseldorf, Germany. The young American is the only wheelchair user who can perform a perfect backflip in a wheelchair. In four performances, Aaron hit his world famous backflip four times out of five attemps. One of the backflips can be seen in this video clip.
Aaron is not only a talented athlete he is a role model to other disabled children. The best part of watching Aaron perform is seeing the looks of delight on the faces of the disabled children who were watching him.
For overcoming his disability by going far beyond where anyone else has gone, disabled or able bodied alike, Aaron Fotheringham is my hero.
On November 22, Wheelz will be the keynote speaker at the 37th National Adapted Physical Education Conference in San Diego California at Horton Plaza.
