By Irked Magazine
He was born and raised in Vegas. He’s 17 years young.
He’s been a wheelchair user since the age of three, and a fulltime wheelchair user since the age of eight.
He was born with Spina Bifida. His legs don’t work.
He’s one of a small, but growing group of elite wheelchair skateboarders. He prefers the term Hardcore Sitter, thank you very much.
He’s sponsored by Colours Wheelchairs, and a dozen other companies.
Aaron Fotheringham, Athlete – John Lytle, Creator of Comic Strip “Leeder O. Men”
November 20-22, 2008, San Diego, CA—Among the three Keynote Speakers included Saturday’s General Session/Awards Luncheon Speaker Aaron Fotheringham—the popular and amazing young man and “Extreme Athlete,” who has gained notoriety (and recognition in the Guinness Book of World Records), for doing back flips in his wheelchair on “You Tube” and “ESPN.”
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.
By Sean Ammerman
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.
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 Saturday.
