(Not) Jesus Christ on a Pogo Stick.

August 28, 2009 5:53 PM

"Some consider 20-year-old Fred Grzybowski the best pogo-stick rider in the world, able to leap over a minivan, among other feats. But his days on top may be numbered." Pogopalooza: The 6th Annual Extreme Pogo Competition.
posted by Lutoslawski (16 comments total)

Why didn't I hear about this until now? I absolutely would have went to see this.

PghFilter - Where are you?
posted by Cosmic at 6:18 PM on August 28

Fred's van jump (weird cropped video, but you can see the jump), "Sweetness Amazingness Flybar Pogo Tricks," and Pogo Fred's YouTube channel. Not quite parkour, but still impressive.
posted by filthy light thief at 6:20 PM on August 28 [1 favorite has favorites]

One of the things I miss from the pre-internet days is how you could acquire esoteric skills to amuse yourself & your friends and thereby gain a small but sweet sense of accomplishment from them. Things like playing the harmonica or juggling or doing yo-yo tricks. Now with the web & youtube, your little achievements pale against the guy who can play the entire Brandenburg Concerto on his homemade ukelele, or leap over a semi-truck with a flaming pogo stick. Some of life's little pleasures are just gone forever I guess.
posted by squalor at 6:36 PM on August 28 [4 favorites has favorites]

Local Pittsburgh coverage, includes video on the page. Another article here.

The still photo in the WSJ was shot in my neighborhood, on one of our overlooks (different view). I know people who are afraid of heights who won't walk out on them, let alone do extreme pogo.
posted by librarianamy at 6:52 PM on August 28

weird cropped video

Comes from the tendency of people shooting iPhone video or photos to hold the device in portrait mode. Expect to see a lot more of this.
posted by potch at 8:08 PM on August 28

Pogoing: Completely uncool, until it could get you fucking killed. Now someone just has to invent a hula hoop that spawns an anti-gravity field, but only so long as you keep it spinning....
posted by Diablevert at 8:22 PM on August 28

Pogoing: Completely uncool, until it could get you fucking killed. Now someone just has to invent a hula hoop that spawns an anti-gravity field, but only so long as you keep it spinning....

Ha! You know it's only a matter of time before they have Segway motorcross...
posted by Lutoslawski at 8:30 PM on August 28

I just want to know one thing: why are there seven "Boing!"s in the title?
posted by No-sword at 9:59 PM on August 28

Greatest Pogo ever.
posted by Bonzai at 10:00 PM on August 28

I just want to know one thing: why are there seven "Boing!"s in the title?

I think its possibly the greatest WSJ headline ever (not that that says a lot, mind you).
posted by Lutoslawski at 10:14 PM on August 28

Why don't more people pogo? Why don't I? I need to solve at least one of those questions.
posted by hal_c_on at 1:11 AM on August 29

Portrait mode is an appropriate way to film someone who is moving faster in the vertical plane than the horizontal.
posted by idiopath at 3:35 AM on August 29

Why don't more people pogo? Why don't I? I need to solve at least one of those questions
because bikes are easier.
posted by bigmusic at 5:05 AM on August 29

There should be a required minimum level of coolness before the word extreme may be applied to a sport. Pogoing? Try again next year.
posted by digsrus at 5:59 AM on August 29

Ha! You know it's only a matter of time before they have Segway motorcross...

Lacks elegance. Segway Polo, on the other hand....
posted by IndigoJones at 7:54 AM on August 29

There should be a required minimum level of coolness before the word extreme may be applied to a sport.

I always figured that it wasn't a matter of "coolness," but of risk of serious injury or death.
posted by Kadin2048 at 8:40 AM on August 29