“When I grow up, can I be in the Nitro Circus?” These words come from my four-year-old daughter as we watch an athlete dangling mid-air from an inverted sky-high FMX bike. “No, honey. No you can’t” I reply stroking her hair. To my credit, at this point in the show I’m holding it together quite well. The Nitro Circus — You Got This Tour can best be described as one of those experiences that inspires awe and wonder in the eyes of every child/child-at-heart while instilling cold-blooded fear into heart of any sensible adult.
After 30 minutes or so of white-knuckling to the literally flaming antics of truly first-class athletes in BMX, FMX, and scooters, I will admit that I really did relax into the show. Feelings of clenching and cringing gave way to more wows, whoas, and here-he-goes than I care to admit! I couldn’t help but get swept away by the hype, humour and quite frankly, artistry of the show’s production. From what I understand, this is in large part thanks to the mind of Nitro Circus vet, Travis Pastrana, who made the move from athlete to executive producer of the show. Travis would be a household name to a die-hard extreme sports fan, which admittedly I am not, but after the spectacle I witnessed, it is a name I will remember.
For me the show’s highlight was undoubtedly watching a wheelchair athlete go for a jump while his compatriots watched with baited breath. This moment, for me, really spoke to the closeness and sportsmanship of this athletic community.
From a broader perspective though, my take-home from this amazing performance–the thing I couldn’t stop talking about on van ride way home–was the athleticism of the performers of the Nitro Circus – You Got This Tour. It doesn’t take an expert in extreme sports to see that these individuals were unparalleled in their skill in their respective sports, and when my son asked, “Can we go to the Nitro Circus next time they come around?” My answer? “Yes. Yes we can!”