Besides hanging out at hockey rinks, three of my other great passions in life are food, Elvis and going to the movies.
In fact, my idea of a perfect evening would be sitting in a theatre stuffing my face with popcorn and watching The King do his thing in the boxing ring.
Rocky Balboa?
Gimme a break!
Elvis, playing the role of noted pugilist Walter Gulick in 1962’s “Kid Galahad”, would have crushed the Italian Stallion.
This column, however, isn’t about an Elvis flick. Instead, let’s talk about a film that features one of the most amazing athletic feats you’ll ever witness.
Man on Wire is a 2008 documentary that takes us back to 1974 when Phillippe Petit of France pulled off the ultimate high-wire act by tightrope walking between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. To accomplish this mind blower, Petit and his team of accomplices had to sneak piles of specialized equipment up to both rooftops and keep everything hidden from security guards until the time was just right.
Folks, we’re talking about tip-toeing on a skinny cable 1,350 feet above ground while dealing with a gusty breeze threatening to sweep you to a certain death. In the end, Petit pulled it off and spent 45 breath-taking minutes performing all sorts of terrifying tricks before he finally surrendered to police.
It goes without saying, kids, that you shouldn’t try this at home and adults might be wondering what possessed the nut-job to dream up such a crazy stunt, let alone carry it out.
But that’s what makes Man on Wire so captivating.
Petit, you see, was a common street performer in Paris who entertained tourists with his balancing abilities. One day, he happened to come across a magazine sketch of the World Trade Center before it had even begun to be constructed. Right away, Petit had a strong feeling that it was his destiny to own the air between the towers and he had a distinct sense that the structures were being built especially for him.
A little out there?
You bet.
But then I got thinking about the athletes taking part in the Beijing Olympics. Like most couch potatoes, I don’t know a whole lot about the majority of sports that make up the Games, a fact I’ve mentioned in a few recent Sportsnet.ca pieces. It’s also difficult to relate with the single-minded focus that goes into risking your neck on terrifying Olympic apparatus such as the high diving platform or the vaulting horse in gymnastics.
However, Man on Wire drove home a point that many people miss when it comes to understanding why so many Olympians are willing to make sacrifices and toil in obscurity waiting four long years to appear on stage for such a brief moment in time.
“Kayaking?,” I’ve often thought to myself. “With all his athletic ability, Adam van Koeverden should be chasing pucks for big NHL bucks instead of paddling around a pond.”
But the fact is, just like Petit, van Koeverden has no choice in the matter. He’s obsessed by his own personal journey and couldn’t ditch his kayak even if he wanted to.
Thirty-four years have passed since Petit pulled off what many people believe to be the artistic crime of the century.
The twin towers no longer exist, creating a void in the New York City skyline which serves as a chilling reminder of a horrific September day.
But even though he’s approaching 60 years of age, Petit is still surveying the world from high atop his wire.
When will the Grim Reaper give Phillipe a nudge and finally make him pay for cheating death all these years?
Well, Petit believes that unless a person constantly challenges themselves to push the limits, they’re six feet under already. Something tells me that van Koeverden and a lot of other Olympic competitors feel exactly the same way.
As for the rest of us?
We can gaze up in wonder at some inpirational people while dreaming about reaching for the stars in our own lives.
