If you had the ability to choose one superpower, what would it be? Perhaps the ability to read minds or the strength to lift a 5-ton truck off the ground like it’s a Hot Wheels model?
For me, it’s flying. People from cultures all around the world have historically been fascinated with the idea of flight. From the earliest kites in China to the world’s first successful invention of the airplane by the Wright brothers, humans have relentlessly attempted to defy the laws of nature by chasing the dream to fly.
To our credit, we’ve come a long way by inventing the advanced technology that allows us to soar past the clouds in aircrafts and explore the multiple dimensions of space in shuttles – and yet, without the help of these machines, we still cannot really fly.
Ex professional supercross rider, Brad O’Neal, comes pretty close though.
Brad has wanted to ride a motorcycle high enough to BASE jump since he was 12 or 13. What exactly is BASE jumping, you ask? Think of sky-diving, but without an airplane. Instead, participants jump from fixed objects such as buildings, antennas, span or the Earth (cliff) – hence BASE.
Brad is not the first person to attempt a motocross base jump. However, he IS the first person to try it off flat ground – a daring and courageous feat. The road to his dream, however, has not been easy. When he couldn’t find a major sports action company to sponsor his jump, he decided to set out himself to make his childhood fantasy a reality.
Months later, he did just that in Franklin, Texas, flying over 70 miles per hour off a ramp and landing in a body of water. When asked about his experience, he has stated: “Almost every time I do something big, there’s so much tying me down, like it’s always this overwhelming fear, but the things that you are apprehensive about are usually the things that will bring you the most joy.”
This just proves that being a superhero does not always require you have a superhuman ability or to even be fearless for that matter – most of the time, it just involves you conquering your fears.
* Brad currently works with Antigravity Base, Apex Base, Crusty demons and FunorDie inc. on motocross base jump stunts and is sponsored by MXsponsor.
