It’s just a typical September day at one local Philadelphia skatepark. Aspiring action sports athletes of all ages are taking advantage of the crisp fall weather, attempting to pull off their best trick combinations – either on bikes or skateboards – with the city’s famed art museum as the backdrop.
But everything seemingly comes to a halt when one rider rolls up to the newly built street-style park.
That rider is 21-year-old Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham, and while he might ride on four wheels, it isn’t what you’re thinking.
Diagnosed with spinal bifida at birth, the Las Vegas native has been stricken to a wheelchair his entire life, though it hasn’t stopped him from becoming an action sports phenom.
Equipped with a custom-built wheelchair, Fotheringham hasn’t let his disability get the best of him and he’s ready to prove to another local crowd just what he’s capable of doing – but it’s been a long road to get to this point.
It all began when Fotheringham was very young. He was at a skatepark with his older brother – who was a BMXer – and he wanted to do what everyone else was doing, so he asked his brother to push him off a ramp. While the outcome didn’t quite go as Fotheringham anticipated, he was immediately hooked at the concept. Soon, he was spending as much time as possible trying to concoct different tricks. However, the wheelchairs he used simply couldn’t handle Fotheringham’s abuse.
“The wheelchair I started with was pretty heavy, just a standard hospital chair that was a little more sporty, but I destroyed it pretty quick and a bunch of people chipped in and got me a new one, which allowed me to start on the parks more,” Fotheringham said. “I destroyed that one too, so I sent a video to a wheelchair company and they decided to sponsor me. Then it was ultimate freedom.”
The custom-made, bright green wheelchair he uses now is built to withstand a beating. Made mostly out of titanium, the front wheels were replaced with smaller skateboard-style wheels, the back wheels are a stronger, more durable rubber, reinforced with heavy duty spokes and it even has a suspension system. With these modifications, Fotheringham no longer had to worry about breaking his equipment, allowing him the freedom to take what he called WCMX – or wheelchair motocross – to the extreme.
The tricks for his newly named sport started out simple – a wheelie, one-wheeled turns and jumps. Over time Fotheringham got gutsier and wanted to push his skills more and more.
With the success of the bigger tricks like handplants, Fotheringham became somewhat of an internet sensation and news of his story spread throughout the action sports world. It was then that he received an email from the minds behind Nitro Circus, a collective of friends led by motocross great Travis Pastrana, who travel the world performing badass action sports themed stunts. After a part in the 2012 feature film Nitro Circus: The Movie 3D, the group called on Fotheringham to once again be a part of their live action North American tour, which kicks off January 3 in Ontario.
“I came out to practice [for an audition], saw the [Mega] ramp and I was like ‘oh boy’,” he joked. “I was like ‘this is show time’ and thought that if I die on the Megaramp, I die doing my dream.”
That’s when Fotheringham decided he was going to add flips and rotation-based moves to his repertoire. Training was challenging since he couldn’t just visit a skatepark and attempt to try a backflip, because the result could be dangerous. Instead, he practiced in a foam pit – and had success. In no time he was able to pull off both a frontflip and a backflip and even nailed a double backflip while practicing at Camp Woodward, though it’s the only time he’s managed to successfully do the trick.
“I’ve only been able to land one double-backflip, out of 100 or more tries,” he said. “Every time I try, I get hurt – I break my teeth, I bust my ribs, stuff like that. My favorite thing I’ve learned is how to fall, how to curl up in a ball.”
Fotheringham was a part of their recent Australian tour, so he knows what the job entails and how to put it all on the line but he’s most excited to get another opportunity to travel and see more of the world, while once again performing in front of huge crowds in some of the country’s biggest cities.
“It’s cool to see some of the history in my own country and I’m excited to do a tour here,” he admitted. “I’m so excited to do the North American tour because we’ve never done it before. Every show someone tries something new, or eats it hard – there really is no script.”
On a nightly basis, Fotheringham attempts any number of tricks in his stash and admits if the crowd is pumped, he’ll entertain the idea of trying the double-backflip – in the hopes of landing it once again.
Fotheringham didn’t pull off any monster tricks at the skatepark, instead he threw on his motocross-style helmet and performed a few smaller tricks, including wheelies and handplants. He scouted the park and looked for the best spot to do a line, though he was pretty much confined to one single area. He admitted that he prefers bowls and pools over the street-style park he just shredded.
At this point the entire group of locals had gone back to attempting their tricks and once Fotheringham finished his short session he spoke to two local disabled fans. It was short and sweet – but proved disabilities don’t have to limit a person. And that’s obviously still most important to him.
For information or tour dates, as well as how to purchase tickets, please visit Nitro Circus Live’s website.
Ed Miller is a contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @PhillyEdMiller or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
