Disabled Extreme Athlete Encourages Children to “Push the Limits”

When Aaron Fotheringham was born with spina bifida, a spinal cord disorder that left him without the use of his legs, his parents probably wouldn’t have guessed that 22 years later he’d be an extreme athlete doing spins, hand-plants, and even double backflips all from his wheelchair.

“You always hear… ‘Oh, he’s confined to his wheelchair,’” said Fotheringham. “I’m always like, I’m not confined… I’m riding it like a skateboard or a bike. And I love it.”

Today, Fotheringham performs at skate parks around the country, stars in the extreme sports TV show Nitro Circus, and encourages children in wheelchairs to push their limits as well. “There’s just so much happiness floating around,” said Fotheringham. “So it’s cool seeing these kids, how much they can accomplish, and breaking all the stereotypes. It’s rad.”

Fotheringham was always an active kid, and at age 8 he started practicing his wheelchair tricks. Then in 2010, he landed his first double backflip, which he called the best moment of his life. Last year he took on the MegaRamp-- a giant ramp in California that starts at the top of a hill, then leads down a 150 foot heading to three different jumps ranging from 50 to 70 feet long. Currently, Fotheringham is thinking up his next big trip.

To see Fotheringham’s MegaRamp jumps, as well as some awesome backflips and other cool tricks check out this video. It looks super fun.