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| Nik Wallenda Practices for His Walk Over Niagara Falls. |
Nik Wallenda, another celebrity who does not hide his faith in God, prayed aloud as he negotiated the wire stretched before him, giving thanks to God and Jesus as he made his dangerous but historic walk across Niagara Falls last night. Nearing the finish line, his goal-posts being the Canadian side of the falls, he did a Tebow, dropping to one knee on the wire,180 feet up, to silently thank God and pump his fist in victory to the thousands of people watching from both sides of the falls and the millions watching on TV throughout the world. He then stood up and quickened his step toward the finish to the applause and cheers of the crowds below and into the arms of his wife, Erendira and his three children.
The walk was hairy at times as curious birds circled around him and seemed to be buzzing him. Plus the rushing waters below him was not only distracting but could have garbled his inward perception. When his great grandfather, Karl Wallenda, performed with his troupe in Montreal, the section of the arena floor where the high-wire was set up, was slanted, interfering with Karl's clear perception, a perception which is vital for safety. "Dis is drivink me crazy," he said to me. Nik battled even more distractions.
Battling wind, sweeping rain and a swaying wire, Nik said he was losing strength and his hands were going numb. This was chilling to those who know the family. It invoked horrible memories of January 31,1962 in Detroit. Some members of the family had just come in from Europe for the show and were already tired. Dieter Schepp who was placed at the head of the 7 high pyramid began losing his strength. He tried to briefly toss up the balancing pole in order to re-grasp it and get a tighter grip. This caused him to lose his balance and when the pole returned to his hands, he fell from the wire taking the entire troupe with him. A performance tragedy that killed two of the family, paralyzed his son, Mario, who would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, and the rest, including Karl, were severely injured.
Nik, who was fitted with a mic. prayed protection from God through Jesus Christ. Through it all he remained incredibly calm and poised.
Another distracting factor was that Nik was required by both countries, the U.S. and Canada to wear a safety harness dragging behind him that would keep him attached to the wire should he fall. He had never used a safety device, nor his family.
New York State once made a law that a safety net must always be in place for all aerial circus acts. He said that a safety net would be of no use. Instead of being able to fall in different directions with a possibility of survival, the safety net would contain and plunge them all on top of each other. He then told me that in Europe, a member of the troupe fell, bounced out of the required net and was impaled on a stake.
From Montreal the circus would fly to New York. Karl then said, "To my knowledge dere vill be no safety net under dot airplane. Vat good vould it do?" He made a good point.
When Nik was asked by an ABC TV reporter what his next project would be, he answered it in three words: "The Grand Canyon."
Extra note: The mis-name, Flying Wallendas attached to the troupe came in the 1940s when a family member fell. She came down so gracefully that she appeared to be flying, and a reporter referred to the troupe as The Flying Wallendas and the name stuck, even though that would only apply to flying trapeze acts. The Patriarch of the family, Karl,was killed by a fall from the wire in Contado Plaza, San Juan, Puerto Rico, on March 22, 1978.
Rev. Austin Miles who spent his early life as a high profile circus ringmaster was closely associated with the Wallenda Family for over 20 years.
