| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Aaron James Fotheringham |
| Nickname(s) | Wheelz |
| Born | November 8, 1991 Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Website | Aaron's Website |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Skateboarding and BMX |
| Event(s) | wheelchair back flip |
| Achievements and titles | |
| National finals | 2005 Vegas AmJam BMX |
Aaron Fotheringham (born November 8, 1991 in Las Vegas, Nevada) is an extreme wheelchair athlete who performs tricks adapted from skateboarding and BMX.
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Fotheringham has Spina Bifida; he has used a wheelchair since the age of three and although he used crutches early on, he has been a wheelchair user fulltime since the age of eight. He would watch his brother riding his BMX at the skate park, and one day his brother told him that he should try riding his chair in the park. Aaron later noted that “I did, and I was hooked”.[1]
Fotheringham got a new wheelchair, a Colours In Motion's Boing!" which was both lightweight and featured four wheel suspension. This enabled him to perform the same sorts of tricks that skateboarders and BMXers can do, as the suspension cushioned his landings. Aaron has further worked with Colours Wheelchairs to help refine their designs in real-world situations, and has been given a custom-made chair that is in his words ‘pretty much indestructible’.[1]
He now competes in the Vegas Am Jam series in skate park competitions, usually competing against BMX riders. He placed fourth in the intermediate BMX division in a competition held at Sunny Springs Skate Park on August 26, 2006.[2]
Fotheringham advises others attempting to try these tricks to wear a helmet; he has suffered several injuries performing these tricks, including a broken elbow. He tries out new tricks by performing them first into a foam pit. Then he graduates to a ‘resi’, a harder plastic sheet over the cushions, before attempting the new trick on a regular skateboard ramp.[3]
When asked about having to practice, Fotheringham responded "I don’t think of it as practice, I think of it as a fun way to live my life".[3]
Aaron has also performed his backflip on the nitro circus live tour over a 50 foot megaramp.
Recently, he appeared in an episode of the reality series 'Secret Millionaire' and received a donation of US$20,000 from Century Software founder Gregory Haerr.[4] In 2009, Fotheringham also served as a wheelchair double for Kevin McHale's character, Artie Abrams, in Glee.
Fotheringham calls his activity ‘hardcore sitting’. He claims to be the first person to successfully perform a backflip[5] in a wheelchair at the age of 14 and a double backflip[6] at the age of 18. He performs other tricks in his wheelchair including a 180 degree 'aerial'. He plans to fuse the back flip with the 180 aerial into what is known as a ‘flair’.