Posted on 06/09/2014 4:30:06 PM PDT by FlJoePa
Balance is one of the many fundamentals of life. It’s a life-saver, gravity-tester, and all around great idea, really. It’s also been one thing that senior Ross Holland, set to challenge the world record for longest standing wheelchair wheelie today, has always been good at.
“I mean, it really makes sense,” Holland said, balancing on his two wheels when I sat to interview him. “I’m just sitting on an axle. And I’ve been doing this for a while.”
Holland suffered from a lawnmower accident when he was young that demanded the removal of both of his legs below the knees, but he’s not in bad spirits about it. From poster child of athletic prosthetic leg companies to all-around swell guy, the Littlestown native doesn’t seem to mind his situation. Maybe you’ve seen him around campus — at an anatomically correct seven feet tall with his prosthetic legs on, he would be hard to miss.
Today, those good spirits will come in handy, as he attempts to break the world record of 10 hours for the world’s longest still wheelie. That means Ross will have to stay in on spot, on a wheelie for ten hours.
“I can do it,” he said, a slight smile creeping across his face. “I just need to work out the logistics of certain necessities. Like food, and the bathroom. Details, really.”
Holland has the plan and the training to back his claim. He’s done wheelies on his wheelchair for his entire life, and has probably come close to setting the record already, without knowing it.
“Yeah, I have done them for quite a while. I’ve done them for long periods of time too, not just here and there,” he said. “Definitely for whole movies. And that’s my plan really, I’m going to sit and watch the entirety of ‘The Lord of the Rings.’”
His task began today at 1:45 p.m. If Ross does break the 10-hour mark, he’s going to just keep going.
“I want to be there for days,” he says, laughing. “I don’t want anyone to break this for a while.”
As of this writing, he’s approaching the three-hour mark. Follow along with Holland at the event’s Twitter page, @wheelbeawhile.
I’m just impressed w/ the balance. Not something everyone has. I watch for it a lot in golf swings. The guys w/ the best balance are usually the best players.
In highschool, I worked at a rental place that had a wheelchair. It is easy and extremely fun to balance in a wheelchair.
BTW - the kid broke the 10 hour record. He went 50 hours!
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