Jackson To Represent The Flybar

May 21st, 2007 at 03:40pm Vanessa Pierce 8

Ohmygod! I'm getting a Flybar 800 and 1200. SBI Enterprises – the company first to develop the pogo stick in 1918 – a couple of years ago created the Flybar 1200 that can bounce up to 6 feet, and now it has developed the more-friendly women's Flybar 800 that can hit about 4 feet.

Vanessa Pierce bouncing at the Ullr Unleashed party in Whistler.

My obsession with pogo sticks came after pro skier Lynsey Dyer said she wanted to introduce her Ullr Girl art presentation by bouncing in a pogo stick. She was competing for $25,000 in a park, big-mountain, and art contest during the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival in Whistler last month. I don't know where she got this idea, and I thought it was kind of weird. Being that she was in Alaska and couldn't find a Toys 'R Us anywhere, I went shopping for her. Once I started bouncing, I was sold. I remembered being a little kiddie again, and it was so fun jumping through the aisles while moms took their little kids shopping for toys. They stared at me (a 26 year old), but I knew they wanted to try it too.

So Lynsey and I arrive in Whistler for the contest and we bounced on to stage with these adult pogos. After all that, Lynsey still didn't win the art contest. She was heartbroken because she is a talented graphic illustrator. I told her afterward to hop on a pogo, and everything would be better. It was! We even started a freestyle pogo session to see who could beat my tricks: no hands, no feet, chug-a-beer while bouncing, jump up stairs and down, stall.

After the Ullr contest, I decided my calling was to be a professional pogo-er, and maybe join a circus. I stole Lynsey's pogos (she technically paid for them) and brought them over to my place in Jackson. No one can enter the door without trying it, that's the rule.

But I heard about this Flybar that can rocket you upwards of the one foot I was getting on my pogo, so I called Flybar up and said I wanted to be on its freeride team. Being that I'm a freelance writer as well as a pogo athlete, we worked out a deal and I will receive my Flybars in a couple of days. I can't wait. Stay tuned for pogo stories ...

Entry Filed under: Ski Business, Adventure Sports