Josh Edwards
Period 5/6
Megastunts: The Science Behind Nik Wallenda's Tightrope Walk Over Niagara Falls
By: ABC 30/30, ESPN Sports Science
On June 15, 2012, Nik Wallenda, A 7th generation tightrope walker, accomplished the
unthinkable by crossing from USA to Canada on wire as thick as about 3 pennies. This stunt took a lot
science to make it all possible so Nik didn't fall tumbling to his death. First, Nik's normal walks consisted of
people down on ground level known as sway guys who would help make the wire level and sturdy. Since
this was walk was over water they used a different method of keeping the wire sturdy by adding pendulums
to counteract with Nik's weight. Also, to help keep Nik's balance as he walked across the wire he held on
to a 40 lbs pole which help keep him sturdy upon the wire. Nik's crew and science team is always preparing
for even the unexpected after the tragic death of Nik's Great Grandfather, Karl Wallenda, who died due to
faulty wiring. The science crew also test the tensional strength of the wire to see how much pressure they can
put on the wire before it breaks. Scientist have learned from Nik's past walks the multiple safer ways to put
up the wire so they have less accidents that they can prevent. After it's all down to the wire as it's up to the
walker to keep their balance which becomes harder as you become limited from 3 balance point in your foot
to 2. A lot of science has been put into this and lots of studies are done before. History is made by the level
of concentration and work put into these walks. This video was chosen because I enjoyed the thrilling walk
over Niagara Falls and I was curious to know what was done to back this walk a success.
Note: Sorry for weird format. Will fix later, it's for a school paper. -JE
