Jumping off a ledge 100 feet above ground into an air bag looks easy from the ground, but looking down from the top can make the target look like a small pizza box.
"Everybody says, 'I can do this stuff,'" said former Hollywood stuntman Shawn Goodner. "It looks five times higher when you get up there."
After several years performing stunts, flips and falls himself, Goodner created an Xtreme Air show to bring action sports to a new level, he said. This summer, a three-day show is planned for Carson City Fairgrounds.
"We're taking these action sport shows to a new level," Goodner said. "We're bringing together Hollywood stunt action with action sports. It's stuff you can't even see at theme parks anymore."
A summer event will feature world record free-fall stuntman and several other extreme sports and will be the first of its kind to be held at the fairgrounds. The 90 minute show will be wrapped in a comic storyline and raise funds for local children and family organizations.
A few event-goers will get a chance to see if they have enough courage to take their own leap from a 40-foot tower during the summer event.
The outdoor arena will provide the backdrop for free-falling, motocross jumping, acrobats, big air mountain boarding, BMX jumping, a super trampoline and several other exciting sports during the three-day event planned to begin June 18.
The "Xtreme Air - Sick, Wild & Twisted" show will kick off in Yerington from June 11-13 before it debuts in Carson City.
One stunt will feature a human catapulting machine - the Russian swing. The swing flings a stunt man 50 feet into the air and across into a net while he performs somersaults. The audience will also see skate and snow boarding stunts.
World record holder Pete Wrap will also free fall from a 100-foot tower into an air bag.
"You're going to see Hollywood-type falls like you see in movies," Goodner said. "The guys in the show are the best in the world, bar none, at high falling."
Show owner and producer Goodner, 34, moved to Gardnerville from Southern California three years ago with his young son, Nicholas. He created the show eight years ago after working several years as a stunt man, trainer and coordinator.
In the past, Goodner trained for "Circus of the Stars" and was a stuntman at the Treasure Island Hotel in Las Vegas, the Indiana Jones movie series, Disneyland, television and commercials.
After becoming a single dad, Goodner moved to Gardnerville because he liked the family atmosphere, mountains, weather and because it was a "good place to raise my son," he said. He has continued to expand the show while taking it on the road throughout the U.S. and Canada.
This year will be the first show to marry stunt acts with a storyline theme, Goodner said. It may be the first event of its kind in the city, said acting Parks and Recreation Department director Scott Fahrenbruch. Because of that, the city is taking extra steps to get permission for the event.
Carson City parks commissioners are expected to decide today whether to allow the event to take place at the fairgrounds on Old Clear Creek Road and Highway 395. City staff is recommending an approval of the event.
Goodner expects the comedy and storyline to keep families involved.
"The audience will be oohing and ahhing and falling out of their seats with laughter," Goodner said.
"It has a message geared towards raising a family positively and teaching kids safety and responsibility," Goodner said. "It's just going to be a great event for the entire family."
Part of the show's proceeds will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Nevada and the Douglas County Family Support Council.
Tickets are $8 to $14 from www.xtremeair.com, www.tickets.com or a local retail outlet.
Those who purchase advance tickets will be entered into a raffle. One person will be chosen to do high falls up to 40 feet on each morning of the show, Goodner said.
Contact Jill Lufrano at jlufrano@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.
