- 3 years ago
“We’re kind of like the nerds of action sports.”
Doing tricks on air-powered pogo sticks is a sport — and a rather extreme one at that. Brut filmmaker Léo Hamelin went to the world championships of pogo sticking to find out more ...
Doing tricks on air-powered pogo sticks is a sport — and a rather extreme one at that. Brut filmmaker Léo Hamelin went to the world championships of pogo sticking to find out more ...
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00:00We still don't know what to call ourselves.
00:05Pogo Jumpers, Pogoers, Pogo Artists, Jumper Blasters.
00:11You call us whatever you want to.
00:18We're kind of like the nerds or the geeks of action sports, and we're kind of fine with that.
00:25They think we're punks, they think we're crazy, and we are a little crazy.
00:29But it's something to see the beauty in.
00:32Pogo Palooza is the World Championships of Pogo Sticking.
00:363, 2, 1, Pogo!
00:40Pretty much all the best extreme Pogo Stickers in the world come together.
00:45The narrative is always just as exciting and dramatic.
00:48Can someone top Dalton?
00:59I truly have no idea who's going to win this.
01:08Extreme Pogo is a super small sport with about 50 people at the competitive level.
01:13They do tricks on Pogo Sticks, but not the ones kids use.
01:16Those are air-powered, high-flying Pogo Sticks.
01:19For Brute, I went to Pogo Palooza in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania,
01:23to find out who will be the next ex-Pogo World Champion.
01:27We're about to start. Wilkinsburg, are you ready?
01:32Judges, are you ready?
01:42They grade the athletes on two criteria.
01:45The first one is skill, which is how difficult the tricks are, but also how varied.
01:49The other half of the score is style.
01:51Just how good do the tricks look, so are you landing them clean?
01:54How do you use the park?
01:58I mean, the world of Pogo is just a collection of weirdo, beautiful individuals.
02:06We're all just unique kids that didn't know where to put our energy.
02:12And for some reason, fate, destiny, whatever, brought Pogo Sticks into our orbit.
02:18And we just got obsessed with it.
02:20And then we all came together.
02:28Three more into a no-foot cannonball, into a front flip.
02:33Dalton Smith is the seven-time Pogo Palooza Big Air World Champion.
02:39You know, you think about great athletes like Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Tony Hawk, whatever.
02:44Like, they just have that killer instinct, and Dalton very much has that.
02:48But at the same time, you look at him, and he's like the fifth Beatle.
02:53It's really become this thing where somehow year after year, he just always delivers.
02:58Like, I've heard him say he wants ten years in a row.
03:01He just hit the world record at 12 feet over a bar in a Pogo Stick.
03:19I feel like I'm not even here right now.
03:23We tend to have, like, some similarities.
03:25A lot of, like, the people that Pogo, we're kind of all ADHD-bound.
03:31Pretty much starting from the bottom up, I've broken most things.
03:34My toes, I've broken an ankle, cracked my hip, both of my kneecaps, cracked a rib.
03:43I've broken both of my ankles probably a total of four times.
03:46I got 14 stitches of my lip, chipped my T1 vertebrae, fractured my cheek.
03:51A couple concussions.
03:54I've broken my nose five times.
04:00Yes, it's dangerous. Yes, it's illogical and stupid.
04:05But those are all the reasons, if you flip them, why it's so beautiful and so poetic.
04:09Because the danger elevates everything.
04:12Tyler Phillips, after this, two more runs.
04:22Tyler Phillips is just an awesome, awesome dude.
04:25We're seeing these elements of this fire in him that hasn't necessarily been there,
04:29so I'm kind of interested how maybe that plays out here,
04:33and maybe something is clicking, and maybe he's kind of a dark horse.
04:37Tyler Phillips is my hero.
04:46So good with the flips.
04:47A lot of interesting technical things other people don't do.
04:49And it just looks good and cool.
04:51Like, that dude is really cool.
04:55Connor Kellogg is the prodigy for pogo right now.
04:59He's just 19 years old.
05:00He has all this ability.
05:02Hopefully, this is the year where maybe he kind of overcomes his youth.
05:07Connor!
05:09Coming in strong.
05:10Hot and heavy.
05:11Connor Kellogg.
05:12Oh!
05:14That almost hit me, Will.
05:16That almost hit me, Will.
05:18So if he's actually able to put it all together
05:21and kind of take that next step on the intellectual side,
05:24I think he very well could finally beat Dalton.
05:2845 seconds.
05:29Oh!
05:30A slammy!
05:31Into a swim next!
05:33Oh my gosh, that is so difficult.
05:35Connor with a Bruce Lee.
05:36Into a double elbs.
05:38Into a no-foot cannonball.
05:39Into a stick flip.
05:41Into a stick flip.
05:42Into a backflip dismount.
05:45Applause!
05:47Wow!
05:49What a freaking jam.
05:51My word.
05:54If all the big air competitors want to come down here,
05:56we'll announce the top 10.
05:58Moving up into third place,
06:01your reigning champ, Dalton Smith.
06:0381.83.
06:05He made it up there.
06:06Qualifying in second, Connor Kellogg.
06:09And qualifying in the top spot,
06:12Mr. Tyler Nepo Kellogg.
06:17I thought it was a really exciting qualifiers this year.
06:20It's really crowded on top of the leaderboard there.
06:23Little surprise seeing Tyler in first.
06:25F***ing sick, dawg.
06:28You know, Connor, I think we all expect, is a real threat.
06:31Congratulations on all your successes.
06:33Yes!
06:34You finally clicked.
06:35It did, it did.
06:36I feel better than I ever have.
06:38You know, Dalton, I think secretly he kind of likes
06:41not quite being in first.
06:43It's like I felt that first time and I was just silly.
06:46It's almost like he needs that pressure.
06:48Or, I mean, he's a devious dude.
06:50Like, maybe he's intentionally letting everybody kind of rest
06:54and not putting the pressure on until the very end.
06:56If there were betting on Pogo Palooza,
06:59which as far as I know there's not,
07:01I think he'd still be the odds-on favorite.
07:07Here's how the finals work.
07:09Every athlete goes for 60 seconds three times.
07:12The highest score will be kept.
07:14The two others will be dropped.
07:16So really, it's about getting that one perfect run.
07:20One other thing.
07:22Bails.
07:23Meaning, if your feet touch the ground,
07:25if you don't land the trick, or if you fall,
07:28that counts as negative points.
07:30So essentially, if you bail, you cannot win.
07:34That time, Leslie, how are you feeling?
07:38I'm feeling ready to go. I'm feeling fired up.
07:41I don't know if the audience is ready, though.
07:43Pittsburgh. Wilkinsburg.
07:45Are you guys ready?
07:51The question is, can he be a great eight?
07:55Eight years in a row.
07:58So you'll even see sometimes, if someone falls early,
08:01they'll just be like, hey, I'm going to stop it,
08:04save my energy, try for one of my later two.
08:07And he's going to call it there.
08:09Doesn't like that bail earlier.
08:11The bails really hurting these guys.
08:13The door wide open for Conor to move into first place here.
08:18And he's got it.
08:20He's got it.
08:22He's got it.
08:24The door wide open for Conor to move into first place here.
08:29Conor, are you ready?
08:31Conor Kellogg, only 19, doesn't have the years of experience,
08:35but he has the heart, he has the confidence,
08:38and he knows how to save himself out there.
08:41My biggest weakness is probably how easily I get intimidated.
08:46Looking at that slant.
08:49Slanty backflip.
08:53I'm still competitive, though,
08:55so I'm looking to dethrone Dalton this year.
08:57How are you going to do that?
08:59I'm going big.
09:02He whips his body around.
09:04Oh, trying to go from tandem ball onto that box,
09:07doesn't land it, that's a bail.
09:09He's going to call it on that first run.
09:11Yeah, he realizes that he is in the bails of it.
09:14Tyler, are you ready?
09:16No.
09:18And he's ready.
09:20In 3, 2, 1, go.
09:26Tyler starting big on that death plank.
09:29I've been training pretty hard for this competition this year,
09:34being really quiet on social media about it,
09:37and I'm trying to take Dalton down.
09:40I feel like we need a new champion.
09:42No foot tandem ball, scissor kick, aerial, he sticks it.
09:46If anybody were to dethrone Dalton,
09:48that would be a pretty big deal.
09:50I hope it's me, that'd be cool.
09:525, 4,
09:54Come on, Pittsburgh, come on, Wilkinsburg,
09:57make some noise for Tyler Phillips.
10:02And he sticks a double backflip.
10:08Flawless run, I think no question
10:11that's going to put him on top of the leaderboard.
10:13The highest score for each athlete counts,
10:15a lot of room for improvement.
10:17I didn't want to bail and then be like,
10:19because then you've got to think about it all over again.
10:21You've got nothing to lose now,
10:22all you can do is improve on that.
10:25I mean, how do you escalate that?
10:27I don't even know.
10:29I'm sure I can somehow, though.
10:31If Tone did not have that bail,
10:33he would be on the podium right now.
10:39He just walks on the course with confidence.
10:41He sleeps confidence, breathes confidence,
10:44he even has wings on his helmet.
10:46And Dalton right now sitting in 6th place.
10:49Dalton Smith wanting a top score.
10:51This and then one more opportunity
10:53to defend his crown for the 8th year.
10:55We'll see if it happens.
10:57Dalton, are you ready?
11:003, 2, 1, Pogo!
11:03Snoop is here!
11:08Run for it, take some.
11:10Oh!
11:12And I think that's a bail.
11:13It kind of seemed like it.
11:1445 seconds.
11:16Yeah, he had to tap his foot on that box
11:18to maintain his balance,
11:20which is considered a bail.
11:22But look at him.
11:24Wow, huge combo.
11:275, 4, 3, 2, 1.
11:32Game over.
11:34And Amanda!
11:36Yeah!
11:38You know, I think that's going to move him
11:40close to podium,
11:42maybe not quite on the podium
11:44depending on how the judges score it.
11:46This year, Tyler, Kellogg,
11:48they are really, really hitting it.
11:51All their tricks, they're consistent.
11:53So I'm sweating a little bit.
11:55And it's making me nervous.
11:56I want to do something huge to keep up.
11:58But yeah, I still want to just land that clean run.
12:03So I'm just trying to keep it calm for now.
12:06Anything can happen.
12:08Anything can happen.
12:12The first to go is coming right here.
12:14Rookiesburg, are you ready for Connor Kellogg?
12:17Everybody!
12:18Let's roll!
12:20Get the ball out of the box.
12:22Oh!
12:23The boss doesn't take it.
12:27Oh!
12:28My friend, your home fan, is squeegee.
12:30He's getting a second bail.
12:32To the point, Connor is humbly walking off.
12:35That really ate him up there.
12:37He's thinking about what he's going to do
12:39in this next run.
12:42I always crack on the last day.
12:45It gets to me more than any other day.
12:52One more.
12:54Uno mas.
12:57Dalton has this penchant for not having
12:59a great first or second run.
13:01And someone thinks they're sitting in first place,
13:03but they can never rest easy until Dalton has his third run.
13:06And they haven't rested easy for the last seven years.
13:11Dalton Smith, are you ready?
13:13Let's go, baby!
13:19Oh!
13:20He's flipping over the death plank.
13:22That is huge.
13:23Fifty seconds.
13:24Backflip no-hander.
13:26Forty-five seconds.
13:34All right.
13:35Nice pomelo there.
13:37Showing that technical skill.
13:42Yes!
13:44Tries a three-bar no-foot cannibal.
13:46That's a bail.
13:47Three, two, one.
13:49It bails to Mandy.
13:51The world champion!
14:06All right.
14:09Round of applause for Dalton.
14:14I've been released!
14:16I'm free!
14:18After a while, the story does get stale.
14:20And it's amazing to be the champion.
14:22And I loved to hold the skill level so high for so long.
14:27And I still will.
14:28But it feels better to keep moving forward.
14:30Let's see what Locke does.
14:34Is the stage too big for this 19-year-old?
14:37We're about to find out if he can deliver
14:40and fulfill the prophecy of the Log
14:43becoming the best in the world.
14:45Wilkinsburg, are you ready?
14:48So much tension.
14:50Dropping off that box.
14:51Dropping it like it's hot.
14:53Scissor kick looks good.
14:54Woo!
14:59Oh, my gosh!
15:00He's coming to play.
15:01Forty-five seconds.
15:02Forty-five seconds remaining.
15:03Oh, he's coming for the leg.
15:05Look at Dalton.
15:06Out of the green.
15:08Two.
15:09One.
15:13Oh!
15:24I do not want to be our judges right now.
15:30Connor Kellogg just scored
15:33an 88.17.
15:38Moved into first place.
15:39Tyler's now in second.
15:42He's guaranteed a spot on the podium.
15:45The question is, can he reclaim that gold?
15:49The door is open here.
15:51Wilkinsburg, are you ready for the final run of Big Air 2022?
16:04So much pressure.
16:08Oh!
16:09Five.
16:10Four.
16:11Three.
16:12Two.
16:13One.
16:26That was an incredible competition.
16:29One more round of applause for all the competitors.
16:32I'm feeling the adrenaline coming down.
16:35A little bit of pain, but lots of love for the sport,
16:41the community, and all my boys.
16:43Pogo Palooza, it was a success this year.
16:46Can all the ten finalists please come down.
16:49Wait for the judges to get our final scores in,
16:51then we will announce your winner.
16:53Applause.
16:58Seventh place, Dalton Smith.
17:02Got his seven titles, and then he took seventh place.
17:06I can't believe Dalton's not on the podium.
17:09Three years.
17:10Three times on the podium.
17:12After his final run, Tyler Phillips got an 87 in second place.
17:19So second place to Tyler.
17:21That means you are the winner.
17:23You're the best.
17:24Tell me what it feels like.
17:26Come on, boys.
17:29Come on.
17:31Let's go.
17:33Come on.
17:34One more round of applause.
17:44Yes.
17:46You're like less than a point apart.
17:48Less than a point apart.
17:50Less than one, baby.
17:52This is the new age.
17:54This is the new age, baby.
17:59I actually really thought he was taking home the gold,
18:02but it's the log.
18:05It was the log's year.
18:06Let's go.
18:07We're all really good friends because it's such like a small community,
18:11and that's just what really makes it special for us
18:13because it's like we're the only people in the world doing this.
18:17It's just going to light them up.
18:19Winning and doing something you're proud of just makes you feel electric,
18:24and that's what I felt for so long, still do.
18:26So I hope all these kids, they just start picking that up.
18:29Anything else?
18:30Just that I love pogo sticking.
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