??????????Questions??????????
Question 1.) How
Big is the Globe of Death Ball you ride?
Answer: Globes can vary in size from
12' to 21' in Diameter, We ride a globe that
is 14'-6" inside diameter
Question 2.) How
Fast (Miles Per Hour) do you ride inside the Globe
during a show?
Answer:
The speed varies with the Number of riders inside
and the size of the globe, we ride about 30-37 Mph
inside of our globe, larger globes require larger
engines so it is more likely that other acts go
faster inside the globe. The smaller the globe will
undoubtly look like we are traveling faster but
in reality we are traveling slower but doing more
Revolutions per minute.
Question 3.) How
Long have you been riding?
Answer:
I have been riding for 17 years, although I have
been around this act since 1986.
Question 4.) How
many Globe of Deaths are there in the World?
Answer:
About 20 of them known at this time...
Question 5.) Who
Invented this Act?
Answer:
This is a very Undetermined question, I have proof
that the Globe of Death was Patented in 1903 but
not for the use with a motorcycle. I have photos
of globe acts from as far back as 1947, but I keep
getting more and more photos and historical info
every week, I do appreciate any photos and will
post any vintage photos that you send in. See Patent
Globe Click Here
Question 6.)
Do you get Paid well?
Answer:
It is a good living, way better that McDonalds...
if you were asked when you were young; "Would
you like to See the World, and get paid to do it...
Would you?" just think of all the people who
have never left the confines of the city in which
they grew up in, remember you get one chance in
life... the world we live in is Beautiful, no matter
what CNN says.
Question 7.) What
Kind of Bikes do you ride?
Answer: We
prefer Yamaha RT 100, the bikes we have are of course
modified. They have custom wheels, tires, beefed
up suspension, custom exhaust, and custom Carbon
Fiber Uni-bodies. See
Photo Here
Question 8.) HAVE
YOU EVER CRASHED?
Answer:
YES!!! this is the always dreaded question we get,
click here for our latest Injury. Our own Chris
" Paul Igou Crashed on stage and Broke His
Femur, He was rushed to the hospital and the doctors
put a stainless steel rod in his leg and secured
it with 3 screws. He was back riding in the show
5 weeks later.
Question 9.)
Has Anyone ever died in the Globe?
Answer:
Yes, 3 people known to date, we are getting the
exact names of those people at this time. These
3 unfortunate individuals lost their lives from
1949-1997.Check back once and a while for updates.
Question 10.) What
is it like to ride in the Globe?
Answer:
Simple analogy; it is like being on a Merry-go-Round...
you are spinning the same speed as the other riders,
so if the other rider gets close to you, you know
to speed up or slow down. this is the same principle,
but not quite the real effect. Remember you have
a motorcycle that you have to control speed, balance,
and timing! Stopping is the Fun Part!!! There is
not much room to stop and you have to stop from
full speed without hitting the other riders.
Beyond the 10th
question...
Question
11.) What got you
started riding the Globe of Death?
Answer:
I was a BMX freestyle rider (like on x-games), I
was performing on stage in Las Vegas in a show called
"SPLASH" and I was doing BMX freestyle
riding on a skateboard ramp from 1986- 1999, After
the contract had ended we were getting bookings
to do State Fairs, car shows, conventions and every
type of stunt show you can think about, the guy
who was booking my BMX act would also book a Globe
act at the same event and most of the time the Globe
riders would not show up, at that time there were
very few globe riders and they were sometime too
busy to get to every event... so that is when the
booking agent offered us (BMX riders) to learn the
Globe and make a "Double Paycheck...").
So in 1991 we started the training process.. and
in 1997 I decided it was time to get my own Globe
act... and the rest is history... here we are today!
Question
12.) What do like
about performing?
Answer:
I like travelling, and recognition for a sport that
has been around for 100 years and there are less
than 100 riders in the world!
Question
13.) How Many countries
have you been to?
Answer:
Japan, Australia, Mexico, Canada, All of Europe,
All of South America, Aruba and Korea
Question
14.) DO you ride
with the same partners all of the time?
Answer:
NO, I hire riders on a availability basis, there
are not alot of riders and there are some shows
in Vegas that need the riders full time and/or riders
are on the road travelling. I get lucky to have
certain partners who make themselves available to
me when I need them, we are all Independant Contractors
so we have to take what we can get sometimes.
Question
15.) How long do
expect to ride for?
Answer:
Well since Globe riding is
a technique and basically a controlled choreographed
routine. I expect I can perform until I am aroud
50. We have many 50 year old riders still performing.
It is real hard your lower back....
Question
16.) How long does
it take to learn to Ride the Globe?
Answer:
It takes about 2 years of training, we can teach
any monkey to go in a circle... and we can teach
anyone to ride the globe... but, not everyone can
Learn the Globe. Some people cannot get it, they
cannot understand the globe, how to lean, how to
keep a consistant speed, be able to use thier periferal
vision inside the globe or even the concept and
execution how to Stop! So many times the person
will have an accident and then just never want to
come back. If you fall off the horse, you must get
back on or you will be afraid of it forever after
that.
If you have more
questions not listed on here, feel free to call
me.
Sincerely,
John Stotts
