Extreme pogo is an action sport and performance exhibition involving performing tricks on a pogo stick.
There may be objections to its categorization as performance art. However, while taking nothing from its status as an athletic action sport, there are strong elements of performance art to extreme pogo, similar to skateboarding and BMX.
Extreme pogo athletes often perform in public spaces, using their environment creatively to execute tricks and stunts, transforming urban settings into dynamic stages. Extreme pogo relies on audience interaction and reaction, and the routines and tricks performed in the sport require meticulous planning and execution, akin to choreographed dance movements. The pogo athlete's movements are not just about achieving height or completing a trick but also about the fluidity and style of the performance.
In extreme pogo, athletes perform a variety of tricks and stunts using specially designed pogo sticks. These tricks can range from simple jumps and spins to complex maneuvers like backflips and no-footed cannonballs, in which the athlete jumps into the air on their pogo sticks, removes both feet from the pegs, and grabs the foot pegs with their hands while tucking their knees to their chest before returning their feet the pegs before landing.
The sport often takes place in urban environments, where athletes use stairs, railings, and other obstacles to showcase their skills, the objective being to achieve maximum height and execute impressive tricks while maintaining control and balance.
A relatively new sport, the origins of pogo go back to the late 1990s. Dave Armstrong, from Provo, Utah, is credited as a pioneer in the sport. In 1999, he began experimenting with tricks on a traditional steel spring pogo stick, sharing his progress on a website hosted on xpogo.com. This platform soon became a hub for pogo enthusiasts. Other pioneers include Nick McClintock, Nick Ryan, Fred Grzbowski, Dan Brown, Rick Gorge, and Matt Malcolm, each contributing elements to the sport.
The first pogo stick created specially for extreme pogo was introduced in 2004.
Pogo sticks have evolved considerably over the past couple of decades. The traditional steel spring sticks are durable and a good starting point for beginners. Designed for younger users, foam pogo sticks are covered in foam for added safety. Air-powered pogo sticks use compressed air to achieve greater heights. A popular model in this category is the Vurtego V4, capable of launching athletes more than ten feet in the air. There are also advanced models designed for extreme pogo athletes. They are built to withstand the rigors of high-impact tricks and stunts.
While not mainstream, extreme pogo has made inroads and has a dedicated following. The annual Pogopalooza event, considered the World Championship of Pogo, showcases the best extreme pogo athletes from around the world. A new organization, AllPogo, was founded in 2018, hosts various community events, and maintains an online library of pogo tricks, while Xpogo continues to promote and develop the sport through exhibitions, competitions, and media content.
Topics related to the extreme sport known as extreme pogo are appropriate for this category.
Recommended Resources
The organization and platform serve to promote and highlight the sport of pogo sticking and extreme pogo, offering resources, guides, trick lists, pogo stick comparisons, and information about various levels of pogo-sticking from the learning level to the sport of extreme pogo. The site also includes news and information on Pogo events, such as Pogopalooza and the World Championships of Extreme Pogo. Videos, photographs, archives, and a shopping area are included.
https://allpogo.com/
Inside the High-Flying World of Extreme Pogo
Hosted on the website of Popular Science (PopSci), a US-based science website and digital magazine, published as a print magazine from 1872 to 2020, this article on Extreme Pogo was written by Andrew Zaleski and posted on August 30, 2022. The piece discusses the sport, beginning with what is portrayed as an impromptu event in Pittsburgh, the base of Xpogo and its founder, Nick McClintock, then moving on to the sport's history and general information and photos of the sport.
https://www.popsci.com/gear/extreme-pogo/
Fred Grzbowski, known as Pogo Fred, is one of the original founders of extreme pogo and is considered one of the best jumpers in the world. He holds multiple Guinness World Records for his extreme pogo stunts and has been featured in several media pieces. Currently, he is available for various events, such as fairs, commercials, music videos, television, festivals, public and corporate events, brand collaborations, schools, parties, and motivational speaking. Contacts are provided.
https://www.pogofred.com/
The World Championships of Pogo is an annual championship that brings top extreme Pogo athletes together for multiple days of competition and exhibition. Besides the competitions, the event also features exhibits from pogo stick companies, a jump are for people of all ages to try out a large selection of pogo sticks, from classic to extreme, and other sponsorship exhibitions. The upcoming event is highlighted, with schedules and online ticket sales, live scores, and streaming of events.
https://www.xpogo.com/pogopalooza/
Founded by Nick McClintock, acknowledged as an early pioneer or the founder of Extreme Pogo, Xpogo is maintained by a crew of extreme pogo enthusiasts who produce hundreds of live performances and competitions each year, along with pogo films and other content related to the sport. Its team is introduced, along with a gallery of extreme pogo videos, photos, and world records. Pogopaloza, also known as the World Championship of Extreme Pogo, is featured, and an online shopping area is included.
https://www.xpogo.com/
