SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Washington man proves he’s modern day Evel Knievel
Aug 1, 2016, 5:24 AM | Updated: 12:42 pm
When I was a kid, I absolutely loved the anticipation of Evel Knievel’s jumps. I’d go to bed on Friday night and wake up on Saturday morning giddy with excitement for what would unfold on those Saturday afternoons on ABC’s Wide World Of Sports.
His successful jumps were not memorable. But the crashes are an indelible part of boomer-pop-culture history. Caesars Palace. Wembley. Snake River Canyon.
I remain strangely fascinated by those death-defying stuntmen.
Saturday night, I felt like a little kid again as I watched Luke Aikins make history — jumping out of a plane from 25,000 feet without a parachute or wing chute — safely landing in a 100 x 100-foot net. Akins hails from Graham, Wash. and works in Shelton.
I have no idea what would compel a husband and father of a 4-year-old to do something so insane. But it was sure exciting to watch.
My thrill seeking is relatively tame: jumping out of planes WITH a parachute, bungee jumping, NASCAR-driving … I can’t fathom what drives people like Luke.
Here was my interview with Luke before his jump. You can watch the successful jump embedded above. I’m glad the man is safe tonight.
Luke will be on my show this coming week to review his Knievel-esque jump.
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