Back in 1994, I only had about 20 skysurf jumps when I read in a newspaper somewhere that ESPN would be trying out a new competition sporting event called the "Extreme Games". The article actually caught my eye because it had a picture of a bungee jumper. There was no information about exactly which sports would be in the contest, but I figured if bungee jumping made it, skysurfing would definitely qualify. I did some more research and actually found out that there would be a qualifying event for skysurfing in 5 months. I knew I sucked at skysurfing, but I had absolutely nothing better going on in my life at the time, so I decided to set my sights on that first event.

    I continued to jump on a weekend basis and felt that I was making progress. But I had two major problems: no video of my jumps to see how I was really doing, and no money to pay for a cameraman anyway. That is when I met this guy named Vic Pappadato. He was new at the drop zone also and was just beginning to fly camera. I chatted with Vic a couple of times in passing and found out that he was a really cool guy. I could tell he was very determined to be a good cameraman. One weekend I decided to approach Vic and tell him about this Extreme Games thing that I had heard about. His reaction was skeptical. I told him I was looking for a cameraman. I could tell that he was reluctant toward my proposal, but I didn't blame him since most everybody at the drop zone looked at me as a hazard anyway. The conversation didn't go anywhere that day.

    I guess Vic thought my idea over because the following weekend he pulled me aside to find out more. I could sense his interest and I got very excited. Somehow I sold him on the idea (it turns out he had nothing great going on in his life at the time either), and we got started that day. Our first few jumps were disastrous and I could tell right away that Vic was worried about his decision. But I reassured him that we would improve dramatically in a short time. I actually was a little worried myself, but I couldn't let Vic know that.

    Vic and I continued to jump every single weekend, not missing a day. We didn't always feel like we were improving. It was extremely frustrating and the thought of quitting occurred to us more than once. But we learned to review videos from a month back to realize that we were actually making progress. This was a long, exciting journey that I would love to elaborate on, but you would eventually tune out. To make a long story short, we both went broke getting to that first event, but did surprisingly well and took 6th in the world. That was the last qualifying slot for the Extreme Games the following summer. We had just barely made it.

    Vic and I knew we had just opened up a world of opportunities. We busted our butts jumping and working at nightclubs to make ends meet. We were very prepared for the Extreme Games and put on a solid performance to earn fifth place. It was the first time for both of us being on national television and the feeling was intense. We knew this is what we would be doing for quite some time. Our training continued for many years and we reached the pinnacle of the sport when we won the 1997 X-Games in San Diego. That was the best day of our lives.

    Not too long after that event, Vic lost his life in a tragic skydiving accident. It was a sad day for many friends, family and our sport. Vic was a true sportsman who taught me many lessons about life and the people you share it with. I am so thankful that I got to share some absolutely incredible moments with him. Winning the X-Games was the best of them all, and I seriously doubt that I will ever want to try to do it again with anybody else.