News, Tightrope Walker Gets OK to Cross Niagara Falls. (Ontario: dangerous, safety)

[John1960]

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) - He defies death on the high-wire and aerial artist Nik Wallenda has defied the odds yet again! The Ontario Parks Commission finally okayed a tightrope walk across the mighty Niagara.

Wallenda won approval to walk a tightrope over the Horse Shoe Falls, from the United States to Canada, on Wednesday.

Wallenda gets green light for Falls walk | WIVB.com

[Poinciana]

Nik Wallenda will not be defying anything ... certainly not death! Squeamish ABC is forcing him to use a harness and tether for his walk in the park across Niagara Falls. The tether takes all the drama and excitement from the much ballyhooed event. Even a toddler with a tether could do it! Phttt!

[topchief1]

Originally Posted by Poinciana

Nik Wallenda will not be defying anything ... certainly not death! Squeamish ABC is forcing him to use a harness and tether for his walk in the park across Niagara Falls. The tether takes all the drama and excitement from the much ballyhooed event. Even a toddler with a tether could do it! Phttt!

"Wallenda says he'll be walking without a tether. But in the event something goes wrong, he has a clip on a belt around his waist and will immediately hang on the wire. He'll be training with wind machines and water to experience the worst."

[Poinciana]

Originally Posted by topchief1

"Wallenda says he'll be walking without a tether. But in the event something goes wrong, he has a clip on a belt around his waist and will immediately hang on the wire. He'll be training with wind machines and water to experience the worst."

Thanks for that information. I hadn't heard about that. Where did you hear it? If true, it'll make the event more acceptable and interesting to watch. Nevertheless, it's still kind of ... , well, I don't what the right word is. Not quite right or something.

Wallenda wanted to do it without any safety devices, but he said that since ABC is financing the whole thing, he can't do anything about it.

I don't want to see him get hurt either. But I think if a dare devil claims to be a dare devil, he ought to be one; not pussyfoot around and turn an event into an international joke and laughing stock of the world.

Oh well, good luck to all!

[marc3565]

He is wearing the tether. He has a clip to release the tether should it pose a risk.
Question now is will he release it..

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/a...e-stay-tied-in

[VintageSunlight]

If there was no tether, it would be certain death plunging from that height. Certain death that would be televised on national TV. Is that what we have come to in America? A violent culture that thinks walking across a tightrope with a tether is weak? Funny the people who claim that they would do it with a tether aren't actually getting their fat, potato chip eating a$$e$ off the Barcolounger to do it. Tether or not, that takes serious balls to do, and skill.

I'm glad ABC is making him wear a tether. I want to see someone do something with great skill and courage, not watch someone die.

[Poinciana]

Originally Posted by VintageSunlight

I'm glad ABC is making him wear a tether. I want to see someone do something with great skill and courage, not watch someone die.

I don't want to see him die either. But when a daredevil bills, promotes and advertises himself as a daredevil, then do-gooder ABC should let him be a daredevil. Who's gonna be the anchor for this phony fiasco anyway -- the weepy Diane Sawyer?

Wallenda should cancel the whole mess. Being secured by a tether will destroy his and his family's sterling international reputation forever as a daredevils.
Boo-hoo, hoo. WaWaWa. Oh mommie hold my wittle hand.

ABC is saying Oh! It's the children! The children, the children, the children! It's always America's Democrat-brainwashed children. Phtttt! Cover the eyes of the "sensitive" little brats or don't let them watch TV!

[topchief1]

Originally Posted by Poinciana

Thanks for that information. I hadn't heard about that. Where did you hear it? If true, it'll make the event more acceptable and interesting to watch. Nevertheless, it's still kind of ... , well, I don't what the right word is. Not quite right or something.

Wallenda wanted to do it without any safety devices, but he said that since ABC is financing the whole thing, he can't do anything about it.

I don't want to see him get hurt either. But I think if a dare devil claims to be a dare devil, he ought to be one; not pussyfoot around and turn an event into an international joke and laughing stock of the world.

Oh well, good luck to all!

I was quoting from that link, but I noticed it was from May, so things could have certainly changed since then

[JH6]

Tether or no Tether. What he did tonight was nothing short of amazing. I'm glad he had the tether on, I don't have the stomach to watch someone plummet to their death. Good publicity for the hard luck town of Niagara Falls. I didn't expect ABC to have a 2 hour Pre-walk show either, almost too much coverage of the event.

[michael_atw]

Originally Posted by VintageSunlight

If there was no tether, it would be certain death plunging from that height. Certain death that would be televised on national TV. Is that what we have come to in America? A violent culture that thinks walking across a tightrope with a tether is weak? Funny the people who claim that they would do it with a tether aren't actually getting their fat, potato chip eating a$$e$ off the Barcolounger to do it. Tether or not, that takes serious balls to do, and skill.

I'm glad ABC is making him wear a tether. I want to see someone do something with great skill and courage, not watch someone die.

Oh stop. ABC spent over an hour repeating how dangerous it was, and then forced him to wear safety gear. He didn't even want to wear safety gear.

It has nothing to do with death. It has everything to do with defying it. How can you defy something when you have a safety harness on?

You missed the point completely.