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Engineered daring: Wallenda’s high-wire walk from and to Marina City
November 2, 2014
Photo by Jean-Marc Giboux
(Above) Residents and visitors watch as Nik Wallenda walks blindfolded from Marina City’s west tower to its east tower at 7:50 p.m. on November 2, 2014. Photo by Jean-Marc Giboux.
“What an incredibly beautiful city at night Chicago is. Absolutely beautiful.”
– Nik Wallenda as he walked a tightrope 588 feet above the Chicago River

In a city not well known for keeping secrets, it was one of the best-kept secrets of the modern era.

On April 3, 2014, not much more was known than professional daredevil Nik Wallenda was going to walk a tightrope in Chicago.

“Wallenda is interested in doing a special event in downtown Chicago, in particular across the Chicago River,” said 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly.

When asked for elaboration, however, Reilly’s office referred the request to the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. All DCASE had to say was that “the specific location in the city has not been determined, but we know that the Chicago skyline is picturesque from any viewpoint.”

35-year-old Nik Wallenda, the great-grandson of legendary high-wire artist Karl Wallenda, was the first person to walk a tightrope directly over Niagara Falls and the first to high-wire walk across the Grand Canyon.

Photo by Richard Sheinwald (Left) The Flying Wallendas perform a seven-person pyramid stunt in Detroit on March 6, 1998. Terry Troffer, then 43 years old, is in the bottom row at far right. His son, Nik, age 19, is directly behind him. Terry’s wife, Delilah, is between them in the second row. Photo by Richard Sheinwald.

He had a contract with the Discovery Channel for near-exclusive broadcast of his stunts. A new show on the television network, Skyscraper Live with Nik Wallenda, was scheduled to air as a live event in the fall of 2014.

Wallenda’s stunts can cost around $1.2 million but are seen by millions of people. 23 million in 183 countries watched him walk across the Grand Canyon. A broadcast of the Niagara Falls stunt attracted 13.1 million viewers. The Chicago stunt, wherever it was done, was expected to reach at least 22 million people.

According to Mary May, public relations coordinator for DCASE, Wallenda and Discovery Channel had presented a proposal to the city for a high-wire stunt and the city was “working with them on a plan.”

“This will be one for the history books,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “We are thrilled Nik Wallenda has chosen our great city with its iconic skyline as the site of the next walk.”

(Right) Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (left in photo) and Nik Wallenda chat in the mayor’s office at City Hall on November 3, 2014, the day after the stunt. Photo by Laurie Goldberg.

Photo by Laurie Goldberg

Officials seemed to be taking great care not to say where in Chicago the stunt would take place. But on September 16, the world was told that Wallenda would walk a wire high above the Chicago River on November 2, and that walk would start – and finish – at Marina City.

He would step off the mechanical penthouse of the west tower, 588 feet above ground, and walk a tightrope 341 feet south across the Chicago River to the roof of the 46-story Leo Burnett Building, 635 feet above ground. It would be an uphill walk, at about a 15-degree angle, at night, without a harness or a net.

Then the stunt would get challenging.

With dozens of cameras and helicopters watching, Wallenda would walk from the top of Marina City’s west tower to the top of its east tower.

“This is going to be the most incredible tightrope walk of my career,” said Wallenda. “I can’t think of a better city to do it. I have fond memories of spending time performing in Chicago and the Midwest with my family. Besides, it’s the ‘Windy City’ and there’s nothing like doing this during winter in Chicago. That’s a challenge for me and I love to push myself to do things that most people think are impossible.”

Peacock Productions/Discovery (Left) With Marina City’s west and east towers behind him, Nik Wallenda stands on the roof of Leo Burnett Building on September 16, 2014, the day his Chicago high wire stunt was officially announced. Peacock Productions/Discovery.

Marina City early choice for months

Marina City and Leo Burnett Building were on Wallenda’s short list within a month or two after he first approached the city in November 2013. He met directly with DCASE Commissioner Michelle Boone at the Chicago Cultural Center in the Loop.

After Willis Tower and Trump International Hotel & Tower were discounted because neither had nearby neighbors of comparable height, Wallenda focused on the main branch of the Chicago River and selected Marina City on the north bank and Leo Burnett Building directly across the river on the south bank.

Google Map He remembered Marina City from visits to Chicago when his sister lived there.

“The architecture of the buildings speak for themselves,” he said on October 1. “When you think of that skyline, you think of those towers.”

Said Wallenda about the towers, “I remember the first time I saw them many years ago, passing by and going, man, those buildings are made for a wire to be stretched between them. Just the way my mind works.”

(Left) Google Map view of the area, with Marina City at top and Leo Burnett Building at lower left.

Approval from condo board is pleasant, though costly, surprise

With city approval needed, the Wallenda team went to Alderman Reilly, who suggested they first talk to representatives of Marina City. The alderman’s only requirement of Wallenda, before proceeding with other city departments, was a letter of support from Marina City’s condominium board.

Wallenda contacted and later visited Marina City, meeting first with its property manager and then its condo board. A non-disclosure agreement kept the project discreet.

Marina Towers Condominium Association kept the negotiations a secret from residents, breaking the news to them early in the afternoon on September 16 after Discovery Channel made its announcement. The condo board also kept the stunt a secret from Marina City’s commercial property management, not telling Transwestern about it until “after the deal was completed,” according to a senior vice president with Transwestern.

“My job is to go in there, and say, look, this is why I want to do it, this is why I feel it’s good for Marina City,” said Wallenda. “It’s going to be incredible exposure for those buildings. It will only help, in my opinion, the value of the property. It just ties those buildings to that skyline even more so.”

Reilly got his letter of support from MTCA on March 31, 2014.

Photo by Steven Dahlman “I figured many of the residents of that building would be not so excited about this, but they embraced it, they think this is wonderful,” Reilly told the Big John & Amy show on AM 560 The Answer on September 18, two days after the announcement.

(Left) Brendan Reilly

Wallenda insisted on not disclosing the stunt until he had permits and blessings. He says some people in his industry will promote an event first, trying to “strong-arm” a city into issuing permits.

“I always do all the stuff behind the scenes, low-key. Let’s get permission, let’s get both buildings, let’s get everything in place and then we can announce. It’s just how I prefer to work and do business,” he said.

Making sure their buildings were not damaged during the high-wire stunt was the biggest concern of Marina City’s condo board during lengthy negotiations that were, said MTCA president Ellen Chessick, “complicated, sometimes difficult.”

In a monthly report to unit owners and residents of Marina City, Chessick said she signed the contract on September 16 with Peacock Productions, the television production unit of NBC News that produces Wallenda’s Skywire Live show for Discovery Channel.

The major topics of negotiation, said Chessick, were ensuring that the towers are not damaged, that the project does not cost the condo association anything, that everyone has adequate insurance, and that the association receives “a fair location fee.”

Although the amount of the location fee was not disclosed, Chessick said during negotiations “we prevailed in significantly increasing” the fee.

City officials declined to even speculate how much the location fee might be. It wasn’t until December that unit owners and residents learned the fee had been $75,000. MTCA was also paid $10,000 for use of four balconies, $1,500 for an inspection by producers earlier in the year, and reimbursed for expenses.

The condo board also negotiated agreements with Wallenda and Discovery Channel but the agreement with Peacock Productions was, said Chessick, “the most critical” as they would have the most personnel on site, would be reimbursing the condo association for expenses, and would be paying the location fee.

William O’Leary, the interim residential property manager brought in when the previous manager was fired, was a main point of contact for Nik Wallenda, Discovery, and NBCUniversal during the year of planning that led to the November 2 event. O’Leary represented Marina City in such nuts-and-bolts negotiations as equipment specifications, elevator loads, and how the association would be reimbursed for expenses.

(Right) Nik Wallenda (center) poses with MTCA president Ellen Chessick (left) and residential property manager William O’Leary (right) on October 30, 2014, at Leo Burnett Building.

Ellen Chessick, Nik Wallenda, and William O’Leary

Uphill in the dark with no net and against the law

Back at his training camp in Sarasota, Florida, Wallenda practiced in simulated 90 mile per hour wind. He wore gloves, head gear, and layers of clothing, and studied downhill skiers for ideas about clothing to keep him warm and mobile.

“The biggest thing that I have on my mind is, it’s going to be nighttime,” he told the Sarasota Herald Tribune. “It’s going to be dark, it’s going to be cool, and is this wire going to be extremely wet? And am I going to have enough traction to make it from starting point to the finish point?”

His training for Chicago was different than for previous stunts. “Normally, most of the strain is in my arms...for this one, there will be much strain in my legs, as well.”

The stunt would not be attempted if winds were more than 50 miles per hour but otherwise there was no margin for error, as Wallenda would not be using a safety harness or net.

“We all take risks every day,” said Wallenda, “it’s just that we don’t see them as risks because they’re the norm. It’s the norm to cross the street, it’s the norm to get in a car. Well, for my family, it’s the norm to get on the wire. We make it as safe as possible, but it is fascinating and mind-blowing to people because they can’t relate to a guy 600 feet above a city on a cable the size of a quarter.”

The cable was 0.75 inches in diameter, to be exact, much smaller than what he was used to, normally two inches in diameter. It would be a new type of high wire, a compressed steel wire cable coated with a polymer that was mixed with sand to improve traction. It would be painted white to stand out in the darkness and it would be monitored for ice buildup.

Peacock Productions/Discovery (Left) Nik Wallenda holds up a new type of high wire he was testing for possible use in Chicago. Peacock Productions/Discovery.

Wallenda still needed from the city a filming permit and a special event permit. They had not actually been issued, pending details about exactly how various city agencies would work together to handle the event, but city officials said publicly that the event would happen.

Possibly standing in the way was the Aerial Exhibitors Safety Act, an Illinois law enacted in 1963 that prohibits aerial performances higher than 20 feet without a safety net. Violation of the law is a Class A Misdemeanor, punishable by a prison sentence of less than one year and/or a fine not to exceed $2,500.

Rich Moskal, Director of the Chicago Film Office, was working with the Illinois Department of Labor to see what could be done about the Aerial Exhibitors Safety Act. The intent of the law, according to Moskal, is “to protect acrobats and performers so that circus organizers...wouldn’t insist that they walk without a net just because it would draw more attention and sell more tickets.”

With Wallenda wanting to walk without a net, the city was hoping to get around the law and Moskal said there was no interest in trying to string a net over the river.

“But it has raised some awkward questions about the state law and how do we work with it,” he said.

Wallenda wire hangs over river for three days

Before the spectacle of a man walking a 341-foot-long high wire 588 feet above the Chicago River, there was the spectacle of the high wire being lifted into place and staying there for three days before the stunt.

On September 19, Moskal briefed a group especially concerned with the stunt, the Chicago Harbor Safety Committee.

Rich Moskal “It’s a spectacle,” he told them at a meeting on the 16th floor of Trump International Hotel & Tower. “It’s something that we’ve never really had in Chicago before but we’re appreciative of the opportunity to have it.”

(Left) Rich Moskal

Moskal said he had met with Wallenda many times.

“It’s not an adrenaline rush for him; it’s real serious business,” said Moskal. “He brings nothing but confidence to the situation. We’re pleased that he does that because this is serious business for us, too.”

(Right) A Sikorsky S-58T twin-engine helicopter swoops over the Chicago River on the morning of October 26, 2014.

Photo by Steven Dahlman

Supervised by union electrical workers who specialized in rigging cables between buildings, a rope would cross the river first and be used to lift a steel cable. After that would come the support wires, anchored in concrete, which will keep the main wire from swaying. The same process would be used to install the wire between Marina City’s west and east towers.

Small, custom-built cranes would hang over the edge of each building’s roof to raise the cable without it touching the side of the building.

Both buildings would lift the high wire at the same time, “almost as in a tug of war,” explained Wallenda. “We’ll pull a little bit to Leo Burnett, a little bit toward Marina City, back and forth, back and forth, until it makes it up to the top.”

“It’s a tedious process for sure but something that these guys are experts in the field at doing,” he said.

Photo by Steven Dahlman (Left) A spool of daredevil high wire is laid out on the Dearborn Street Bridge on the night of October 30, 2014.

Photo by Lee Hogan

(Above) Pilot/photographer Lee Hogan captured this image from a helicopter north of the river. It shows preparations, the week before the stunt, on top of Marina City’s west tower. The high wire to Leo Burnett Building can be seen at lower left and the shorter wire to the east tower is at lower right. On the top of the mechanical penthouse, a wooden platform is being built over HVAC equipment.

(Right) Another image by Lee Hogan shows the main wire stretching from Marina City’s west tower to the roof of Leo Burnett Building and the shorter wire between the west tower and Marina City’s east tower. Photo by Lee Hogan

Yes, blindfolded

As if it could get any more incredible, Nik Wallenda announced on October 3 he would perform part of his November 2 stunt in Chicago...blindfolded.

On NBC’s Today show, Wallenda said he would be blindfolded – something he had never done before – when he high-wire walked about 100 feet from Marina City’s west tower to its east tower.

“It’s about challenging myself and hopefully through challenging myself, inspiring other people to challenge themselves,” said Wallenda.

The idea came from Lasik surgery he had the previous year to correct his vision.

“Leading up to that surgery, I think we all have those concerns or fears, maybe, of what if something happens to my vision during this process? And I thought, what if I lost my vision?”

Could he still perform as a wire walker?

“I started training in the back yard with my eyes closed, walking back and forth. And then eventually – my wife practices with me and my mom is out there, my kids – and I said, ‘Hey, guys, I’m going to just walk, and I want you to sneak up and just push me every once in a while.’”

That escalated to shaking the wire and hitting the 24-foot-long, 45-pound balancing pole.

“I was amazed. I was like, wow, I can’t believe that I can still stay on the wire through all of this. And it built my confidence to where I knew that I would be safe making this walk blindfolded between Marina City towers.”

Using his feet as his guide, Wallenda would slide across the wire, feeling for vertical cables connected to the wire that keep it from swaying. They would tell Wallenda how far he has walked.

Photo by Anita Lambert (Left) Standing at the very edge of a cantilevered roof over a Marina City balcony, Nik Wallenda waves to people on balconies in the other tower. Every 15 feet along the top steel wire on which Wallenda will walk, clamps connect to stabilizing wires below. Not only will he walk the wire blindfolded, but also he will step over these clamps. Photo by Anita Lambert.

If there was a gust of wind, he could lower himself to the relative safety of the wire but, he said, “I’m not going to be able to see what I’m grabbing for.”

Contingency plans in case of failure

The danger of Nik Wallenda’s high-wire stunt was not lost on the television executives who would broadcast the event live to 220 countries.

According to the company producing the 140-minute show for Discovery Channel, there were contingency plans in case Wallenda fell.

Speaking with the entertainment trade magazine Variety, Sharon Scott, president and general manager of Peacock Productions, said protocols had been worked out for the hosts of the program to follow in case Wallenda “loses contact” with the wire.

A+E Networks “We are documenting what he does,” Scott told Variety on October 30. “In the worst-case scenario, we just want to make it palatable for the viewer, and hopefully say something eloquent enough for them to understand that we were simply fulfilling his dream. It’s a great television event, there’s no question, but it’s incredibly dangerous.”

(Left) Photo of Sharon Scott obtained from A+E Networks.

In any case, there would be a ten-second delay between what happened live and what Discovery Channel viewers saw.

Old broadcast tower is useful again

Back at Marina City, they were having good luck with the west tower.

Photo by Richard Nickel Terry Troffer, Nik’s 59-year-old father and safety coordinator, said they found anchor bolts that used to support the 426-foot broadcast tower that rose from the observation deck, and at one time was the highest point in Chicago. The tower was built in 1964 and dismantled in 1978.

With the blessing of modern-day engineers, the Wallenda team attached a custom-built plate to the bolts that helped anchor the main wire.

(Left) Marina City in mid-1960s with broadcast towers still on the west tower, captured from Wacker Drive by architectural photographer/historical preservationist Richard Nickel. The Art Institute of Chicago, Ryerson & Burnham Archives.

On Friday, October 31, two days before the walk, Nik Wallenda himself had a message for residents of Marina City who were dealing with international fame at the cost of traffic congestion.

“I want them to have a good time and enjoy it,” he said. “I want this to be an incredible experience, not a negative experience, for sure. [I thank] them for the incredible opportunity, these beautiful, iconic buildings to the skyline of Chicago, and having the ability to do it means a lot to me. [I thank them for] being courteous and giving us permission to do this. I won’t let them down.”

The first 47.5 feet of his walk would be over the observation deck of Marina City’s west tower and then he would be just three stories above balconies full of people.

He expressed disappointment over a recent memo from Marina City’s residential property manager, urging residents not to yell at Wallenda or make “loud disturbing sounds.”

“There were all these restrictions about making noise and such. And I appreciate that, but we’re in a city and I expect to hear sirens, and I expect to hear cars, and I expect to hear crowds screaming. The more noise, the better. The more cheering, the better. I get goose bumps thinking about it, hearing the roar of the crowd. That’s what makes it fun. That’s what makes it all worthwhile.”

Walking between skyscrapers, he said, he often talks to people on balconies. If only he was walking toward Marina City, he says he would talk to residents there. When asked how he felt about Marina City residents talking to him, Wallenda said he was fine with it.

“This is my life. It’s not as though I need complete silence. The noise doesn’t bug me whatsoever.”

Wind was an issue but...he made it

He was disappointed that he did not get to take a photo “selfie” mid-way across, but Nik Wallenda successfully crossed the Chicago River by high-wire on Sunday, November 2.

Discovery

(Above) Seen from the wire’s point of view, professional daredevil Nik Wallenda approaches Leo Burnett Building from Marina City’s west tower. This frame is from Discovery’s Skywire Live broadcast to six million people in 220 countries.

As helicopters circled above, Wallenda made his first appearance at 6:05 p.m. He walked a short distance on the wire and then walked back.

At 7:30 p.m., Wallenda stepped off Marina City’s mechanical penthouse, walked three stories above the west tower observation deck, and was then 588 feet above the Chicago River. “Ok, Chi-town, let’s do this, baby,” he said as he started the stunt. “You guys rock.”

Wallenda needed just six minutes and 51 seconds to get from the top of Marina City’s west tower to the roof of Leo Burnett Building. But there was wind.

“There were some strong winds that hit me in the face,” said Wallenda. “I try to lean in as I’m walking uphill, and it stood me up straight.”

Meteorologist Jim Cantore had told Wallenda, off air, that as he got closer to Leo Burnett Building, the wind would get worse.

“After hearing that, I thought, I’m just going to get my butt up to that other building safely and get on to the blindfold [walk].”

Peacock Productions/Discovery

(Above) Nik Wallenda’s view midway through his second walk between towers at Marina City. Peacock Productions/Discovery.

The second part of his stunt, walking blindfolded from Marina City’s west tower to its east tower, went quickly, as well, and without incident.

Photo by Frank Youngwerth Discovery Channel

(Left) Nik Wallenda is halfway between towers in this image by Frank Youngwerth. (Above) Wallenda acknowledges cheers from people on balconies on the west tower of Marina City in this frame from Discovery Channel video.

An estimated 50,000-65,000 people saw the event live. They filled Wacker Drive between State Street east to Wabash Avenue and from Dearborn Street west to Clark Street. They were on Lake Street, State Street south of Wacker, AMA Plaza, and the southeast corner of Marina City’s plaza.

Photo by Albert Barkus (Left) Just some of the 50,000-65,000 who watched the stunt. These people are on the south plaza of AMA Plaza on the east side of State Street. Photo by Albert Barkus.

The event brought residents and guests of Marina City to their balconies, many of which had reached their limit, requested by the building’s property manager, of eight people.

Eerily empty were the State Street and Dearborn Street bridges, and the Chicago River was vacant except for police and fireboats.

First walk steeper than expected

Wallenda was expecting – and had trained for – a 15-degree uphill walk but the incline turned out to be 19 degrees. He found that out late in the afternoon before the walk.

Relocating two concrete anchors caused the only miscalculation. The anchors on Wacker Drive held vertical wires that helped keep his main wire from swaying. When they were moved closer to Leo Burnett Building, Wallenda explained on Monday, the angle of the main wire increased and turned Wallenda’s walk from the 15-degree incline he had trained for into a 19-degree walk in strong winds.

The cables that helped stabilize the high wire were moved to make the high wire tighter. But this also pulled down on the wire, making it more curved.

(Right) Sway guy wires anchored to concrete blocks on Wacker Drive.

Photo by Steven Dahlman

Safely on Leo Burnett Building, Wallenda savored the moment briefly, then took an elevator down to Wacker Drive, walked north on the Dearborn Street Bridge, and went back to Marina City’s west tower observation deck. The second walk started at 8:00 p.m. and was over in one minute and 17 seconds. To Wallenda, it seemed like three seconds.

Blindfolded, the Florida native was dependent on an audio beacon and his father counting his steps over a megaphone and telling him when to step over clips on the wire every 15 feet that were attached to stabilizing wires below. Although it was a much shorter walk, Wallenda says it was more stressful.

“That blindfold walk, there’s something about it that just messes with your mind.”

Balconies 100 feet away became a gallery for Wallenda. He asked the crowd to be quiet so he could hear the audio beacon but otherwise did not mind them being so close.

“I love entertaining, I love performing for people, so to have people right there just makes it more fun, more exciting.”

Photo by Steven Dahlman Wallenda made light of it after the walk, coming into a news conference at the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel wearing a blindfold, led by a Discovery Channel publicist, and pretending to stumble.

(Left) Nik Wallenda obliges reporters who asked him to put the blindfold back on.

He said the most frightening part of the stunt was just before he stepped onto the wire.

“If you stand on top of Marina City West and look up at that cable, it’s dog-gone intimidating,” he confessed. “Way more intimidating than being on top and looking down. That cable looked like it was going straight up.”

Because of the way it was stabilized, the wire was “moving a little funky,” said Wallenda.

“The wire was dancing a little bit, and I was really worried that it was going to build up a rhythm.”

Wallenda had two new world records – the highest incline tightrope walk – 670.73 feet – and the highest blindfolded tightrope walk – 557.89 feet.

There were no other issues throughout the weeklong preparations, said Wallenda, except for some of his crewmembers being stuck in an elevator at Marina City for an hour-and-a-half.

Wallenda had another message for residents of Marina City, telling them again that he appreciated their support.

“I understand that not each and every one had to sign off, that there is a [condo] board, and I appreciate everybody jumping on board and believing in it. I apologize for the few days that we were in the way and thanks for their understanding. I feel for them because their elevators, we were filling them up every day for five, six, seven days. I appreciate all of their support and hope that I did them proud.”

(Right) No stranger to movie lights, Marina City is lit up once again on November 1, 2014, during a production rehearsal. Photo by Lynn Becker.

Photo by Lynn Becker

The ratings are in and so is the bill

At its peak, as Nik Wallenda walked blindfolded between towers at Marina City, 6.72 million people in 220 countries were watching on Discovery Channel.

The first walk, from Marina City’s west tower to Leo Burnett Building, started at 7:35 p.m. Central Time and ended at 7:42 p.m. The second walk, from Marina City’s west tower to its east tower, started at 8:01 p.m. and ended at 8:03 p.m.

According to Nielsen, a company that measures what people watch on television, radio, computers, and other devices, 5.84 million people watched the first walk.

Photo by Steven Dahlman (Left) Television production trucks line the east side of Dearborn Street near Marina City on October 28, 2014. The trucks are from Peacock Productions, the television production unit of NBC News that produces Wallenda’s Skywire Live show for Discovery Channel. Game Creek Video, seen here, is a provider of TV trucks. House of Blues is at right.

Discovery says the event generated 22 million tweets on Twitter.

In addition to what they owed the condo association at Marina City, Discovery was billed $97,692.35 to cover the city’s expenses. The biggest expense was extra police personnel for security, crowd control, and traffic management. 89 police officers were on duty the day of the stunt. Also on duty were eight officers in two police marine boats, four divers in a Chicago Fire Department boat, and four police squad cars, along with traffic aides, transit supervisors, and fire safety officers.

By 4:00 a.m. the next morning, all the wires across the Chicago River – the main wire and the stabilizing wires – were down. The wires between Marina City’s towers were down by 10:00 p.m. the next day, according to Discovery.

The main wire, made especially for the Chicago stunt, was on a spool and by midnight, ready to ship back to Sarasota, Florida, where Wallenda and his team are based. Shortly after midnight, Wallenda himself was on site, said Discovery, to make sure everything was cleaned up.

(Right) Nik Wallenda on Dearborn Street next to Marina City on October 30, 2014.

Photo by Steven Dahlman

Larger equipment that was brought in by helicopter on October 26 would be taken out the same way later in the week.

Best six quotes from Wallenda stunt

1. “We’re not as ready as I usually like to be. The weather was kind of eating my lunch on Friday and I only ended up [finishing the rigging] Saturday, 6:30 in the evening.” – Michael Troffer, Chief Engineer and Nik’s uncle.

2. Terry Troffer (Nik’s father, midway through first walk): “Nik, if you get a chance, give it a bounce one time so I can watch the reaction.” Nik (incredulously): “It’s moving, dad. I’m not going to give it a bounce.” Terry: “All right.”

3. “What an incredibly beautiful city at night Chicago is. Absolutely beautiful.” – Nik Wallenda during first walk.

4. Terry Troffer: “The wire looks good, Nik.” Nik Wallenda: “It’s white and round and made of cables. Right, dad?” Terry Troffer: “That’s right.”

5. “These sway guys at the end were a little close. Next time we need them to be a little further. If I do Chicago again.” – Nik, speaking privately (but on-mike) to his father at the end of the first walk and hinting at doing another stunt in Chicago someday.

6. “I think it’s pretty cool but I’d much rather he be a proctologist.” – Amadaos Wallenda, Nik’s 12-year-old son, at the end of the broadcast, executing what may have been a triple-dog-dare.

Written by Steven Dahlman
Presented for nonprofit educational purposes