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Local Sports

Local sports in the Panhandle are not just a game, they are a lifestyle. Our community eats, sleeps and breathes cheering on our local athletes.
News13 is On Your “Sidelines” bringing you more than the score.
News13’s Stephen Gunter is committed to giving you stories of the Panhandle’s top athletes, intriguing match-ups and unusual sports you may not even know exist.
sgunter@wmbb.com

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Super Stunt Show

PANAMA CITY BEACH- Today marks the first day of the seventh annual fall Thunder Beach Motorcycle Rally.

There are multiple venues you can go to in order to check out all the vendors and activities, one of those being Frank Brown Park.

Bikes were flying all over the place today at Frank Brown Park for the start of the Thunder Beach Motorcycle Rally.

The Ives family was in town to show a few of their high flying tricks to spectators.

“It’s just a real laid back show.  You’re not really stressed out about anything.  You just come out here and have fun,” said stunt man Slade Walpman.

The show features the globe of death where multiple bikers get into a 16-foot cage and go at high speeds around and around.

This tends to be a fan favorite.

“You saw the globe of death show.  That’s kind of a gas to watch, amazing show really,” Thunder Beach Promoter Joe Biggs said.

“It was really cool; they did a bunch of awesome tricks, like the cage things.  They were spinning around each other. I have a dirt bike, but I can’t do that,” said spectator Sean Reichert.

“It was awesome, I’ve never seen anybody to that before,” said spectator Aaron Ogden.

The stunt experts are hoping to get that awesome response from fans every time, because it’s all about impressing them.

“I think they love it.  I try my best and work as hard as I can to make them proud. They make a loud noise for me so,” said biker Kyle Ives.

“Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t. I don’t know what goes through their head.  We have fun, if they don’t, we do,” said stunt biker Cody Ives.

You can bet that it brings quite a rush to the bikers, but they have plenty of time to regroup after shows due to all the traveling involved.
“I have been to every single state.  We also travel outside the states and stuff. We go across seas and stuff.  We’re supposed to be going to China next year for about a month, doing shows over there, freestyle shows, and we’re working on Australia right now,” said Cody Ives.

All the guys hope they can keep riding as long as possible.

I’m going to try to ride as long as I can, until the sport wears out,” said Kyle Ives.

As long as my body will let me, as long as the good Lord will keep me healed up,” said Walpman.

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