Where did it start?
What can generically be called power stilts came to world attention in the 2008 Olympic games when a troupe performed choreographed high jumps, flips and spins in the mind-blowing closing ceremony. The original boots, invented by Alexander Böck and patented in 2003, are often referred to as Powerbocks or “˜Bocks’ for short – in honour of the pioneer. Sometimes, they are also simply called by their individual brand names, the Austrian made 7League boots being the most well known here at home. “˜Seven league’ is drawn from boots in European folklore that allowed the wearer to take 35-kilometre strides (one league is about five kilometres). This referred to the distance horse messengers rode before “˜touching down’ to change horses. The boots consist of a platform with snowboardtype bindings, attached to a fibreglass leaf spring and finished with a rubber foot (or hoof) at the base. The 7League version retails for R3 000 a pair. Power stilting is considered an extreme sport because skilled users can perform “˜superhuman’ tricks, but some “˜Bockers’ use them purely as a fun way to get a full-body workout. Whatever their motivation, they stand head and torso above any crowd and are leaps and bounds ahead of the pack. Now excuse me, I’ve got to bounce.
