As a young boy, I would watch each of the ABC Wide World of Sports broadcasts of Evel's jumps with awe. I was completely spellbound as the image of this man and his feat became permanently etched in my mind as he once again put everything including his life on the line in his quest to achieve the impossible. By taking command of those human traits that tend to aid in our preservation, yet dampen our progress--such as fear--the impossible became possible. The influence that this had on me was huge. There was no room for mediocrity in Evel's endeavors, every detail of the performance and its presentation represented the absolute best there was. This never came across as a display of excess, rather it impressed upon me that if one aspires to be the worlds best in their endeavor, then one must not only strive to be the best, one must also represent what it is to be the best.
Little did I realize at the time, I was witnessing the efforts of a true pioneer paving the way to what would become a significant part of my life's journey.
Twenty some odd years later, I was calling upon those early images etched into my memory as if they were a reference text. This was the summer of 1997, and I was among several dozen others who all were undeniably inspired in some manner by Evel during childhood. This was rather apparent, as we each had chosen to dedicate ourselves to pursuing a variety of unknown and often treacherous paths that in a number of years would bring us together to partake in what was to be a massive spectacle of an event that celebrated the essence of the human spirit that strived to attain new heights. In many ways, this event borrowed so much from the spectacular events that Evel had pioneered. The event was the X Games, and for each of us, it was now our turn to lay everything on the line as we tossed aside our fear. Like our mentor, we strived to give our best possible performance for those who came to watch us live as well as the millions of living rooms we were being broadcast into around the world. Evel, I hope we made you proud!
Your legacy will continue to inspire for generations to come.
Jarret 'DocGoFast' Ewanek
'97 and '98 X-games Pro Street Luge
'98 X-Games Downhill Skateboard
Gravity Formula One world speed record
