Answers to the top 12 questions about extreme pogo
Don’t know anything about extreme pogo? Put on a helmet and get ready. We’ll help you scratch the surface of this relatively new extreme sport.
The Basics
Q: What is extreme pogo?
Broadly defined, extreme pogo is any style of trick done with a pogo stick. Usually, it involves an extra-bouncy, extra-durable pogo stick.
Q: What is it called?
Extreme pogo has a number of different nicknames, including: Extreme pogo, Xpogo, Xtreme pogo, and other variations.
Q: When did it start?
People probably started doing pogo stick tricks when the pogo stick was invented. However, most in the Xpogo community believe it began in the 1990s. The first specially made extreme pogo stick hit shelves in 2004. That’s enabled the sport and tricks to reach new heights, both figuratively and literally.
The Pogo Sticks
Q: What makes extreme pogo sticks different?
The high jumping durability of extreme pogo sticks set them apart. Traditional pogo sticks use steel springs, but extreme versions experiment with rubber, more springs, creative air compression, and different handles.
Q: Why do they work better?
The short story: better use of energy. If you want to geek out over the kinetic and potential exchange, you can read more about extreme pogo science.
Q: Who invented the extreme pogo stick?
SBI Enterprises made the original pogo stick, and they also released the Flybar, the first extreme stick. If you want to learn more about the invention of extreme pogo technology, you can read this thorough history.
Q: Is it safe?
It’s as safe as any extreme sport (which means no). Pro pogo-ers wear helmets, but jumping ten feet in the air is always dangerous. It’s difficult to find stats on pogo injuries, but for one example, the first tester of an extreme stick injured himself so badly he had to have plastic surgery to reattach his lip, repair his nose, and implant five false teeth.
The Culture
Q: How big is it? Is it a sport?
Over time, extreme pogo has grown from nothing to a small sport with a decent number of active spectators. Like most young sports, its supported by a mix of attendees, sponsor dollars, and other revenue streams. In addition, one company dominates the production and promotion of events.
The main gathering is Pogopalooza, which is run by Xpogo. You can see the schedule on their site.
Q: What are the events?
Pogo-ers compete for big air, best tricks, and highest jump, among other competitions. The high jump world record is just four inches short of ten feet.
Q: What do the courses look like?
If you’ve seen skate parks, they’ll look familiar. You can see a rendering here.
Q: Do athletes make money?
Yes and no. Because pogo is a bourgeoning sport, largely promoted by Xpogo, it’s not a heavily salaried sport. However, there are opportunities for pogo-ers to get cash by performing at events, taking small sponsorships, or making other appearances. There’s also a fascination factor—pogo-ers recently appeared on America’s Got Talent, and they’re likely to show up on other shows.
Xpogo has its own stunt team.
Q: Who is the best pogo-er in the world?
It depends on the event. To see the rankings by event, the best bet is to visit Xpogo’s rankings.
