BleedGopher
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per ESPN:
TYLER SCHEUER knows what question is coming. He's so certain, in fact, he got business cards printed up with the answer, so he can simply hand you a card for your perusal rather than rehash the whole story, but there are always follow-up questions, and he ends up telling the story again anyway.
Scheuer is a 25-year-old would-be gym teacher from suburban Philadelphia now living in Florida. He looks like pretty much every other 25-year-old guy, dressed comfortably in basketball shorts and a T-shirt with short brown hair that frames a face lacking anything close to a distinguishing feature. There is no Jay Leno-esque chin or Pinocchio-like nose that might help explain his peculiar skill set. He's just a guy -- a guy who happens to be able to balance everything from an ironing board to a wheelbarrow to a 12-foot ladder on his face.
Now comes the question: How the heck did he learn to do this?
The short answer: he didn't. He's actually never practiced a day in his life. Scheuer was bored at baseball practice when he was 11, so he propped a bat on his chin and, sure enough, it stood upright with no effort. Then he started picking up random objects around the house or in his grade school classroom, and lo and behold, they seemed designed just for the contours of his face, too.
"I figured it was a skill everybody had," Scheuer said.
Scheuer is part of a small (but growing) group of modern vaudevillians earning a living by keeping fans in their seats when the action on the court (or rink or field) stops, and odds are, if you're a basketball fan, you've seen at least a few of the acts -- from Scheuer's physics-defying balance work to jugglers, BMX riders, frisbee dogs, gymnasts, yo-yo enthusiasts, magicians and of course, the grand dame of the profession, the unicycle-riding, bowl-flipping legend, Red Panda. And while the games remain the headlining act, YouTube and social media have turned the sideshows into legitimate stars that have become a critical part of marketing sporting events from small colleges to the NBA.
www.espn.com
Go Red Panda!!
TYLER SCHEUER knows what question is coming. He's so certain, in fact, he got business cards printed up with the answer, so he can simply hand you a card for your perusal rather than rehash the whole story, but there are always follow-up questions, and he ends up telling the story again anyway.
Scheuer is a 25-year-old would-be gym teacher from suburban Philadelphia now living in Florida. He looks like pretty much every other 25-year-old guy, dressed comfortably in basketball shorts and a T-shirt with short brown hair that frames a face lacking anything close to a distinguishing feature. There is no Jay Leno-esque chin or Pinocchio-like nose that might help explain his peculiar skill set. He's just a guy -- a guy who happens to be able to balance everything from an ironing board to a wheelbarrow to a 12-foot ladder on his face.
Now comes the question: How the heck did he learn to do this?
The short answer: he didn't. He's actually never practiced a day in his life. Scheuer was bored at baseball practice when he was 11, so he propped a bat on his chin and, sure enough, it stood upright with no effort. Then he started picking up random objects around the house or in his grade school classroom, and lo and behold, they seemed designed just for the contours of his face, too.
"I figured it was a skill everybody had," Scheuer said.
Scheuer is part of a small (but growing) group of modern vaudevillians earning a living by keeping fans in their seats when the action on the court (or rink or field) stops, and odds are, if you're a basketball fan, you've seen at least a few of the acts -- from Scheuer's physics-defying balance work to jugglers, BMX riders, frisbee dogs, gymnasts, yo-yo enthusiasts, magicians and of course, the grand dame of the profession, the unicycle-riding, bowl-flipping legend, Red Panda. And while the games remain the headlining act, YouTube and social media have turned the sideshows into legitimate stars that have become a critical part of marketing sporting events from small colleges to the NBA.
Frisbee dogs, unicycle rides and balancing acts: A peek into college basketball's greatest halftime acts
From physics-defying balance work to jugglers, BMX riders and more, college basketball's halftime acts have become a huge business.
www.espn.com
Go Red Panda!!