editor, video producer, multimedia producer, editor, and sound
mixer at Science North.
Amy got involved in the project when it was decided that
one of the first things they wanted for the exhibit were interviews
with athletes. Unlike most of the Science North team she doesn’t
have a science background. “My last science course was way back in
high school,” she recalls. Amy is a storyteller and helps weave
together the science stories.
Amy’s first task? Hit the road and interview the thrill-
seekers slotted to be featured in the exhibit, and like many people
who dive into this concept, her idea of sensation-seekers changed
over time. They weren’t necessarily the adrenaline junkies she
expected them to be.
Amy trekked across the United States and Canada interview-
ing the athletes and probing into their motivations for what they did
and why. She also asked about how their personalities may have
helped or hindered the process. Three athletes she met who exhib-
ited qualities or traits that are common in high sensation-seekers are
Will, Katherine, and Jeb.^25 Their high sensation-seeking personalities
allow them to focus, persevere, and bust through the crux experi-
ences they face in the extreme sports that are part of their lives.Will Gadd: Focus in the Frost
It’s easy to think of extreme sports athletes as being impulsive and
reckless. Maybe because they often attempt things that many peo-
ple would only do with a leap of faith. But it’s important to remem-
ber how much focus, attention, and training it takes to accomplish
them successfully. Take Will Gadd. Will is a paraglider pilot who
once held the world record for distance in a paraglider: 263 miles in
Zapata, Texas.^26 He’s also an ice climber and in 2015 was the first
person to climb up Niagara Falls.
Niagara Falls is arguably one of the most famous waterfalls
in the world. The falls, which straddle the border of Canada and the
United States, welcome some 20 million visitors a year. Some 3,160
tons of water flow over Niagara Falls every second.^27 Dozens of
professional daredevils have traveled down the falls. Will was the
first to travel up. Why Niagara Falls? “Because it’s the coolest water-
fall in the world that ever has any hope of freezing,” Will explained.
But it’s no easy task. “I have to figure out how to operate in an
environment that’s pretty much out to kill me.”76 / Buzz!Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. Access paid by the UCSF Library, on 11 Nov 2019 at 14:19:03, subject to the Cambridge