It’s an extreme sport that most people are unaware of. Extreme pogo sticking is gaining popularity around the world, and one Canadian had the chance to showcase his talent on one of Britain’s biggest shows.
His name is Duncan Murray, and he’s a professional extreme pogo sticker.
“As a kid, I was always into extreme sports,” says Murray.
The 23-year-old has only been doing this for five years, and currently holds world records for longest jump, most synchronized front flips, and fewest jumps in one minute on a pogo stick.
“I perform with a group called Xpogo and kind of fly all over the world doing NBA halftime shows, TV appearances,” Murray explains.
Originally from New Brunswick, now living in Ottawa, Murray made a name for himself by appearing on Canada’s Got Talent last year. That caught the eye of the British version of the show.
“Britain’s Got Talent production team kind of saw that and they’re like, hey, that’s pretty neat. Let’s try and boost some ratings. So they reached out to me and they had me on their show and I made it pretty far,” Murray says.
Just last week he was performing live in the Britain’s Got Talent semifinals, but that’s as far as he got. Now he’s back in Ottawa, working as a motivational speaker for kids with The Duncan Pogo Show.
“Schools, community events, fundraisers, pretty much just trying to inspire the next generation to pursue their own passions and reach their full potential in whatever it is they love,” he says.
But these aren’t your run-of-the-mill pogo sticks. There’s no spring inside. Just highly compressed air for high-flying jumps.
And it didn’t take Murray long to fall in love with the sport.
“I picked it up in an afternoon, but I was kind of savvy with a little kids’ pogo stick already,” says Murray.
For this 23-year-old daredevil, the sky is the limit. He says he will be jumping for as long as his body lets him.
“Compared to other extreme sports where people fizzle out in their mid-20s, pogo sticking is pretty unique in that you can keep going as long as your body is willing,” Murray says.