The character arc of Aaron Fotheringham
A life drawn by Character Arc from the public record
Born on 8 November 1991 in Las Vegas, Nevada, with spina bifida, one of six children adopted by his parents. Between then and now sit twenty-three surgeries, crutches then a wheelchair full time from the age of eight, a brother who dared him to drop into a skate park ramp, a lot of falling, the first backflip ever landed in a wheelchair at fourteen, a double at eighteen, the world first frontflip in New Zealand, and a sport that did not exist until he named it. The line below draws the story so far, in order.
Drag along the line to move, pinch or use the buttons to look closer. Tap the line to pluck it, or any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of his life; the sources are at the foot of the page.
Who is Aaron Fotheringham?
He fell off the ramp repeatedly. Then he rode away from one.
He was born in Las Vegas with spina bifida, and has had twenty-three surgeries related to the condition over his life. He is one of six children adopted by his parents. He used crutches early on and has used a wheelchair full time since the age of eight.
The turn is a single afternoon and he tells it himself. He used to watch his brother ride BMX at the skate park. One day his brother said it would be really cool if he dropped in on his chair, and asked if he wanted to try. His dad was there and gave him the thumbs up, so they helped him get the chair up a four-foot quarter pipe. He dropped in and fell. Multiple times. Then finally he rode away from one of them. In his words: he did, and he was hooked.
What came out of it is a sport. He calls it WCMX, tricks adapted from skateboarding and BMX, performed in a customised chair with four-wheel suspension so it can absorb the landings. He was the first person to land a backflip in a wheelchair, at fourteen, and the first to land a double backflip, at eighteen. He does 180 degree aerials, one-wheeled spins and rail grinds. He tries new tricks into a foam pit first, then onto a harder plastic sheet, then onto a real ramp, and he tells anyone attempting them to wear a helmet. He has broken an elbow finding out.
In 2010, shortly after his eighteenth birthday, a producer from Nitro Circus emailed. They had heard he was trying to jump a big ramp and that nobody would give him permission, and said that at Nitro Circus they were not going to stop him. He joined the tour, jumped fifty feet ramp to ramp doing backflips, and on 9 February 2011 in New Zealand performed the world first wheelchair frontflip.
He doubled for Kevin McHale in Glee in 2009, appeared on The Secret Millionaire in 2008 and took second place on America Got Talent: Extreme in 2022 after a golden buzzer in the auditions. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and married Charlee Wilson in 2018. Asked about having to practise, he said he does not think of it as practice, he thinks of it as a fun way to live his life.
The moments
Aaron Fotheringham's timeline.
The 1990s
Born with spina bifida
Setback, and it changed everything. Twenty-three surgeries, and five adopted brothers and sisters.
The chair, full time
Setback, and it changed everything. Eight years old, and the crutches went away.
The 2000s
His brother dares him
Milestone, and it changed everything. A brother, a dad, a thumbs up, a four-foot ramp.
Try the ramp, or watch
Crossroads, decided.
The paths laid out: get the chair up the ramp, taken, or keep watching his brother. He fell multiple times, then rode away from one, and a sport called WCMX exists because of it.
He rides away from one
Milestone, and it changed everything. Fell, fell, fell, rode away, hooked.
The first backflip
Milestone, and it changed everything. Nobody had ever done it in a chair before.
Fourth against BMX riders
Milestone, and it changed his direction. A wheelchair, entered in the BMX division, fourth.
A name for it
Milestone, and it changed his direction. The sport did not exist, so he named it.
Stunt double on Glee
Everyday. The wheelchair stunts on a hit show were his.
The double backflip
Milestone, and it changed everything. Twice around, in a wheelchair.
The 2010s
The Nitro Circus email
Milestone, and it changed everything. Somebody finally said yes.
The first frontflip
Milestone, and it changed everything. Forwards this time, and nobody had done that either.
He marries Charlee
Everyday, and it changed his direction. The other thing that happened in Las Vegas.
The 2020s
Second on a global stage
Milestone, and it changed his direction. A golden buzzer, and second in the world.
He is still riding, still inventing tricks, still putting a wheelchair somewhere nobody had thought to put one. What he set moving is a whole sport with a name and competitors, which began with a boy falling off the same four-foot ramp over and over until he did not.
Your turn
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His turned on a brother saying it would be cool if you tried. Yours is already further along than you think, and drawing it takes about five minutes.
Aaron Fotheringham: frequently asked questions
What people ask about his line.
What is Aaron Fotheringham's character arc?
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What has Aaron Fotheringham said about practice?
Where does this timeline of Aaron Fotheringham's life come from?
More character arcs
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Sources
- Aaron Fotheringham, English Wikipedia biography, filed under living people.
- His own account of the first drop-in, as quoted there.
- His interview with James Renhard for Mpora about the Nitro Circus invitation, as quoted there.
- His competition and television record, as listed there.