With a fearsome flip of his axe and a cringe-worthy dislocation of his shoulder, a Guinness World Record holder taught a bunch of bowled-over Bow Valley High School students about what it means to challenge themselves and push through adversity.
“I dream as big as possible … but I’m also somebody who, more importantly, learns from bad experiences,” Scott Hammell told a packed gymnasium last week. “Things are always going to go wrong – you never know. Everything that I have ever done has gone wrong.”
Hammell followed up those words with an incredible illusion that somehow made a $20 bill with a teenager’s name written on it disappear … and then reappear inside a lemon.
“You can turn those things from the sour into the sweet.”
The mind-blowing magic trick was just one of several sensational feats – combined with inspirational messages – the extreme entertainer shared last week as the guest of honour at Bow Valley High’s welcome assembly.
Hammell has performed from Cuba to Kenya to Abu Dhabi and holds Guinness records for the Longest Inverted Juggling Duration (90 seconds of upside-down three-ball toss), World’s Fastest Moving Card Trick (a skydiving sleight of hand) and Highest Blindfolded Skydive (from 13,000 feet).
When he was just 18 years old, Ripley’s Believe It or Not named him one of the world’s greatest escape artists.
Hammell said he decided to combine shocking shows with motivational meanings after one of his own mentors challenged him to “leave them with something” when he first started performing for young, impressionable audiences.
“I want to reach them in a different way,” Hammell said.
At Bow Valley, Hammell started his hour-long presentation by showing students and staff a series of videos that documented a failed attempt at juggling Roman candle fireworks.
After grabbing the wrong end of the live, white-hot explosive, he suffered second-degree burns to his hand – and nearly seriously injured his friends helping him film the stunt when he dropped it to the ground.
“Just that easy, things can get out of control,” he said.
After investing in three fireproof suits, Hammell was able to complete the dangerous trick without hurting himself – or the people he asked to help him.
“Are you protecting your crew?” the stuntman asked the students, adding for them, a “crew” can mean members of a sports team, a core group of friends, or even a classmate who has had too much to drink at a party.
“Or maybe it’s one of the Grade 9s who are just trying to fit in,” he said. “Are you protecting your crew?”
The thought-provoking experiment resonated with Grade 12 student Taylor Raessler.
“I found it really interesting how he talked about protecting your crew,” she said. “It’s something that people don’t bring up … often you worry about yourself, not others.”
Hammell also juggled axes overtop of a student’s head (“As long as you stay calm and just flip it back into the pattern, you’re probably going to be fine”) before finishing the talk with his last – and most memorable – lesson.
The magician recruited a few students to force him into a prison-issue straitjacket … and then slowly and methodically worked to bust his way out.
Hammell wiggled and winched the clothing loose, walking the crowd through each step of his thought process of how to get it done.
When it seemed like he was completely stuck and would not be able to solve his problem, Hammell dislocated his own shoulder in order to achieve his freedom.
“You break things down,” he said to the shocked audience, “you get the results you’re going after.”
Aside from the pop of his joint, Hammell’s message was also heard loud and clear.
“If you want to achieve something, then … you should keep going,” said student Gemma Burn, 14.
“He altered his outcome because things didn’t go right, so he fixed it,” added 15-year-old Danielle Fleming. “Follow your dreams and get out there.”
“I think that was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” said Grade 10 student Tyr Johnson.
“Step outside your comfort zone,” Hammell told the cheering crowd as the presentation ended. “And have fun.”
