1. Most creative single leap.  (You can use any type of prop, costume, wall, ledge, auto, etc…….. you want.  Your peers will vote.)

2. Most creative (3) consecutive leaps.   (Again, you use can use any type of prop, costume, wall, creek, ledge, auto, etc…….you want…..but the 3 leaps must be connected.  Your peers will vote.)

We’re all looking forward to what the powerbocking community has to offer here in the states!

All I have to say is these guys are awesome.  We will be looking to get jumping stilts into their hands or should I say on their legs to see what they can do!  Watch out!

The shiny, metallic, curved springs are strapped on just below the knee and vendors say they allow users to jump higher, run faster and even perform acrobatic backflips.

Enthusiasts of the stilts are known as “powerbockers” in honour of Alexander Boeck, the German aerospace engineer credited with inventing them in 2003.

More recently, they were brought to world attention when 200 people performed on them at the closing ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

The stilts, which are made of composite fibreglass, have caught on in Europe and Asia but there are no formal studies on the number or the type of injuries that result from powerbocking.

Dr. Scott Delaney, a sports medicine physician for the Montreal Alouettes and the Montreal Impact soccer team, says he’s worried about head and upper body injuries.

“They are upwards of 18 inches off the ground, so when they fall they’re going to be falling straight on their head if they fall backwards,” he said in an interview.

Delaney said there is also the risk of elbow, shoulder and hand injuries, especially if a runner falls forward on the stilts and tries to put an arm out to break a fall.

Delaney would like to see the stilts sold as a package featuring a helmet, wrist guards and elbow and knee pads.

“I just really worry,” he added.

But Marlyn Gagne, a Montreal distributor for the Power Strider brand in Canada, says the stilts are no more dangerous than in-line skates.

“And I would say it’s safer because it’s easier to keep your balance than it is on skates,” she insisted.

Gagne said she has sold at least 300 pairs in Quebec since May and has had no reports of any injuries, adding the stilts can also help people shed extra weight.

“I would say that once you get on them, you can burn up to 400 calories in 15 minutes (because) it’s very demanding physically.”

The stilts come in different sizes and can be used by children.

“There are junior models that retail for around $300,” Gagne said. “That’s for eight-year-olds or a child between 60 and 70 pounds.”

The adult models of Power Striders generally retail from $400 to $600.

It’s one of two major brands of the Chinese-made jumping stilts currently on sale in Canada.

Peter Filippelli, who distributes the Fly Jumper brand online, says parents shouldn’t worry too much about young powerbockers.

“Kids aren’t too likely to get hurt on them,” he said in an interview from his business office in Vaughan, north of Toronto.

“They’re only small-scale versions of adult models, they’re only six inches off the ground and kids can hardly jump two feet high on them.”

Filippelli, who has been selling his stilts since March and hopes to put them into retail stores, said there’s been a lot of interest in the West, especially in Calgary.

But he would not discuss sales figures for major Canadian centres which include Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area.

“We gotta say that Calgary has actually been picking up more than Toronto,” Filippelli said.

Filippelli is cautioning buyers to beware because a number of knock-offs have shown up on the Internet.

“You can tell by the price,” he said. “You’ll see somebody selling a pair of Fly Jumpers for $180.

“With grey-market products, it’s very easy for the springs to snap and the welds to just give out.

“You have a risk of serious injury due to the fact that the product is not well-designed,” he said.

Ian Shrier, a consulting medical director for the Cirque du soleil, says anybody who is just starting to use the stilts must be careful.

He also adds that anything which helps promote physical activity is good, as long as it is used intelligently.

“If people are smart about it , they will hopefully catch on to the safety part and be prudent from the outset, instead of waiting until we get a rash of injuries,” Shrier said.

By Peter Rakobowchuk , The Canadian Press

If you have bought according to these rules, when you take the units out of the box, and try them on, you may believe you have bought in error. The springs may feel very stiff. The above purchasing guideline is based on the theory that you should buy your jumping stilts for use after your 2-4 week learning curve.

You don’t want to buy stilts that accommodate you today or tomorrow. You want springs that will launch you when you are ready. If you buy springs that are too light, then after the learning curve, when you begin to crank on the springs, you may bottom out and limit you potential for continued improvement.  If, however, you bought according to the above guidelines and find yourself bottoming out in 3 months, call the distributor of your brand and buy “upgraded springs only.”

Like any sport or extreme activity, there is a learning curve. Even though you throw flips on your trampoline or fly on your skateboard, you will utilize only 5% of what the springs have to offer the first 2-3 days. Remember your first days, weeks…..on a bike, skateboard, wakeboard, skis, surfboard…..golf tee, tennis court, lacrosse field, pole vaulting runway…….and on down the line.

They all took time to learn. Some take years to master. You know that after time, you became better at your passion and some of you have put in the time and have become very skilled. It’s the same with Jumping Stilts. Although you see videos everywhere of guys flying over cars and throwing flips at will, these are people who have put in the time to learn.

Read below and follow our guide on how to spend your first hours or days on jumping stilts. We strongly suggest you error on the side of caution and take your time. If you try to become Henry Holloway you first few days, you may get discouraged and feel that you will never become that good. You’ve probably seen videos of Henry. Remember he jumps almost every day and has been for four years. Now that’s time learning!!

So your units have arrived and you open the box and take them out. Because of packaging, wrapping and royalty fees, USA distributors have pretty strict refund and return policies, so read the packing slip that is in every box to learn about the return policy before you unwrap everything.  Some distributors state that if you open the box, they’re yours, others state that if you unwrap all the parts and run around on the grass and cement, they’re yours. So be careful if you have doubt.

Read the return policy and read the guide manual first. For some, there may be some part adjustments that need to be made due to your body size or shape. The guide manual will tell you how to adjust the units…… because you want to fit the units properly before you begin any activity. The guide also gives you tips on how to put the stilts on and how to get started.

After the initial fitting adjustments are complete, strap the stilts on near a rail, fence, wall, or stand up while holding onto someone’s arms. (Personally a rail or fence works great.) Practice hopping on the stilts. They will feel stiff - don’t worry about that. Next try to jump higher and higher while holding onto the rail.

Finally, try letting go of the rail and try to stand up by yourself. To keep yourself from falling, continually move your feet. Stay close to the rail for security if you need to grab ahold of something…because you will!

Comfortably walking around by yourself is the first activity to master. Walking should be mastered before any hopping or jumping. The trick is to keep the feet moving to catch your self. Once you are comfortable walking around by yourself go back to the rail and really try jumping high while holding onto the rail.

You should go through this type of warm up everyday for a couple of weeks, because until your legs get stronger, the stilts will feel very stiff and also, your legs will quickly feel like wet noodles. For safety and confidence, go through this routine. After a week or two, you will be amazed how much more you can bend the springs.

The final activity you should practice on the first day is falling and getting up. Yes fall on purpose. You will fall so why not practice it to become more comfortable with the idea. Maybe you can start rolling onto the knees first.

You should practice falling so when you do fall it won’t be such a surprise. Air-Trekker jumping stilts provide videos that show how to get up by yourself. It’s not simple, but can be learned in a few minutes. Learning how to get up by yourself is a great accomplishment for the first day or two!!

Powerbocks, as they’re called in Europe, also known as jumping stilts in the USA, were invented and patented by an aerospace, German engineer named Boeck. Every unit made, regardless of the brand or manufacturer falls under this one patent number. Mr. Boeck manufacturers his own own unique brand of powerbocks in Germany and also has authorized a few other companies to make and distribute products under his patent.

At the high end (expensive) of the scale Mr. Boeck has authorized a few small specialty manufacturers to hand make high end performance jumping stilts. His own company, Alan Sportakeil, makes the brand called Powerkskips. Popular among seasoned “bockers” and commerical performers in Europe, this brand has limited distribution or awareness in the USA, and is a bit cost prohibitive.

One of it’s unique features is the wrap around shoe binding that claims to add stability and security around the foot. Even though this brand still has older parts like the safety knee bar, it’s springs are one of a kind. Stiff and resilient, they are not the choice for beginners. But if your legs are strong and you want to jump to the moon and back, Powerskips can get you there.

Britain has been making a more affordable version of the Powerskip. Their brand name is Seven Leagues Boot. Information and distribution is limited in the USA but if people want more information on this brand they can either visit the European forums or simply google the brand name. Hand crafted and top quality parts, Seven League Boots claim to be the affordable Powerskip.

The USA’s verson of the Powerskip is called Velocity Stilts. These $3000.00 units are custom made, one by one, in a garage in Nevada, by Stiltwerks, Inc. The engineer who makes these units could be classified as an artist as much as a engineer. His parts and jumping stilts are of the highest quality known. They are light weight and very durable. Professional performers who jump for hours a day, or those seasoned users who want the ultimate jumping stilt experience, and who have a thicker wallet….love these units.

Every other brand sold around the world are mass produced by Mr. Boeck’s two authorized Asian manufacturers. One in Korea and one in Hong Kong. Both companies manufacture units that fall under Mr. Boeck’s patent and both use many of the same part suppliers, and honestly there is not that much difference.

Like GM and Ford, these two manufacturers are essentially assemblers that use out side part suppliers to assist in manufacturing. Not all parts are supplied, however, the springs, the spring weight category options, and the spring manufacturing technology differences that buyers need to be aware of.

Korea makes and distributes a single brand called Powerisers. Because of a smart Poweriser licensee in Britain, this brand quickly developed awareness, market penetration and quite a following in the UK. This following, with strong brand opinions, littered the established European forums with very biased opinions of the other available brands, thus making it an uphill battle for the other brands to catch up.

In the UK, the Poweriser brand had a very clever marketing strategy, with “community” as it’s central theme. This strategy has allowed Poweriser to grow by means of “club” establishments. The clubs compete against eachother and schedule events together…..to build the community. Brilliant!

Currently this Korean company has the only “kids” model, for 8 - 12 year olds, available in the USA. Although these units have an older, an rather inept, fastening system that users claim - just don’t get tight enough - they are built for safety and provide loads of fun for kids.

The only other authorized manufacturer, which is located in Hong Kong, makes all the other brands. (Except one cheater that we’ll talk about later.) Air-Trekkers, Power Jumps, Flying Jumper, Fly Jumper, Powerizer - recently changed brand name to Powerstrides, are all manufactured and distributed by this one Hong Kong manufacturer. Most of these jumping stilts are essentially the same, and they’re not very differenct from the Korean brand. In fact, some of the newer upgraded parts of the Air-Trekker brand can be used on the Korean brand.

HKIA, LTD distributes close to 90% of the jumping stilts that are sold around the world. It was this manufacturer who supplied units for the 2008 Olympic closing ceremony performance. So don’t let anyone fool you, these are top quality brands and the manufacturer is 100% committed to upgrading parts and improving manufacturing technologies, along with fair pricing.

HKIA, LTD, has made some credible upgrades in the past 12 months. They’ve provided their distributors with several new parts and have introduced a new unique model to be launched in the USA late summer 2009. The padded velcro Calf Cuff, which allows for fast and easy fastening, and a very important secure fit, is now available and affordable on a few brands in the USA.

They also have high end snow board bindings available as an upgrade the the plastic buckles and straps. Watch for the CZ series to hit the air waves late this summer. This model, using brand new manufacturing technology is very different than anything available - anywhere.

Half the weight, no foot plate, completely retooled frame and structural support, will make this model the jumping stilts of choice for the buyer who wants Powerskips or Velocity Stilts for half the price. (Please watch for posts, along with pictures and feature descriptions on the CZ series, very soon.) HKIA, LTD will also have a kids model available - with a CZ series type frame - in the USA before the holidays.

One noteable difference of the Korean brand versus the Hong Kong brands are the spring weight category options. The Korean brand has 3 adult weight categories and the Hong Kong brands have six spring weight categories. More weight categories means a more customizing fit and a more responsive unit for your size and shape.

Finally, we’ve told you the differences in brands and manufacturers, now we’d like to let you know how to buy. Yes, you must be careful from whom you buy jumping stilts, especially in the USA. The USA is a patent protected country. Only royalty paying licensees are allowed to import and sell jumping stilts in the USA. If you buy jumping stilts from a company outside of the USA, chances are that you may not receive your units.

Why? There are only three patent paying licensees, and brands currently in the USA. (Except of the high end Velocity Stilts.) If you buy units from a foreign distributor, and want to import those units, you would be violating Mr. Boeck’s patent. He has the right to search your transaction out and he will not grant permission for customs to bring the units into the country. Many small businessmen have tried to bring in the CHEATER, the brand Skyrunner.

The Asian manufacturer of Skyrunnner is not an authorized manufacturer of Mr. Boecks. They got ahold of a few jumping stilts, and went to work copying evey part. Skyrunnners are sold to nonpatent protected countries, because there is no policing. But if you try to bring them in the USA, they will be confiscated. Word of warning - don’t cheat. Buy legitimate brands from distributors who offer very fair prices and honor their warranties.

Special Thanks to Scott Loeser for letting us use his pictures. He’s a jumping stilts maniac!