Your best friends are pushing you on a flight deck 30-feet high above water in a double-hull canoe replica as if Usain Bolt is chasing them. You hold on for dear life because in what seems like a nanosecond, you, and only you, will be forced to take the sky, shortly falling into a sea of uncertainty. Thousands of intrigued onlookers are cheering you on, eagerly waiting for what will ensue. Here comes the lift off…
"I think I can fly," says Tak, who is Aloha Stadium's aviator. "I'm gonna stick with it as long as possible. You know, I don't wanna be a pussy and step out in the first half-second. I'm gonna hold on until I know I'm in danger."
In an attempt to continue what they do best, the Aloha Stadium--their given name--kids on the Hayden block are competing in the National Red Bull Flugtag on September 21, 2013 in the Long Beach, California region. Flugtag, which means "flying day" in German, is seriously unserious. Members of a team will dress up in abnormal clothing, perform a short but sweet skit exemplifying what they're about and then push their intelligent handmade-flying machine and pilot off a 30-foot runway which will shortly plunge into the water down below. The first ever Flugtag team from Hawaii, comprised of Dick, Tak, Tseu, Beats and Koa, will be up against a bunch of other thrill-seeking squads who stretch over the entire US and are competing in one of five region cities the comp will be held at.
- (Left to right) Tseu, Tak, and Dick get to painting on their double-hull canoe.
This is the perfect competition for the crew. They can be seen any night of the week out on the town putting their rage-face to work, but they're up at the crack of the dawn, killing it at their daytime jobs. It was only a matter of time that they would grace the Flugtag scene with their presence. "We're known for debauchery," says Dick of what's pretty standard for Aloha Stadium, "we're known for crazy, stupid...it's good for us because it shows our skills of ingenuity, and also stupidity at the same time."
One of the perks about this project is that the boys have another reason to get together everyday, drink a few cold ones while they talk some shit and strategy to defeat their competitors.
"I've done some pretty nuts water stuff in my life," says Tseu, who ranks this as a top-five life experience so far. "I've paddled gnarly channels and paddled in other countries, but I've never actually done it with good, close friends."
- Dick and his Steinlager.
Trying to make it a little easier on their pocket to kick some aerial ass, Aloha Stadium is throwing a fundraiser at the Manifest tomorrow to help ease the cost of building, travel and shipping expenses—a 400-pound vessel doesn’t come cheap, folks! There will be live music, good drinks and food, raffle prizes, a silent auction and lots of cool people. Help out the boys as they show the world and R. Kelly what it really means to fly.
