Trampoline act goes above, beyond to entertain fairgoers

The flips, twists, acrobatics and even aerial snowboarding of FlippenOut dazzled Kendall County Rodeo attendees Saturday — just one of the many different fair entertainment areas that included country singers, Wild West shootouts, axe throwing and professional dance team performances.

With 15 years in the business, the Salt Lake City-based company FlippenOut brought heart-pounding entertainment with impressive flips, tricks and incredibly high jumps.

Owner Thomas Theobald worked in tandem with Brent Steffensen, who was once employed as a stunt double for “The Office” character Michael Scott. Steffensen also competed in America Ninja Warrior, a reality television show in which contestants proceed through seemingly impossible tests of strength and endurance.

The show was composed of dual tricks between the two, along with solo efforts and response to suggestions from the audience.

One of the “trickiest tricks,” as Theobald called it, was the addition of a snowboard for Steffensen, who was able to perform backflips and mid-air poses without missing a beat.

“I can’t even tell you guys how difficult it is just flipping once,” Theobald said during the show.

Not to be upstaged, Theobald laid flat on the trampoline and used his stomach to propel him further into the air with encouragement from the audience, as they cheered him on to go higher. Throughout the show, Theobald encouraged attendees to provide feedback.

“We ask you to join us in cheering, booing and heckling,” he said. “We want you guys to have fun with us. Because some of these tricks are difficult, we like for our audience to hype us up.”

The two-person team played a game of catch with a twist. Theobald had to catch the ball between flips in the air, and he did not miss a single catch. The audience never heckled or booed once — audience members were in awe of the performers’ agility and flawless execution of every trick performed.

Theobald’s entire team consists of Olympic medalists, national champions, professional action sports athletes, Olympic hopefuls and top-tier show professionals.

FlippenOut is available for hire for corporate events, fairs, festivals and even half-time shows at sporting events. The company has performed for NBA game halftimes. Visit their website at: https:// flippenout.com/#About