Nik Wallenda walks the high wire above the Masaya volcano in Nicaragua in 2020. Provided photo.

If one was to rank the most dangerous jobs in the world, Nik Wallenda’s might just take the cake. For as real as the dangers are to say an underwater welder, a wind turbine technician or a logger, none involve walking a tightrope over Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon. For the King of the High Wire, Sarasota native and 7th-generation member of the Flying Wallendas family, walking the rope isn’t just an occupation, it’s a calling. It is what Nik Wallenda was put on this earth to do.

That calling is why Wallenda and his family face their fears—and those very real dangers—time and time again. On Saturday, November 8, Nik and his sister Lijana will attempt the first ever Criss Cross Skywalk during University Town Center’s (UTC) Santa’s Grand Arrival Parade and Christmas Tree Lighting. The stunt will feature two cables suspended above about 80 feet above the ground in the shape of an X—Nik and Lijana will meet each other in the middle, cross paths and continue on their way, talking to the audience the entire time. The Criss Cross Skywalk will mark Lijana’s first hometown performance, after a horrific accident in 2017 in which Lijana and seven other highwire performers fell 40 feet.

“It certainly will be emotional after that first performance,” says Wallenda. “The fact that she’s still alive is amazing, but also that she’s able to continue to do this, especially in our hometown, is more meaningful than anything.”

Wallenda credits both his and his sister’s ability to face down the high wire to mental fortitude. “I often think that our minds can become our worst enemy, they are what creates fear. The most valuable lesson I’ve learned from walking the wire my entire life is that we’re in control of our thoughts and our thoughts are not in control of us,” says Wallenda. “We all know the analogy of the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other and how they’re always conversing. What I’ve learned is that if you focus on the angel’s side and not the devil’s, eventually that negative voice will diminish more and more.”

Part of Wallenda’s ability to quiet his mind and face his fears is evidenced based. Wallenda’s training is extensive—he practices on a 700 foot line in his backyard and trains in not only stabilization techniques, but in safety maneuvers in case something does go catastrophically wrong. “I remember walking across the Grand Canyon and getting hit with a 48 mph gust of wind, 1500 feet in the air with no safety devices around me,” says Wallenda. “Your mind wants to go crazy, but I counter that with the fact that I trained with wind machines that were over 90 mph for that walk.”

Criss Cross Skywalk at UTC’s Santa’s Grand Arrival Parade & Tree Lighting, November 8, 4-8pm, University Town Center

Nik Wallenda walks the high wire above the Masaya volcano in Nicaragua in 2020. Provided photo.

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