The Michael Jordan of Acrodunking

I read an article recently that referred to me, Jerry Burrell, as the Michael Jordan of Acrodunking. (http://www.peterrobertcasey.com/2008_12_01_archive.html look at the December 8, 2008 posting) At first I thought, “Wow, that’s cool that someone appreciates what I do/have done enough to be generous with their praise.” Then as I thought about it, i began to see that this person’s opinion has some merit.

If you’re sensitve about these issues - this is where you begin to seethe and think “how dare he compare himself to Michael Jordan”, but if you will just walk with me maybe you will see that I did not make the comparison, I am just providing info to support it and maybe you will see the comparison without the emotion that currently has you bent out of shape.

Michael Jordan is one of many basketball players good enough to make it to the NBA and make a name for himself. He joined a sport that had been around for a while and took things to a higher level. He not only made a name for himself, he transformed himself over the years and in some ways transformed the game and those around him. I am one of a handful of athletes good enough to make it to the NBA mascot world that included a form of entertainment that had been around for a while and make a name for myself and in some ways transformed the game of NBA mascot dunking and those around me.

It goes without saying that with the help from Nike and his teammates, Michael Jordan became a household name and many would say he is the best to have ever played the game. He did things no one else did at the time but that many are doing now. He was relentless in his determination to win and this drove him to make things happen by any means necessary. People around him almost out of necessity became better players just to keep up.

He was not just an excellent individual player, he inspired those on his team to strive for excellence. He set the example for the kind of work that was necessary to be great. Physically he was gifted, but I will suggest that it was his mental acuity that led to his greatness. His attitude, his focus, his determination and his desire to win.

I am not an avid NBA fan but I know enough about Michael Jordan to know that it was his attitude, his work ethic and his passion for the game that made him who he was.

Back to the comparison.

Those who know me, know that I rarely toot my own horn. I will talk about ACRODUNK all day long and how awesome the team is but I rarely focus on my achievements. I let the videos, articles and others do the talking for me. Having said that, bear with me as the horn toots.

Prior to 1993, acrobatic slam dunk performers were not dunking from the free throw line. Very few ball transfers were being done and dunking without the trampoline by an NBA mascot was unheard of. From 1992 when I started dunking to 1995 when the Rockets won their second NBA Championship and I was dunking as TURBO, more innovations were introduced to the world of solo acrobatic slam dunking than the entire decade after that.

That is a bold statement, but I challenge anyone to refute it with facts, not opinion.

See the following:

http://www.youtube.com/acrodunktv#p/u/26/xNry33J0KiI

http://www.youtube.com/acrodunktv#p/u/23/csLv1F87iic

http://www.youtube.com/acrodunktv#p/u/25/UOh9CnAaTSE

http://www.youtube.com/acrodunktv#p/u/24/mefN222fl6U

http://www.youtube.com/acrodunktv#p/u/17/mLAx-VKGfSs

http://www.youtube.com/acrodunktv#p/u/21/zmf0MOgb36Y

Here is the partial list of acrobatic slam dunk innovations that were introduced during that 3 year span:

-Dunking from the free throw line and beyond

-Dunking from 1 mini trampoline to another mini trampoline (not double-mini)

-Flip dunking from 1 mini-trampoline to another mini-trampoline

-Flipping from the floor onto the mini trampoline into flip dunks

-Double transfers (Double thru the legs, around the back thru the legs, etc)

-Front flips with transfers (Front flip thru the legs, front flip double thru the legs)

-Roller blade dunks off ramp with transfers and alley oops

-Front flip dunks on roller blades off ramp

-Rappel dunks from the rafters

-Swinging rappel dunks from the rafters

-Two ball front flip dunks

-Two ball 360 dunks

-Layout and pike front flip dunks

-Back flip dunks off the backboard

-Back flip dunks off 16 foot ladder

-Front flip dunks through 12 x 8 ft paper banners

-Front flip dunks through banners with the basketball on the blind side of the banner

-Two-man dunk shows as part of mascot performance

-Creation of the blueprint for NBA dunk teams

-Front flip dunk over 10 ft. ladder

Many of these innovations that were introduced 15-17 years ago are still being done by acrobatic slam dunkers today and some are still refreshing to see.

With the founding of our acrobatic slam dunk team, the High “Impact” Squad in 1994 and later ACRODUNK, even more innovations to team acrobatic slam dunking were introduced. Team TURBO, the Houston Rockets Dunk Team (1996-2003) populated by members of the High “Impact” Squad is the reason there are so many NBA branded Dunk teams around the league.

Acrobatic slam dunkers around the world were studying whatever footage they could get their hands on of TURBO and the High “Impact” Squad.

This was pre-youtube, so it was “hard to get” footage. But it was out there and those who really wanted it were finding it.

I think the main point of comparison between myself and Michael Jordan is that in his game, he was doing things nobody else could come close to doing at the time and he was executing them on a consistent basis in pressure situations LIVE in front of audiences. There are players now that strive to stake their claim like Michael Jordan staked his. Michael Jordan in some ways changed the game of basketball and redefined what was possible.

I believe it is fair to say that in the acrobatic slam dunk game, WE did things nobody else could come close to doing at the time and WE did them season in and season out. There are acrobatic slam dunkers that now strive to stake their claim like WE staked ours. We changed the acrobatic slam dunk game and redefined what is possible.

See how I switched to WE. I was the person on the court performing the amazing but it was all the help off the court that made it possible. Guys like Winn Molnari, Eli Akin, Scott Budge, Kenny Smith, Bill Baptiste, John Leach and later the original members of the High “Impact” Squad - Sadiki Fuller, Keith Brown and Byron Thomas. Of course, I was inspired by Ty Cobb, the creator of acrobatic slam dunking, and his team of Daredevils. There are a couple of other “pioneers” that inspired me like Bob Woolf who made a name for the Phoenix Suns Gorilla and Mike Zerillo who put Super HUGO on the map for the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets. Both of these guys were teammates of mine at Arizona State University and they blazed trails that I was able to walk into.

Since the words ACRODUNKING, ACRODUNK and ACRODUNKER were coined by me, if there is a Michael Jordan of ACRODUNKING, why not me - the guy that not only changed the game but also coined the word.

So if someone thinks I could be the Michael Jordan of Acrodunking, who am I to argue against it. From this point forward, I embrace it.

I wonder if Michael Jordan gets told that he is the Jerry Burrell of basketball ; )

What do you think?

BE GREAT!

ACRODUNK DNA

I met a guy recently who is entering his second season as an acrobatic slam dunker for an NBA team. Let's call him Danny (not his real name). He mentioned to me that when he saw ACRODUNK on America's Got Talent, he decided he wanted to do what we he saw us doing on the show. It just so happened that his local NBA team was having auditions to form a dunk team and he tried out. He made the team, got through one season and was now speaking to me at an event where he and his teammates were participating in a training session that myself and my teammates were facilitating.

As the training session transitioned to the point where Danny and his teammates began watching us rehearse, I noticed the look on Danny's face as he witnessed 4 of the top acrobatic slam dunkers in the world preparing for their show that night.

Gregory Mueller, Jason Skillern, Eddie Johnson and Jesus El were putting on a clinic that not only Danny and his teammates enjoyed but the players and staff of the college team we were performing for were recording on their phone cameras.

I realized what a blessing it is to be on the journey I am currently on. Sadiki Fuller was a member of our team who became the mascot for the Golden State Warriors. While at the Warriors, he trained Jesus and Eddie at the same time that Greg and Jason were being trained in Houston. If Sadiki and I were brothers in the ACRODUNK family, then what I and Danny were witnessing that night were ACRODUNK cousins that had taken things to whole new level.

From Greg Muellers fake out thru the leg dunk that seemed to float horizontally for minutes to Jason Skillern's reverse that made it appear like he jumped from the rafters. From Eddie Johnson's Eagle dunk (front flip with double through the leg transfer) to Jesus El's Pop Tart (toss to front flip to catch dunk) and Freeze Frame dunk ( Strike a pose mid-air dunk), the pre-show audience was getting a rare glimpse of the result of ACRODUNK ingenuity.

There is this trait that runs through the DNA of ACRODUNK that propels those who come through our system to not settle for less than their absolute best when it comes to being innovative and revolutionary. Danny, his teammates and I witnessed it on this occasion and I was forced to see that I get the opportunity to witness it everytime we hit the floor.

While we may have a set show structure and format which some teams have adopted as their own, I like the fact that guys will style it up from time to time with variations on finishes and passes. Sometimes it's the small things that turn a basic dunk into something much more entertaining. Like a slight turn of the head with the arm at a different angle to make what would have been a weak dunk into a quasi-reverse.

So as I watched Danny take it all in with a smile on his face, I couldn't help but notice that I was smiling too and for the same reason - Watching ACRODUNK perform is inspiring.

BE GREAT!

Can A Non-Gymnast Become an Acrobatic Slam Dunker

From time to time I get asked if a person has to be a gymnast to become an acrobatic slam dunker. Since I flipped out of the womb and have been flipping ever since, this question initially caused me to step outside of myself and consider the possibilities.

I now know without even thinking about it - NO! Being a gymnast is NOT a prerequisite for being a trampoline dunker. Having gymnastics training certainly helps to shorten the learning curve but I have determined that one just needs to be athletic and have desire.

I am reminded, as I think about some of the performers that have come through the ACRODUNK system, that physical ability is a necessity but heart and desire is what takes a guy from just being able to do dunk shows to being able to WOW!

Eli Akin, Gregory Mueller, and Alain Anderson were not gymnasts but became crowd pleasing extreme dunkers. The common denominators for each of these guys is physical ability and a passion for entertaining. Each of them had different learning curves but all of them were able to include a front flip dunk in their repertoire. One or more of them have mastered the “afro” pass (front flip off the glass), the barani pass, or the clutch dunk (front flip through the leg) which all require an acrobatic mindset.

My training began in the backyard. I flipped off fences and tree stumps and roofs before I ever set foot in a gymnastics gym. It was for the love of the jump that I flipped almost as much as I walked or ran. Keith Brown was a gifted gymnast who trained at Houston’s Gymnast Factory and benefitted from the expertise of Keven Mazeika (2008 USA Men’s Gymnastics Team Heach Coach). Keith was one of the first guys I approached to be a part of our team. It turned out that he had a friend, Sadiki Fuller, who was more of a backyard gymnast that also liked the idea of being a part of an acrobatic slam dunk team. Both of these guys were definitely gymnasts but the first guy to ever perform with me as part of our team was Eli Akin, a basketball player and definitely a non-gymnast.

The first 5 touring performers for our team consisted of me, a backyard gymnast that got classical gymnastics training, Eli Akin - a 6 foot plus basketball player that had to develop his ability to flip, Keith Brown - a classically trained gymnast with mad skills, who could also play basketball, Sadiki Fuller- a 6 foot plus backyard tumbler that could play basketball and got most of his gymnastics training in public school classes, and Byron Thomas - a pure athlete who was also a backyard tumbler that could do anything athletic from basketball to football, track to baseball, soccer to fencing, badminton to chess - whatever. (I’m only exaggerating a tiny bit)

More than athletic ability, these guys all had a deep down desire to entertain, to get air, to wow audiences to “blow them away” we used to say. Other than myself and Keith, the level of elite or classical gymnastics training was pretty shallow.

As more classically trained gymnasts auditioned to be dunkers for our team (and there have not been many), I noticed that these gymnasts had to unlearn a few things to become more effective as acrobatic slam dunk entertainers.

There is a level of rigidity in classical gymnastics. The “toes pointed, legs straight” thing for some is hard to ditch. I had to unlearn some of this myself but for me it was not a conscious unlearning. It was that I transitioned to a smoother, more fluid and cooler swagger than that of the robotic “salute the judge, do your routine, stick your dismount” style of a classically trained gymnast. I had guys like Eli Akin and a whole league of NBA players that I was taking notes from.

So, you do not have to be a gymnast to be an effective acrobatic slam dunk entertainer. A gymnastics background will definitely shorten your learning curve when it comes to the acrobatic part but even without any gymnastics training, you can learn that.

Over the past 5 years, I have learned some acrobatic skills that I had never done before. I will admit that the foundation built through years of flipping helped me but what truly made it happen, came from the heart. All those non gymnasts out there that have excelled as acrobatic slam dunkers know exactly what I’m talking about.

Check out www.acrodunk.com to see some gymnasts and non-gymnasts as acrobatic slam dunkers.

Be Great!

ACRODUNK Revolution

We are engaged in an ACRODUNK revolution. Yep, that's right - a revolution. We are on a mission to revolutionize acrobatic slam dunking. We are taking it from the basketball court to the stage and blowing peoples minds in the process. We are not content with business as usual. We are not OK with resting on our laurels. We will not be satisfied until we turn the prevailing perceptions on their heads. Revolution is not for the faint of heart, nor the weak in spirit. Revolution requires VISION. Revolution requires PASSION. Revolution requires CONVICTION. We are out to stake our claim.

"We decided to go in another direction"

I was working at the Houston Rockets 15 years ago in June 1994 when I was told those words by one of the Vice Presidents and I thought of George Karl.

The team had just won the NBA World Championship and days before I was flipping through the streets of downtown Houston in front of nearly 1/2 million screaming Rockets fans at our Victory parade.

I knew the end was coming, I just wasn't sure how it was going to be presented to me. You see, this VP and I were never on the same page and I knew my days were numbered. I think I got on his bad side on the first day he arrived at the organization.

I remember it vividly but not because it was his first day. It was December 1993 and we were launching the character TURBO. Shawn Welling, the founder of Planet Funk, and I came up with this madly audacious idea to debut TURBO during the halftime of the game that night.

We had a large box built that was to be carried out onto the court by 6 huge bodybuilders. It was to be set down at center court and the top was to be lifted off by straps that hung from the rafters. The inside of the top had fog machines and strobe lights so that when it was lifted up the fog seeped out and the strobes created this cool effect.

There were 4 of us inside the box and the lights bounced off us as the fog whirled around us. I jumped out the box, did the TURBO pose and began this crazy compilation of dunks while the other 3 teamed up with some of the Rockets Dancers and did this choreographed routine that I would join in as a transition between my dunk segments.

After this dazzling array of dunks and dance routines, the four of us climbed back in the box, the top was lowered down and latched and like hulky pall bearers, the muscle-men carried us back into the tunnel.

Everything went great, the crowd loved it and we were celebrating inside the box. Once we were safely lowered to the ground, we went to climb out of the box through this hatch door built into it for that very purpose. As one of the guys cracked the door open he froze and quickly shut it and said, "We can't go out this way". You see, had the box been facing the way it was facing when we climbed in through this hatch, we would have been OK. But when the pall-bearers exited the court they stayed in formation and the back end of the box with our entry/exit hatch was now in full view facing the court. After such a cool performance, we just couldn't bear to ruin it by having the audience see us climb out through this little hatch door.

So, here we were stuck inside this huge, heavy box figuring how best to escape. The only way it could be taken all the way through the vomitory and into the tunnel was if it were empty. The top could only be lifted by connecting cable from above, so we couldn't get out by lifting the top. Because it was so high, the whole box had to be slid through the tunnel doorway and shimmied around the corner. With us in it, it was too heavy to slide and the body builders would get hurt if they lifted it because the pegs they held onto were on the base of the box and they would have had to bend too low to get it through the doorway.

Here is where it gets bad. This tunnel happened to lead to the locker rooms and it was the entrance onto the court for both teams. The good thing is that the players from both teams had already entered the court and began their shoot-around. The Rockets coaching staff had made it out also. The opposing teams coaching staff had not and we were blocking their way.

We could hear George Karl, the head coach of the Seattle Supersonics shouting on the other side of the box making it clear that he was not happy about not being able to join his players on the court. While all of this is going on, I am inside the box thinking about how this VP as he witnessed all of the production we were putting into this halftime show sarcastically said, "Remember, there is a basketball game tonight"

Luckily there was another entrance onto the court that Mr. Karl and his staff were able to take and they got out there before the 3rd quarter started.

That was the first of many incidents where my penchant for the theatrical probably rubbed this VP the wrong way. Suffice it to say, on that crazy day 15 years ago when this VP sat before me and said "We decided to go in another direction." The first thing I thought of was this incident and George Karl. It was as if I could hear Coach Karl uttering those same 7 words as he trotted onto the court explaining to his players what took so long.

To see what we do at ACRODUNK visit http://www.acrodunk.com

What is ACRODUNK, ACRODUNKER & ACRODUNKING

I get asked all the time: What does acrodunk mean? What does an acrodunker do? What is acrodunking?

If you have ever created anything before, you will be able to relate to the feeling I had back in 1993 when I came up with a brand name for the activity that had literally taken over my life. I was a mascot for the Houston Rockets and had just launched a dunking mascot which was an alter-ego to the big fluffy mascot I performed as.

The activity was commonly known as acrobatic slam dunking at the time. There were other NBA mascots doing it as well as the Bud Light Daredevils. I was inspired by some teammates of mine from college to get into the mascot business and finally, I was going to get a chance to put my acrobatic skills on display in a streamlined spandex costume. I couldn't wait.

The new spandex wearing character was what I call a Sports Super Hero and later it's how I described the members of the High "Impact" Squad and even later the members of ACRODUNK. A Sports Super Hero is someone that not only displays amazing athletic skill but also inspires others to greatness.

This definition of Sports Super Hero led to the creation of the brand name ACRODUNK. When I came up with the term, it was so right. There was no better way to describe this idea of entertaining and inspiring through the combination of acrobatics and basketball. While others were engaged in acrobatic slam dunking, members of our team were ACRODUNKERS that engaged in ACRODUNKING. The mindset of an ACRODUNKER is focused on not only entertaining but also inspiring their audiences.

We focused on entertaining by blowing people away with the dunks and passes that we did and we focused on inspiring by doing what we did so well that we took audiences to a place in their own minds where they ask the question "how can I excel like this in my area of expertise?"

So, the brand ACRODUNK is our version of acrobatic slam dunking and those athletes in the ACRODUNK Family are ACRODUNKERS who engage in ACRODUNKING. Not everyone can be an ACRODUNKER both literally and legally.

ACRODUNK is our brand name and ACRODUNKER and ACRODUNKING are extensions of our brand.

Stay tuned for more as future posts will cover topics like "Was the IAF before it's time?" and the state of the acrobatic slam dunking industry.

See what we do at http://www.acrodunk.com