FOLSOM, Calif. — Hands raised up in the air, high atop Folsom's Historic Truss bridge, Ryan Robinson celebrated success in Folsom on Saturday. The crowd below him loudly cheering as he completed a 1,919-foot slackline challenge.
"I grew up here, this is really special to me," Robinson said, getting emotional as he looked around at all of his hometown supporters. "It couldn't be a cooler experience, to not only have everyone here but have a successful walk and now have a world record in the City."
On Saturday, May 2 Robinson successfully crossed the gap between Natomas Crossing and the City's Historic Truss Bridge (pictured at the forefront of the photo below), breaking a world record for slacklining.
Slacklining, which is walking across a suspended length of flat webbing, is similar to tightrope walking. Just as dangerous, just as exhilarating.
Through nine years of accomplishments in the sport, Robinson said he's had a Folsom idea at the back of his mind. An idea that he said, might not have been possible when he first got into the sport.
"When I started (slacklining) I saw this gap...and I never really thought it was possible," Robinson said in an interview with ABC10 Friday. "The sport wasn't in any position to be able to rig this kind of line."
Saturday morning he had everyone at the edge of their seats. Literally, everyone. From the crowds standing on both bridges to the kayakers below his line and even to our Facebook live audience watching from home.
The cheering grew loud as Robinson neared the end and finally made it to the top of the Historic Truss Bridge. Emotions ran high — especially for Robinson, who brought his head down and wiped his eyes.
When asked what was running through his mind at that moment, he said, "It was just this really full circle moment for me. You experience it all up there. I was experiencing every failure that I've ever had, too. So being able to sit up there and have this awesome success is kind of like success for everything that's happened over the last eight years, nine years of the journey. It's really cool."
Robinson's accomplishment, which you can watch on our YouTube page, comes as part of the Folsom's centennial celebration of Rainbow Bridge. The city will be celebrating all Saturday. Learn more here.
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