July 7, 2014
For Immediate Release
HIGH DIVER SURE TO MAKE A SPLASH AT BALLOON FESTIVAL!
READINGTON, NJ — When Yves Milord gave up teaching to become a high diver, he never looked back. Or down.
The 52-year-old former physical education teacher from Quebec, Canada bounced away from the classroom more than 30 years ago shortly after winning a gold medal in the trampoline event at the World Games. While performing at a trampoline show at Great Adventure, he caught the eye of a high diving show which was also performing at the Jackson, NJ theme park. They liked him; he in turn was interested in their act. He hasn’t been dry since.
“I taught school during the year and did high diving shows during the summer until I earned my lifetime teacher’s permit,” said Milord, who brings his five-person Flying Fools comedy high diving show to the QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning at Solberg Airport in Readington, NJ, July 25-26-27. “Once I had the permit, I knew I had something to fall back on if falling into a pool of water didn’t work out.”
That was 30 years and 3,000 dives ago.
Milord will perform his death-defying acrobatic high dives some 80 feet above the festival grounds into a 10-foot deep, 26-foot round pool throughout the weekend. For more dramatic effect, he will light himself on fire before diving from the eight story high platform during evening performances.
“The scariest part is to make sure you don’t hit the bottom of the pool,” said Milord, who has performed in over a dozen countries all over the world, including China, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland and South Africa. “You want to roll into the water liking scooping ice cream. We’ve learned from experience over the years and know the right way how to do this safely.”
Since forming Milord Entertainment in 1990, he was worked with Cirque du Soleil and has been in charge of the Canadian team for the Acapulco cliff diving championships in Mexico for over a decade.
In addition to diving twice on Friday and three times each on Saturday and Sunday at the festival, Milord will also showcase his skills on Sunday morning: instead of shooting a pistol to start the “Advil® Running with the Balloons” 5k race, runners will start once they hear the splash of Milord hitting the water from an 80-foot dive.
“I have seen his act at other festivals across the country and am happy that we are able to bring them to New Jersey this summer,” said Festival Executive Producer Howard Freeman.
The 32nd annual QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning in Association with PNC Bank is the largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America. Named one of the Top 100 Events in North America, the three-day festival features twice a day mass ascensions of more than 100 hot air balloons taking to the skies over the scenic Hunterdon County countryside, a live concert series, and family entertainment including Milord’s death-defying high dives, a nighttime hot air balloon glow, fireworks, children’s amusement rides, and hundreds of crafters and food vendors.
For tickets and the festival’s complete entertainment schedule please visit www.balloonfestival.com.
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