THE BALLOON MAN

Flying through air with the greatest of ease...

By Aspen Emmett For Farmington, NM The Daily Times,

02/08/2011

FARMINGTON — Even a broken leg couldn't keep David Smith from the circus tonight. At age 68, the human canon ball says every night under the big top is a blast, whether he's flying through the air or sitting in the stands.
Smith traveled 1,700 miles this week from Lansing, Mich., to join Jordan World Circus of Las Vegas at the McGee Park Memorial Coliseum for two nights of big-top action.
Last week, a tangle with the net at the end of a 200-foot launch landed Smith on crutches for the fist time in his 36-year circus career.
"My body still says, Yeah, I can do it,'" Smith said. "But my mind says, You're crazy.'"

Smith, who also built the launching device, may be sidelined for the show, but he's keeping the human cannon business in the family.
Smith's nephew-in-law, Chachi Valencia, crawled into the barrel Tuesday night for his Farmington debut. It marked only the tenth time he'd attempted the daring feat.
Circus life was always a family affair for Smith and Valencia. A Chilean immigrant, Valencia is a fifth-generation circus performer who started out on the trapeze.
Also credited to his circus resumé are the trampoline, cradle catch, perching act and the Russian swing.
Despite his wide circus repertoire, you won't catch him near any of the animal acts.
"I'm afraid of lions and elephants," Valencia admitted. "I stay away from them."

Smith, on the other hand, has had a few encounters with the animal kinds.
"One time I had to fill in or someone, leading a leopard into the ring," he said. "It took a swipe at my hind-end and launched me 15 feet."And while Smith is a first-generation performer, six of his 11 children make their living as human canon balls.
He takes pride in the fact that he built his own canon, and maintains the logistics behind throttling a live subject through the air will always remain a family secret.
"You've got to be smart enough to build it," he said. "But dumb enough to get in it."
Smith's canon career spans four decades, with more than 9,000 launches to his credit. He holds the world record for the farthest launch, but hopes one day Valencia can surpass his accomplishments as human ammo.
Today's performances are at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., and last about two and a half hours, featuring three rings of non-stop acts.
Admission for adults is $16, including two free children's passes, and $12 for each additional child.