HOMESTEAD, FLA. (WSVN) – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been firing cannons at their games but 7Sports found someone who puts themself inside of one.
Those who have been to the circus before have likely seen this type of daredevil.
In the shadow of the Homestead-Miami Speedway, 21-year-old Eduardo Peralvar Jr. has become a high-flying daredevil.
“I feel a little bit nervous once I’m inside because once you’re inside there’s no turning back,” he said.
Peralvar is a fourth-generation of human cannonball performers to do this in his family.
“I’m fully concentrated on having my body as stiff as possible so I don’t get hurt. Then, next thing I know, I’m shot out,” he said.
Peralvar has been doing the dangerous stunt for three years.
He’s hands on, inspecting and measuring his landing point.
The cannon is 31 feet high.
He’s ejected by a jet of compressed air, flying at a speed of nearly 75 miles per hour at a distance of more than 100 feet onto a 40-by-13-foot net.
Making sure everything is checked is Peralvar’s dad’s job.
He first introduced his son to the profession.
“There’s always some concern but we have all the measures and take all the precautions we already know so that this act does not fail,” said Eduardo Peralvar Sr.
While the danger factor is high, thankfully, Peralvar Jr. has never suffered any serious injuries.
“When it scared me the most were the first times and once in a while it has happened to me that it was a bit windy or rainy or something like that, but I say that the time I was most afraid was the first few times,” he said.
Being shot out of a cannon is not as easy as it looks. It requires lots of practice.
Peralvar Jr. believes he was born to do it.
“It is something that you carry in your blood. Not anyone just gets up and says, ‘I want to fly.’ Not everyone has the fortitude to do it,” he said.
He does consider his profession an adrenaline rush as he performs for crowds.
“First before entering, it gives me a lot of energy when I hear the applause of the crowd. When I’m on the flight, I’m focused but when I’m about to land, I start to hear them again and when I land, that’s when they go crazy,” said Peralvar Jr.
To watch his act firsthand and up close is pretty amazing considering everything that goes into being shot out of a cannon.
He will be back in South Florida later this year to perform his act as part of the Monster Jam tour.
Copyright 2021 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
