Volume 1, No. 21. November 16, 2001
Rising to the challenge
Amusement parks have long been a
breeding ground for performers on their way to celebrity status, from Backstreeters
at Disney World to N'Syncers at Universal Studios, and of course a couple of
celebrities turned their fame into amusement park attractions, like Bobbejaan
Schoepen in Belgium and Dolly Parton in Tennessee.
Move over Dolly. A new star has emerged from Dollywood and currently is rising
well above all other celebrities. His name is Challenger, a 13-year-old bald
eagle who soars on cue from some seemingly ethereal existence into stadiums
and arenas during the playing of the U.S. National Anthem. As the only bald
eagle in the United States trained to free-fly into arenas during the national
anthem, he has performed at outdoor stadiums since the 1997 opening of Ted Turner
(baseball) Field in Atlanta, Georgia, and is a longtime favorite for special
occasions with the New York Yankees baseball team. In the wake of the September
11 terrorist attacks, Challenger has been in greater demand than ever.
"We've had calls from all over the United States, from NASCAR, hockey teams,
basketball, football, soccer, corporate-type conventions and a whole host of
other events," said Al Cecere, founder and president of the American Eagle Foundation,
a non-profit protection group headquartered at Dollywood, who is the foundation's
primary corporate sponsor. "Right now I'm his agent and personal manager, but
sometimes I wish he had his own agent."
Challenger came to the Foundation as a 1-year-old eaglet, blown from his nest
and hand raised by his human rescuers. With too much human imprinting, Challenger
could not survive in the wild, so Cecere, noting the eagle's good temperament
with people, trained it for anthemic free-flight. A performer he is not. "Challenger
is not there to entertain, he's there to educate," said Cecere, who keeps this
and all his other rehabilitating eagles by permit of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Administration. At Challenger's appearances the host is required to say or publish
an account of his ambassadorship for his endangered species, and he usually
follows his National Anthem flights with meet-and-greets.
While carrying out this mission, Cecere makes sure Challenger puts on a sensational
show. The two arrive at a stadium two days before the event and rehearse with
up to 25 flights to get an average time of flight. They meet with the anthem
singer, record the song's ending, then select a word on which Challenger begins
his flight so that he lands on Cecere's outstretched arm exactly on the last
note. That moment, which Cecere rightly describes as "a spiritual experience
for most people," has ensured the bird's celebrity status. Cecere took Challenger
on visits to the New York fire and police stations, and people knew him by name.
"You walk him into a room full of grim people and faces light up," Cecere said.
He also took Challenger to the star-studded Concert for New York, and many of
the performers seeing him stepped over to meet the eagle. Paul McCartney, emerging
from his limousine, called out "Challenger!" and made a detour to visit with
him. Somebody asked to take a photo of the former Beatle, and McCartney said,
"Sure, but we've got to get Challenger in this!"
Bigger than Dolly? Right now, Challenger is bigger than The Beatles.
Back
to THE LOOP