European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 21, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse Sia to Maun Karel Triska s feat is walking wire blindfolded with hands tied. 848, dodgem by Phil Dodson staff writer spec. 4 Karel a. Triska has sort of walked with his head in the Clouds Ever since he was 18 months old. About the time Many youngsters be come proficient at toddling Triska was doing quite nicely 60 feet in the air Ona half Inch strand of twisted steel. The 20-year-old computer specialist working at the 575th personnel service co at Taylor Barracks in Mannheim Germany does t find anything unus Ual about this. His father Matej Triska won acclaim As King of the. High wire for his performances through out Europe. The senior Triska incident ally began his career at age 2 and instill performing regularly. The Triska troupe first performed for . Audiences in 1950, coming to the United states from Czechoslovakia. Karel a direct descendent of seven generations of Aerial performers has garnered acclaim in his own right. Heis billed As the Only High wire artist in the world to walk the wire 60 feet up blindfolded with his hands tied behind his vast majority of wire performers use a balancing staff to Aid in main Taining stability on the in Many spectacular perform ances tragedy can strike swiftly Triska vividly remembers the Day his father fell and the net did t catch were about 50 feet up and my father was crossing the wire on a motorcycle. Suddenly a Guy wire broke and the main wire shifted throwing the Cycle and my father off. The motor Cycle ripped a gaping Hole in the net and both crashed to the floor be he elder Triska suffered a broken Back and three crushed ribs. The doctors said that he was Lucky to be alive but that he probably would never perform again or at Best would be Able to do a simple wire he refused to give up and in a year and a half was doing almost All the acts he had done before the Accident Karel said. Other relatives have not been so fortunate. In february 1962, two of Triska cousins Dieter Schepp and Richard Faughnan of the great Wallendar were killed in Detroit while perform ing a Pyramid act for which the troupe was famous. The tragedy happened when the Topmost member apparently reacted to a pinched nerve and lost his balance causing three of the seven per formers to hurtle to the ground. The sole survivor of the three Mario Wal Lenda suffered crushing Back injuries and is permanently paralysed below the Waist. , who has completed 17months of his three year army tour says he s going to have a hard Tim getting Back in condition when he goes Back to the big top. When my family was performing we would practice up to eight hours a Day if we had the time. Since i be been Here my Job and College courses at night have taken up most of my spar time. I be really gotten out of practice and it s f?9ing to take a lot of Worktop recondition when he does find time to practice he does it on a wire erected in front of the building in which he works. Ill probably work alone when Start performing again the Young sol Dier said but if i were to work wit someone it would be one of my Sisters or possibly my wife if i tuesday May 21, 1968 Karel performed with Stepmother Patricia father Matej. Today Triska s act is to feed computer with spec. 4 John Shearer. The stars and stripes Page u
