When 25-year-old Neil Seaver started a new hobby, he didn’t realize that it would lead to him literally flip over cars in the neighborhood.
But today, after an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman and a recent video making the cut on the Live! with Regis and Kelly show, Seaver is starting to take his tumbling hobby, which he started when he was 19, a little more seriously.
On Tuesday, September 7, if selected, Seaver could receive $2,500 by being named a finalist for the Live! Wild & Wacky in the “Flipping Out” category of videos submitted by viewers on the show. Voting for a grand prize winner will conclude on Friday, September 10 and the winner will receive $20,000 and a lifetime supply of Trident gum.
Seaver moved to Summerfield with his family two years ago from Akron, Ohio.
“I had just started flipping over cars about three years ago. It started with gymnastics and tumbling,” he explained. “And, I just took a move I was good at, flipping, and started to challenge myself…with the help of friends…to flip over larger and larger items.”
“One day, I flipped over the hood of a car and then I decided to try the roof of a car.”
When Seaver flips, he selects a side flip or side somersault, his favorite maneuver, and has jumped over a Ford Mustang, 4-door Honda Civics, Ford Escorts and even a red BMW.
A selection of videos of him jumping over cars is available on YouTube by searching for Neil Seaver.
“When I flip, I am going over the car upside down,” explains Seaver. “There is definitely a danger element and I don’t recommend that anyone try it. A lot of people jump over cars but I don’t know anyone who flips over them like I do.”
Seaver is currently a student at the University of South Florida studying Biomedical Science. He is hoping to get accepted in the Physical Therapy Master’s program and to be able to flip cars for a living.
“If someone has the jumping power and the height, it is a personal accomplishment to flip over a car,” says Seaver who estimates he has flipped over about 50 cars.
His parents, Charles and Helen Seaver, both work for the Hearing Centers of South West Florida. His grandmother is Josephine Jankiewicz, who resides in Sun City Center.
“He was chosen from thousands of entries and his video was shown,” explains Helen. “At the time of the Letterman spot in 2007, Neil was also featured on Bay News 9, Tampa Bay 10, Osprey Observer, The Tampa Tribune, St. Petersburg Times and several days of articles in the Akron Beacon Journal.
For see more videos of him in action, visit Neil Seaver’s YouTube Channel.
