August 5
August 5, 2008
Sarah Maria Domangue
August 7, 2008
When Tabb Stansbury was racing motocross at the age of 14, he felt like he was missing something.
Sure, the Morgan City cyclist loved the competitive edge racing gave him, but he found himself more intrigued by the jumps than the actual race.
That’s when he made his first leap. He gave up motocross racing and turned his focus to dirt bike jumps and stunts.
“I was actually the youngest daredevil in the world at that time,” Stansbury recalls. “There were actually only three or four guys doing it.”
Stansbury made the circuit, performing in small-town arenas. It was the same trek his childhood hero, Evel Knievel, traveled. The Morgan City cyclist never saw the legendary jumper in action – then again, neither did most of the people who filled the arenas where Stansbury performed.
“I always watched him on television. I actually met him at a car show in New Orleans,” he said. “He didn’t jump, but it was cool to meet him. Back in those days, the closest he ever came around here was Houston, and it was unfortunate that I couldn’t afford to travel and go see him.”
Like, Knievel, Stansbury has had his share of hard landings. He’s broken three vertebrae in his back, his wrist and his collarbone throughout his young career. But after every injury, he was right back out on the track performing.
He went on performing until the age of 19. After that, he gave it up to raise a family. His son, Tabb Stansbury Jr., eventually became a professional motocross rider, so Stansbury spent his time taking him to races and helping him work on his bikes.
It was not until a year ago, 30 years after he quit performing, that the now 50-year-old hopped back on a bike.
“One night, I was heading out to Lafayette and some friends asked me if I could still do the ‘standing on the seat wheelie,’ which basically only Evel Knievel and myself were doing at the time,” he explained. “I said I didn’t know; I hadn’t tried it in 30 years. They actually gave me a bike to practice with and, after the first day, it just came back like nothing. It just came to me naturally.”
Stansbury decided to start performing again, taking his CR500 dirt bike to conventions and other events. He performed at Houma’s Home Health and Outdoor Expo in June. It was a chance to test the local reception.
“So far it’s been good,” he said. “We seemed to garner a lot of interest.”
After hiring a public relations manager and talking it over with family, Stansbury decided to put on an Evel Knievel tribute show. Although he had retired from stunt riding years earlier, Knievel died last year at age 69 of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
The production is still in the planning stages; there is not timetable as to when and where it will be held.
Stansbury said he is looking for sponsors so the tribute show can be offered free to the public.
“I remember when Elvis Presley died and most people started doing Elvis tributes,” he explained. “It was pretty cool. If we can get enough sponsors we won’t charge. I really don’t want any kid to have to be turned away.”
He added, “With everything being so expensive these days, I want to do this for [children]. People can’t always afford to take their children to the circus or football games. That’s when I had the idea that if I could [perform jumps] for free, then all the kids would get to see it.”
During his public appearances, posters, T-shirts and stickers will also be handed out to fans free of charge.
That’s at least two months down the road, however. Stansbury is awaiting the arrival of a new leather suit. The same company that made Knievel’s trendy threads is fashioning the suit.
As for future endeavors, Stansbury already has a verbal agreement with Texas Roadhouse Restaurants to do appearances for them sometime next year, something he is looking forward to.
The gig was the brainstorm of his public relations manager. “He has all of these connections with casinos and things like that, so that’s basically what he wants to do,” Stansbury said.
“I still want to do my shows where they can be free also,” he added. “I’m fortunate to be able to go see things these days, but I remember a time when I couldn’t. I don’t want to see anybody else have to miss out.”
While his representative pounds out deals, Stansbury can be found on Morgan City’s back road practicing his jumps and honing his act. He now clears over 200 feet on his jumps but is aiming to go even farther – something he never had a chance to do when he first started at age 17.
“One of my main goals, and I probably will attempt before the end of the year, is to jump a helicopter,” Stansbury said. “It was one of those things I wanted to do as a kid. I won’t push it to the limit and do something I don’t think I can do comfortably, but it seems to be going pretty easy right now.”
Morgan City cyclist Tabb Stansbury, 50, is garnering attention with his one-man tribute to his childhood hero, motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel. Stansbury, pictured above outside the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center during the Home & Garden Show in June, can clear 200 feet on his CR500 dirt bike. * Photo courtesy of TABB STANSBURY
