Koopa Troopa Goes to Miami for Red Bull’s Flugtag
By Jared Newman
Take one look at this Koopa Troopa and you’ll know why it didn’t place in Red Bull’s Flugtag flying competition in Miami last weekend. No wings. Any seasoned Mario veteran will tell you that only the winged Koopa Paratroopa can fly, and it seems like an even greater oversight given Red Bull’s slogan. But I kid. The folks from Team Shell Shocked did an admirable job of putting together this giant tribute to Super Mario Bros., all in the name of gliding it off a cliff, directly into the water below. Sounds more like a green Koopa Troopa to me.
Red Bull’s Flugtag, German for “flying day,” is a competition in which people try to glide their homemade contraptions the furthest. According to the St. Augustine Record, Team Shell Shocked is comprised of students from Flagler College and St. Johns River Community College, who formed a flying team when another group of mutual friends left them out of their Flugtag plans. ”I need some ‘when-I-was-in-college’ stories,” team member Rob Shanz said.
As Red Bull’s Web site notes, the team didn’t place, but at least they had a good time. Says the team’s Twitter feed: “Flight occured could have been a little further but it was an amazing experience!” [via MTV Multiplayer]
