The Courage of Joy — Franco, the Ageless Acrobatic Skater
“Time To Dare” series — Article 5
If you are strolling around the gardens of Villa Borghese in Rome on a sunny Sunday afternoon, in the whereabouts of the Pincio, you may notice a group of rollerbladers zigzagging playfully around plastic cones to the rhythm of music, or vaulting above a pole to the sound of each other’s applause and encouragements.
One skater, however, will immediately stand out from the happy bunch, because when he skids to a halt — after having gathered speed, hurled himself towards the ground in the splits, sometimes passing under a human tunnel of legs, or backwards beneath a rope taut close to the ground, sometimes snapping into a spin, sometimes curving around passers-by — you will rub your eyes in complete disbelief.
Because that short but athletic and powerful silhouette, that explosive energy, those daredevil lunges, and that infectious smile, all belong — not to a teenager, nor to a young man, but — to an amazing human being who (fasten your seatbelts) turned eighty years old last February 2nd! He is Franco Pulicati, the unstoppable, the legendary, the high-energy “ageless acrobatic skater”.
Franco is very probably the only 80-year-old man on the planet who can currently carry out the following acrobatics and tricks on skates: forward plunge into the splits, passing under “human tunnels” in the splits (lineup of up to 21 people), travelling 1km downhill on the road in the splits, spinning in the splits, travelling backwards and forwards in the splits, going round bends in the splits, skating and cartwheeling, skating and lunging into a side-skid, and going into the splits with human loads added.
Franco the Youngling: Joy and Simplicity
Whomever has met Franco in person knows how humble, unassuming, simple, kind and joyful he is. His good humour is contagious and his view of life is grounded in a pragmatic, no-nonsense approach to having fun. Franco lives in the moment, spreading wonder, joy and inspiration through unabashedly and publicly practicing what he loves most: skating.
Franco believes that nothing is impossible, and that more often than not, age is just an excuse. His 80 years certainly won’t make him shy away from any adventure, challenge or opportunity!
A few years ago, he rollerbladed downhill, in the splits — over a record distance of 1km — from the Pincio (at the top of Villa Borghese) all the way down to Piazzale Flaminio (next to Piazza del Popolo). His amusing and unusual feat was noticed and picked up by several online publications, including Repubblica TV (click here to watch the video). He practises with his loyal skater friend, Simonetta: once she was his pupil, now they are skating partners, often training together and engaging in creative duo moves, perfecting their balancing acts during long hours of sweat and laughs.
If a rainy day thwarts Franco’s plans to rollerblade, no problem: he will head to the ice skating rink and practise all his acrobatic numbers on ice, to get his daily dose of exercise to stay fit and happy.
Franco the Superstar: a “No Limits” Approach to Life
Little by little, over the years, Franco first became a local attraction: he was noticed and invited to appear on television shows such as the 2010 edition of Italia’s Got Talent, other popular national morning TV programmes, and featured as guest on Video Sky series “Più Forza Nella Vita” hosted by retired Italian gymnast “Lord of the Rings” Jury Chechi .
Then after casually catching the attention of the creators of Ghiaccio Spettacolo during his routine training sessions, Franco was invited in 2014 to add his splits-on-ice act (and his inextinguishable good humour) to their summer tour across northern Italy, in the company of figure skating World-Champion-couple Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte.
Franco’s boundless enthusiasm and openness to new adventures have propelled him beyond the normal limits of his age. Opportunity knocks on Franco’s door and he not only welcomes it — he actually attracts it!
In 2016, Franco caught Vladimir Yakovlev’s eye, accepted the invitation to take part in the “Well Over Fifty Festival” in Montenegro, and inspired posts on The Age of Happiness Project. In 2017 Franco undertook his very first intercontinental journey, flying to LA to appear on the NBC programme “Little Big Shots: Forever Young” conducted by Steve Harvey.
Franco never ceases to surprise and capture the imagination of journalists and artists with his vitality and powerful life energy. More recently he has inspired adventure artist Galya Morrell, and been interviewed for web TV series A Fabulous Life. Who knows what new projects are in store for him in the years to come?
Franco the Inventor: Crafting Tools for His Art
That’s not all, there is more! Franco is an inventor and craftsman. His past as a professional carpenter has shaped his manual and inventive capacity, which he now applies to adapting his skating gear and body protection elements, to best suit and enhance the many acrobatic moves that he revels in. He has designed and built wrist-braces and knee-guards ensconced with additional wheels, modified and reinforced skate shoes with reshaped, extra-resistant, homemade slider pads, crafted creative accessory braking devices with wood blocks, screws and rubber.
To increase the fun and excitement, Franco has also created his personal, restyled version of the motorpattino — a tweaked, battery-powered paddock-scooter — which allows him to propel himself forward on his skates and in the splits , not only across parks but even in much more daring situations. Franco definitely takes great pleasure in challenging commonplaces and inspiring wonder and surprise.
Words of Wisdom
Franco’s life motto: “It’s a sunny day out. Be happy.”
Franco’s advice to children: “Obey your parents and always do your best.”
Franco’s advice to the elderly: “Don’t hang out with people your age: go play with the younglings!”
Franco’s advice to young athletes: “Remember that sports is sports: don’t you dare to trash your dreams if something goes wrong. Go make another dream come true!”
Franco is motivated to inspire all people to believe in themselves, and prove that when you have a vision and are willing to put in the hours of training, focus and sacrifice, you can achieve great things, at any age!
The “Time To Dare” article collection is composed of narratives and reflections about the courage to:
- challenge commonplaces: the inner and outer “no” voices that hold people back from reaching for their dreams
- take the plunge and do unorthodox things
- set ourselves up for “inner success” despite the naysayers, thus growing our personal anti-fragililty by being daring
The stories are based on my personal experiences, endeavours, research, projects, and on recollections and musings of other daring people that I have met in my life, and that have inspired my behaviour and thinking.
