For Cochrane Eagle

Surfing on the roof of a speeding car, jumping off a bridge onto a moving train and scaling the sides of buildings with ease — Cochrane teenager Chris Ball has been filmed doing all this and much more.

Recently, Ball’s on-screen antics have gained national media attention; however, not everyone is impressed with the 19-year-old who is aiming for a career in the entertainment industry.
“It’s fulfilling to me to complete these stunts,”explained Ball the day after a video of him car-surfing appeared on a national news broadcast.

“Having said that, I don’t want to be a stunt guy because I love being on camera, I just love movies in general to be honest.”

Ball added that he has been taken aback by the amount of attention — both positive and negative — surrounding his car-surfing stunt, which has been viewed roughly 10,000 times on YouTube since being posted earlier this year.

Cochrane teen Chris Ball, seen hanging upside down from a bridge, has received national media attention after a video of him surfing on the roof of a moving car appeared on video sharing website YouTube. Photo courtesy of Chris Ball

The former Cochrane High graduate stated that the video “was for fun,” and was shot roughly two years ago.

“I thought about taking it down but I don’t think I’m going to because what kind of person would I be if I only put up videos for a positive response?” said Ball, who performs his acts under the on-screen moniker Chris Bawl.

Now it seems Ball’s car-surfing video and a number of others available online have caught the attention of local law enforcement.

Cochrane RCMP is currently looking into the possibility of laying charges, said Const. Sean Lentowicz.

“We have got to figure out where the videos are coming from and how they were made and so on,” he said. “I believe a lot of people, including the media and the general public, believe it’s very irresponsible. It not only gets himself in trouble but it also has younger kids wanting to be like Chris Ball. It’s setting a bad example all-around.”

Lentowicz added that Ball could face charges ranging from Traffic Safety Act violations to trespassing to civil suits.

The Calgary Police Service has also launched an investigation of their own.

Ball, meanwhile, refused to give exact locations for where his stunts are filmed, noting that they have taken place “all over the area.”

The daredevil also said he isn’t fazed by talk of criminal charges.

“The way I see it is that if you put videos on YouTube for everyone to see, you have to be held accountable for that,” Ball said. “What I want people to realize is that you can’t say ‘What if this, what if that?’ because nothing’s happened. I’m still here and nobody’s been injured.”

Ball said he has received formal stunt  training in the past and that he is the only one in danger in the majority of his videos.

“The way I see it is this is just my start,” said Ball, who plans to attend the motion picture arts program at Red Deer College in the fall.

John Scott, a stunt co-ordinator with 40 years of experience, said Ball’s daredevil acts may be doing more harm than good to his career aspirations.

“A lot of stunt co-ordinators probably wouldn’t touch him because they would figure he’s unsafe and doesn’t take direction properly,” said Scott, who has worked on numerous feature films, including X-Men 2 and Van Helsing, and currently works as a wrangler on the Alberta-based television show Heartland.

“On a set, you spend a lot of time making a stunt safe and the law of averages says this kid is going to get hurt.”

Ball said he incorporates a great deal of camera trickery into his videos to make stunts appear more dangerous than they really are.

He added that he is fully aware of the risks and that his mother, whom he lives with, and close friends are very supportive of his actions.

“I know my limits,” he said. “I am pretty intuitive when it comes to knowing what I am capable of . . . if there’s doubt I will not attempt it.”

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