Talk:Nik Wallenda

Spinoff article?

In the GA review above, the reviewer suggested splitting off part of this article into a separate one, due to its length. I think the obvious candidate for a spinoff would be Nik Wallenda's crossing of Niagara Falls. That subsection contains 24 paragraphs of text, easily enough for a separate article. This article would still contain plenty of information on his life and the rest of his career; compare for example the separate articles on Felix Baumgartner and Red Bull Stratos. Does anyone else think this would be a good idea? Robofish (talk) 10:30, 4 December 2012 (UTC)

I'm open to it. -- Zanimum (talk) 13:35, 4 December 2012 (UTC)

I agree. This could probably be summarized in three or four paragraphs here, with a link to the main article. Samer (talk) 22:59, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

I'll put a Niagara split on my agenda. --ThaddeusB (talk) 04:40, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

Suggestion: I think you might want to include the recent walk, the below conversation notwithstanding. Even though it wasn't "technically" the Grand Canyon, it is part of his attempt to walk across it. Let me know how I can assist. Christine (Figureskatingfan) (talk) 18:51, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

If the Grand Canyon information was split (which is a viable idea), it would be to a different article (a third article), not the one on Niagara. --ThaddeusB (talk) 03:02, 25 June 2013 (UTC)

Sure. I'm sure there's going to be enough information about it to spin off a third article. Christine (Figureskatingfan) (talk) 18:18, 25 June 2013 (UTC)

German roots

I would be good if we ad that he as German roots. --Thaodan (talk) 16:09, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

Birth name

The official Flying Wallendas website at http://wallendaenterprises.com/ refers to "Nicholas Troffer dba Nik Wallenda." In other words, his name is Nicholas Troffer but he does business as Nik Wallenda. This seems like a valid reference and also makes sense logically. His mother's last name is Wallenda and his father's last name is Troffer. This is an undisputed fact. Also, in the recent Discovery Channel documentary about his grand canyon stunt, his mother, Delilah Wallenda Troffer, repeatedly referred to him as "Nicholas." I think this fact should be included in the article. It's fine to keep the title as "Nik Wallenda" since that's his stage name. His real name should also be referenced. --Crunch (talk) 00:52, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

Well first off, its not the official website of the Wallenda family, as there is none. It is a page set up by a Wallenda, sure, but its not reliable for Nik's legal name. There are actually some in the family who view themselves as the only true Wallendas (stemming from a messy divorce a couple generations back) and thus would seek to diminish the claim to the name of others. Delilah is on the "wrong" side of the family. I'm not saying that is going on - just that we can't be sure. Equally possible, the person wrote off their memory or understanding of the situation. Whatever the cause, they are wrong as a matter of fact - Nik is not now doing business under an assumed name.

The articles of incorporation for Nik Wallenda's business (Wallendas Inc.) lists his legal name as "Nikolas Wallenda". That means if he was born Troffer, he legally changed his name at some point (and meaning he most certainly is not "doing business as" currently). Early press reports (from when he was a kid performing with the family) variously list name as "Wallenda", "Troffer", "Wallenda-Troffer", or "Troffer-Wallenda", so it is very difficult to determine what his birth name was. It is better to say nothing than to engage in possible inaccuracies when the truth is unclear. (His first name almost certainly has always been Nikolas not Nicholas, though.) --ThaddeusB (talk) 03:43, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

No, that doesn't cut it. A small explanation would be appropriate.Longinus876 (talk) 12:09, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

A small explanation of what? My original research doesn't belong in the article (and is inconclusive). If you know of a reliable source that says anything about Wallenda's birth name, I would love to see it, but without a source we can't say anything. --ThaddeusB (talk) 00:34, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

A small explanation that Wallenda is not his original name, and that he chose to use the name instead of Troffer.Longinus876 (talk) 07:30, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

As explained above, we need a source that says he was born Troffer if the article is going to make that claim. I put a good deal of effort into researching this last year and could find nothing close to definitive about whether he was born Troffer or Wallenda or Wallenda-Troffer. While I think it is probable that his birth certificate reads Troffer, I have no source that says as much, so it is my original research/speculation and doesn't belong in the article. It is well within the realm of possibility that early sources that say Troffer were simply wrong b/c the author inferred he would have the same last name as his father (an equal or greater number of sources from the same time period use Wallenda and a few use Wallenda-Troffer). --ThaddeusB (talk) 17:22, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

In your "good deal of research" did you happen to notice that his fathers name is Troffer? That would indicate that HIS name is Troffer. Not WALLENDA! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.82.232.60 (talk) 05:20, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

Um, babies don't automatically inherit the name of their father by law or something - parents decide what name their baby takes. While rare, children sometimes are assigned their mother's last name at birth. Is it probable that Nik's last name was Troffer at birth? Sure. Do we need a source that says it before we can assert as much in the article? Absolutely. --ThaddeusB (talk) 05:41, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

The man is from this country. Here, that's what we do. What is your problem?

My "problem" is that according to policy, we need reliable sources for information. "Here" (Wikipedia) we don't just write whatever we think is true. (And for the record, not all babies born in the United States share the same last name as their father. In particular, when the baby's mom is famous and its dad is not [like here], often the mother's last name is chosen.) --ThaddeusB (talk) 03:42, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

P.S. If you don't believe me that it is NOT a given that Nik's birthname is Troffer, please see this 1987 New York Times article which notes "Parents are free to devise any name they wish for their children" and lists numerous examples of children (of married parents) getting their mother's last name at birth. --ThaddeusB (talk) 04:38, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

Career

Shouldn't this section be split per WP:FORK? Epicgenius (talk) 13:44, 4 November 2014 (UTC)

Generations

We say twice that Wallenda is a seventh generation member of the Flying Wallenders family. How do we manage to work that out? If the founder of the family, Karl, was his great grandfather, that makes him fourth generation; if we're implying that there were three generations further back...well we also say that the family has been performers since the 1700s, which is more than three generations; not only that, but the family were known as the Great Wellenders since Karl began, and only picked up the Great nickname in the 1940s. I cannot see how we are legitimately using (especially since it isn't sourced, so looks like OR) the seventh generation phrase; happy days, Lindsay^Hello 18:50, 15 June 2020 (UTC)

Owner of Big Apple Circus

I saw the Big Apple Circus recently and the Wallendas are the featured act. Nik Wallenda mentioned more than once that he was the current owner of the Circus, but it is not mentioned here or in the Big Apple Circus page.