LAKE GENEVA, Wis. — Geneva Lake is well known for mail jumping, the act of hopping off and on a moving boat to drop off mail on a dock. The tradition has now become an extreme sport.
The Red Bull Rush Delivery competition returned for its second edition on Saturday. Participants delivered cards to temporary mailboxes set up on the Riviera Beach swimming pier from a moving boat just as mail jumpers would.
The competitors included Hero DW, a parkour content creator who is originally from Racine.
"I remember seeing the mail jumpers back in the day and saying, 'That looks so fun. I bet I can do it,'" Hero said.
The mail jumping field also included Latvian parkour athlete Pasha Petkuns.
"I've never really jumped off of a boat," said Pasha, who has since relocated from Latvia to Los Angeles. "That's something I don't really do in the city, you know?"
Pasha, Hero, and the rest of the field also had to compete against Lake Geneva's soggy weather. Rain soaked the area before the race started, but crews were able to dry the docks with heaters and the rain did not fall during the event.
"I don't mind the rain," Pasha said. "I know there are people monitoring the rain, but the people who work to keep it safe will keep it safe."
"We don't want to slip or anything, but we're going to prevail in rain or sunshine," Hero said.
Mail jumping has been a Geneva Lake tradition for more than a century and mailboat tours remain a popular summertime attraction to this day.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
