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“I was staying on there until I either puked or they dragged me off,” said Salava, who lasted 20 hours on the Avatar Airbender — 18 of them in motion — to win the Ride the Tide Challenge at Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America.
Salava, 40, of Oakdale, outlasted nine other contestants to win a family cruise, $1,000 spending cash and a lifetime pass to Nickelodeon Universe, which opened at the mall last March. He was declared the winner when his final opponent stepped down at 2:35 a.m. Tuesday.
As a teacher of special education at North St. Paul High School, Salava said he doesn’t get a chance to go on expensive cruises.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and I wasn’t going to let anything stop me,” he said. “I was in the zone.”
Salava said he and his 11-year-old son took a test ride last Saturday on the Avatar Airbender, which reaches heights of 70 feet on a half-pipe track and averages 43 mph. Salava said he was worried about pain to his legs as they hung out during the ride.
“It was such a relief to walk a little walk,” said Salava, who said his legs were still a bit sore Tuesday night. Contestants were allowed to take bathroom and meal breaks, but otherwise had to stay on the ride, even to sleep.
But Salava said he got no sleep, even after the ride shut down early Tuesday, because of construction at the mall.
“It was loud,” said Salava, who had no earplugs.
The 10 contestants boarded the ride at 6:30 a.m. Monday. Three hours into the competition, the pool had dwindled to three. Cynthia Brooks of Coon Rapids was eliminated at about 10:30 p.m. Monday, and two hours after the ride shut down for the night, T.J. Ness of Blaine surrendered to Salava.
“I just wanted it. I just knew I was going to do it,” Salava said.
A fan of amusement park rides, Salava said, “As long as I can handle them I’m gong to keep on going on them.”
