What does greatness look like? Maybe it’s watching a general lead his troops into battle, or an athlete set a new world record. Or, just maybe, it looks like a teenager executing a perfect water bottle flip at a high school talent show.
The facts of the case are relatively simple and straightforward. Charlotte, NC senior Mike Senatore recently strode onto the stage of Ardrey Kell High School, humbly clad in a plain white T-shirt and khaki shorts and holding a plastic water bottle as if it were an Olympic discus. Portentous music seemed to promise a display of prowess for the ages. His face impassive, Senatore then flipped his water bottle several feet in the air. When the bottle landed, perfectly and serenely upright, on a nearby table, the crowd’s approval was immediate and deafening. With nothing left to prove, Senatore then wordlessly exited the stage a champion. The talent show was effectively over. The other contestants need not have shown up that night.
Luckily for humanity, the momentous occasion was captured from one angle:
And another:
And still another:
The likes, the views, the RTs, they are legion, now numbering in the many thousands. Tributes pour in. Copycats line up to try to duplicate the stunt. But the singular greatness of Senatore’s brief, brilliant act stands alone. Yes, there is a degree of dexterity and skill in deftly flipping a water bottle. But it is the pure, zen-like perfection of the act that astonishes here. This high school talent show contestant displays a knack for timing that showbiz professionals should envy.
[via BuzzFeed]