Mark Gomez

PWC Freestyle Champion and Movie Stuntman

As a kid, Mark Gomez would fashion a stand-up Jet Ski from his dad’s workout bench and a broom and pretend he was riding a stand-up personal watercraft alongside videos of his favorite freestyle riders. Years later Gomez would get the opportunity to be on that TV himself, backflipping his ski in a pool while doubling for Hangover star Ken Jeong in an Adidas commercial. What followed was a surreal decade where Gomez got picked for the opening scene of the Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg film I Am Number Four, doubled for actors in TNT’s Animal Kingdom, starred in music videos, and earned no fewer than seven Freeride and Freestyle world championships. His latest role lands him directly in the path of a speeding rally car driven by Travis Pastrana in the viral Gymkhana video series. Thankfully, he survived to tell us his tale. —Jeff Hemmel

So, how does one go from being a kid who fashioned an imaginary Jet Ski out of a bench and a broomstick to a guy whose aerial exploits on a real ski pop up on TV and movie screens?

I went to work at a Jet Ski shop to learn and support my love for riding with parts and repair knowledge, and to meet like-minded people. That passion brought me to the World Finals in Lake Havasu. Networking allowed me to meet childhood heroes, such as (world champ-turned-Hollywood stuntman) Larry Rippenkroeger. He tossed my name in for the Adidas ad. Doing that job made me SAG union-eligible to work on the film I Am Number

Four a couple of months later.

What are some of the craziest stunts you’ve been asked to perform?

I’ve been asked to throw my $50,000 competition ski out of an infinity pool while wearing a deflating T. rex costume for the film

Hot Water. That was probably one of the more sketchy stunts

I’ve done.

Ever drawn the line and said no?

I don’t like to say no, but during my call with Travis Pastrana for Gymkhana 2022, he asked me if I could jump over a Subaru— using no wake and from a standstill—while he was driving at me around 115 mph! We adjusted and still made a rad sequence.