Gina had a blast participating in her first convention on Sunday for Virtual Mouse-Con 2020. She wanted me to give a special thank you to Steven Wyatt, the one who plans the Mouse-Cons (among other conventions) and for conducting her interview.
She wants to thank the fans of Mouse-Con who made her interview the top viewed interview of the convention. Gina also wanted to thank me, Joshua Shaffer, for setting it up for her as well.
Gina is looking forward to meeting people in person (hopefully) at the next Mouse-Con in November 2021.
If you didn't get a chance to order one of Gina's autographs, here is the link to do so.
Gina Rock, Disneyland's longest flying Tinker Bell, will be interviewed at her first convention. She will be live on Mouse-Con's Facebook page on Sunday at 12 pm (PST) for their virtual convention. Make sure not to miss it.
For those of you who do not know, Bob Yerkes was a stuntman and aerialist. He was the stuntman for Boba Fett in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). He can be seen flying from Jabba’s Sail Barge, the Khetanna, and landing on the desert skiff with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Chewbacca. He then flies from the skiff after his jetpack is hit by Han and crashes into the side of the barge before falling to his “death” in the sarlacc pit.
Bob referred to it as a pickup shot. It was filmed in his backyard, where he trained people to do stunts and acrobatics. He was flung through the air from a Russian swing. Here are shots from the set.
Gina was discovered by Bob Yerkes at a gymnastics practice during her senior year in high school in the early '70s. Bob started training her before she left for Texas to join the circus as an aerialist. Here is Gina with her daughter, Jennifer, on one of Bob’s Russian swings with Bob looking on in his backyard in December 2017. The second photo is Gina's son, Austin, on that same swing with Bob.
In more recent years you can see him as Cardinal Guidera in Angels & Demons (2009). He was the priest hanging by his arms above the raging fire. His final film was Killing Hasselhoff (2017), in which Bob did some stunts at the age of 85. Gina just spoke to Bob on the phone to see how he was doing (October 2020) as he will be turning 89 in February next year.
This photo was taken in his backyard which is full of rigging, trampolines, tightropes, and other equipment aerialists would use. He has trained many actors and stunt performers.
Upon her retirement from flying, Gina gave Bob this photo of her as Tinker Bell with a plaque that reads;
“In Appreciation to Bob Yerkes
Thank You
For My Wonderful Circus Career
Gina Rock
1974-2005″
To learn more about Gina Rock and her time before and after her life as Tinker Bell, visit her website www.FlyingTinkerBell.org
