LONDONDERRY, N.H.--Tom Gardocki, 27, is a hardscaper--or someone who landscapes paved areas-- by trade who makes moving dirt look easy.
On the job at his parents' company, Interstate Landscape in Londonderry, New Hampshire, the excavator operator maneuvers his heavy equipment in tight spots most others will not go.
But off the job site, things get tricky for Gardocki--the trickier the better. He can make his 11,000-pound mini-excavator do wheelies and donuts, but it's what he does using the bucket on his machine that has gone viral on YouTube, garnering more than 1.5 million views on just one video.
Gardocki uploaded videos showing his excavator picking up quarters off the ground, stacking beer bottles one on top of another and, with the help of a Sharpie, writing words on cardboard.
His tricks require great discipline, vision, and precision, which makes sense since he's called the Bobcat Ninja.
"I am actually a ninja, I'm a fifth-degree black belt in kempo karate," Gardocki said.
But unlike a real ninja, Gardocki doesn't hide behind a mask and in the shadows; he embraces his stardom at construction trade shows across the country. "We had a grandma and grandpa come up to us last year and say, 'oh, our grandson loves watching your videos, can we get our picture taken with you?'" Gardocki's father and boss, Bill Gardocki, laughed.
The Bobcat Ninja has perfected about 20 tricks, but when we paid him a visit he tried a new one. You'll just have to watch the video to see if it worked.
