Sunday, August 06, 2006
Action Sports Recap August 6, 2006
X Games 12 Recap
Los Angeles, CA
August 4-6, 2006
The X Games bring together the world’s best action sports athletes for a week of fun, competition and progression. Monster ramps, huge piles of dirt and a passion for pushing the limits of gravity make this the premier event of action sports. BMX, skateboarding, surfing, FMX and rally cars all were featured in 2006.
X Games 12 is now a much anticipated super event viewed by millions on network television all over the globe. As crazy as the stunts seemed in the early 90’s, today’s tricks are past comprehension. The disciplines include adrenalin fueled and technically evolved versions of bmx, skateboarding and mx. Here’s the low down on what went down.
BMX Dirt
The sport of bmx pushes the envelope even further with innovative tricks that usually make it into other sports. In dirt, Anthony Napolatin captured 3rd with a 360 double tailwhip and a no handed frontflip. Ryan Nyquist grabbed silver with his now trademark 720 barspin. Cory Bohan wins his 3rd gold with a no handed, one footed tailwhip to one footed flattie 360 to barspin late tailwhip.
FMX Best Trick
RU Kidding? Travis Pastrana does a double backflip, enough said.
BMX Vert
Chad Kagy gets the gold. After many years of domination by Bestwick and Mirra, there is a new champion, Chad Kagy. Always an innovator, Kagy pulled out a FULL bag of tricks including a flatspin tailwhip.
MX Step Up
Deegan, Clower, McGrath. Clowers gets eliminated in the first round, Deegan goes next, then McGrath. Leaving the door open for Mat Buyton to take the win.
FMX
Travis qualifies first after the course was littered with crashes. In the finals Adam Jones set the pace early with extended, stalled, big airs. Pastrana wasn’t even 100% and with no warmup he pulled a stretched lazy boy backflip, a perfect SUPERman backflip and a tweaked out nac backflip.
BMX Park
With Nyquist and Mirra both out after injuries in practice the door was open in bmx park. Daniel Dhers tailwhips to 3rd, Morgan Wade flairs and pocket airs his way to 2nd and, Scotty Crammer wins Gold with a front flip turndown and a 360 double whip straight into a flair.
Skateboard Big Air
Danny Way is Insane. Oh My God! Just rolling in the takeoff ramp would turn most people into cowards, but these guys roll in and launch off what seems like a tiny launch ramp over a 60’ or 70’ gap to the monster quarter pipe. Here’s what went down. Bob Burnquist SWITCH ollie 180 to frontside fingerflip for 3rd. In the words of Chris Miller, “Ginormus”, 540 by Jake Brown for 2nd. And, Danny Way pulls a backflip rocket air over the 70’ gap to an insanely high Christ air for the Gold.
Skateboard Street
Ryan Sheckler first won at 14, now a new contender, Nyjah Houston, challenges at age 11. But wait, this is the X Games and this is 2006. New format, new course, insanity. Koston nose blunts the Hubba and winds up 5th, Andrew Reynolds goes big and places 3rd. Ryan Sheckler takes 2nd, and Chris Cole kickflips a backside 360 down the steps, for the win.
Super Moto-X
Could Travis win another gold before his trademark FMX? Pastrana, McGrath, Hart, Reid and Ward. Travis grabs the holeshot! But slides out in the first turn. McGrath gets a slow start, works his way up, has a fast pit stop and then problems with his fuel cap. 45 year old Jeff Ward holds off hard charging Mark Burkhart to win Gold.
BMX Vert Best Trick
Double Flairs by Kevin Robinson, Flat spin double tailwhips by Kagy and a front flip flair by Kevin McElhinney equals insanity.
Skateboard Vert Best Trick
Everyone was holding on for Shaun White to pull the 1080, but it didn’t happen. Bob Burnquist did a fs tailslide 360, Max Dufour did a backside kickflip 360 to grind and Bucky Lasek proved his technicality with a fs cab varial heelflip?
Well, that’s a rap. If you missed it, you definitely want to go to expn.com to catch the highlights. You want be disappointed. The bar has been set so high that it is scary. Will Travis retire at the top? Will mega ramps become commonplace? Only time will tell.
For action sports auctions on hard to find classic and rare items be sure to visit http://atbmx.com/auctions/action-sports-ebay.html
X Games, expn.com, EXPN and ESPN are copyright ESPN. All accounts, recaps and editorial are purely to promote action sports.
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