« AP Sports Friday | Main | Cranston Western drops Little League opener »

August 3, 2007

Burnquist wins skateboard big air competition, Brown survives 50-ft. fall. Link to video at bottom.

Winning contests is every serious competitor's goal. Sure, everyone loves to skate, bro down, and stay in it for the love of the thing, which is ultimately skateboarding. But when you reach a certain level of status and professionalism within the skateboarding world, especially in an event as huge and media frenzied as the X Games Big Air competition, it comes time to buckle down, do work, and leave the beer-soaked mini sessions in the backyard.

Nobody knows this better than Bob Burnquist. There's no question in anyone's mind how much this man loves skateboarding. Were he not pro, he'd probably still be ripping every day. However, Burnquist operates on a level that most skateboarders may not be able to relate to. Competitive skateboarding isn't just his job, it's a passion he's committed to pushing to new heights every time he steps on a board.

At X Games 13's Skateboard Big Air, Burnquist cemented that notion for us all. With mega ramp pioneer and 3-consecutive-time Big Air gold medalist Danny Way out of the event due to a recent ACL surgery, all eyes were on Burnquist this year. Not only does he have a mega ramp in his backyard, but his much-demonstrated raw talent, agility, ease in the air, and consistently focused mental state had Burnquist picked as the favorite to win, with "Jakey"—as Jake Brown is known among his friends—hyped as the underdog.

After a heated competition of ups and downs, with scoring and placing bouncing around like a 'roo on a pogo stick, Brown snatched first place with a backside, no-handed 360 across a 70-foot gap, into a 19-foot, 6-inch McTwist above the 27-foot mega quarterpipe in the third round, earning him a firm 95.33 with the judges. Barring a serious display of gnarlitude from Burnquist, who sat in second at that moment, Jakey had the competition on lock. Brown knew this. However, when the fifth and final round of competition came, Brown decided to, as Dave Duncan announced to all present over the mic, "roll the dice." Dropping in from the highest point, he passed on the no-handed 360 and cranked the first mega 720 that, according to mega ramp Zen master Danny Way, he has ever nailed.

What happened next was one of the most gruesome events in skateboarding's history. Upon landing the 720 Brown rocketed toward the quarterpipe with the intention of powering through a McTwist, but he came in with too much momentum, lost control, and fell from the zenith of his 19 ft. air to the flat bottom 40 feet below.

Needless to say, Brown did not bounce back quickly. In fact, many in the STAPLES Center were speculating about the status of his very life. Burnquist, who had been preparing to drop in, laid face down atop of the roll in, burying his face in his hands, as he prayed for the safety and well being of his friend. All in attendance, competitors and spectators alike, were on their feet for a solid ten minutes while Brown lay unresponsive.

Miraculously, Brown got up and walked away, showing the world why he has such a gnarly, tough-as-nails reputation in the world of vertical skateboarding.

But the show, as they say, must go on, and all eyes turned once again on Burnquist. By this point, many would have bailed and chalked it up to bad juju. But instead of walking away, Burnquist stepped it up. After Brown was deemed okay and cleared from the ramp, Burnquist dropped into a switch 180 no-handed backside ollie over the 70-foot gap followed by a double-overhead rodeo frontside 540, snagging the gold from the seriously jarred Brown.

In a post-competition phone conversation with Danny Way, Burnquist revealed his thoughts on the bittersweet win, and having to step up to get the gold while feeling Jake's pain from the top of the mega ramp. Burnquist told Way, "Man, I just did a lonely walk. There's no one around and I just walked over to my car … I feel like I'm floating. I feel so heavy, but I know Jake's all right so I'm stoked. It's not about who's the favorite. I don't remember a contest where I was in first, and then Pierre put me out, and then Jake bumped us both out, and then I came back and then bumped him out. The scores were moving, and the placings were moving a lot, so emotionally, and technically, this was one of the most intense events I've ever participated in. I've never cried and then went back and did something, got stoked and then cried again. I was on a complete roller coaster."

When Burnquist and Way wrapped up their conversation, Way echoed the sentiments of skateboarders everywhere: "Dude, I'm so proud of you, Bob. That's true professionalism. And beyond professionalism, you're a true human being. There's no question about it."

----EXPN.com

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2oggs_jake-brown-falls-40-feet-worst-slam_sport

Posted by Thom Cahir  at 7:37 PM to X-sports | Permalink

Comments

Post a comment

Please be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published.

Name:

Email Address:

URL:
Remember Me? YesNo

Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style)