KIDS OOOH AND AAAH AT EXTREME-SPORTS ATHLETES AT X GAMES 11.Byline: Angie Valencia-Martinez Staff Writer Strapped with a helmet and pads, Cara-Beth Burnside Cara-Beth Burnside, nicknamed "CB", is a pioneer of women's professional skateboarding and snowboarding from Orange, California and ranks amongst the top female athletes in these sports in the world. swooshed down the vertical ramp and back up - drawing ooohs and aaahs from hundreds of girls Saturday at the X Games X Games Sports medicine The official Olympics of 'extreme sports' sponsored by ESPN, held annually during the summer. See Extreme sports. . They could not help but gawk at the pioneer who in the 1990s became the first female professional skater. Girls with skateboards tucked under their arms said they look to Burnside as a role model. ``She's an inspiration to me,'' said Amee Jay, 13, of Lakewood. The young daredevil is a member of the All Girl Skate Jam, a traveling contest and exhibition for girls of all ages and abilities. In between skating at the Games, Amee said she's had her share of injuries, from a sprained ankle A sprained ankle, also known as a ankle sprain, ankle injury or ankle ligament injury, is a common medical condition where one or more of the ligaments of the ankle is torn or partially torn. to the time she fell flat on her nose. Still, Amee practices every day in hopes of competing at the X Games - just like Cara-Beth Burnside. ``I aspire to be her one day. She has taught me that if you want to skate, go ahead and do it and don't be afraid to fall. Don't give up,'' Amee said. At the Women's Skateboard Vert finals, 37-year-old Burnside edged out up-and-coming skater Lin-Z Adams Hawkins, 15, for the gold medal. The X Games are the largest action sports showcase, featuring high- flying skateboarders, back-flipping motorcyclists and other daring athletes. For the third consecutive year, Los Angeles is playing host to what is dubbed the ``Olympics of radical sports,'' which includes BMX BMX abbr. bicycle motocross BMX Noun 1. bicycle motocross: stunt riding over an obstacle course on a bicycle 2. freestyle, skateboarding and wakeboarding Wakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water behind a boat. It was developed from a combination of water skiing, snow boarding and surfing techniques. competition, in-line skating and motocross motocross Form of motorcycle racing in which cyclists compete on a closed course marked out over natural or simulated rough terrain. Courses vary widely but must be 1.5–5 km (1–3 mi) in length, with steep inclines, hairpin turns, and mud. . X Games 11 are being held at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or and Home Depot Center in Carson. Young and old came to watch some of the top action-sports figures in the world. Today is the last day for spectators to see some flipping, rolling, spinning, twisting, jumping and speeding. ``It doesn't matter if you're a man, woman, child or senior, X Games is about the rush,'' said Tom Mendoza of North Hollywood. ``What you have here is athletes who go out there with the idea to wow a crowd ... Our jaws simply drop, and for that one moment, (the athletes are) invincible.'' People lined up under the sun Saturday to catch a glimpse Verb 1. catch a glimpse - see something for a brief time catch sight, get a look see - perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight; "You have to be a good observer to see all the details"; "Can you see the bird in that tree?"; "He is blind--he of their favorite athletes, get some freebies or listen to live entertainment. Brennan Erickson and Brody Wisdom, from San Antonio, planned to get an autograph from BMX rider Morgan Wade. Asked what drew them from Texas to the action-sports festival, ``It's just fun,'' the teens said in unison. Eleven-year-old Andi Erickson of Iowa is new to the world of skateboarding. ``I'm learning the basics,'' she said, carrying a skateboard. ``I thought it was cool so I decided to try it.'' Angie Valencia-Martinez, (805) 583-7604 angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com |
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