X GAMES WAKEBOARD: HIGH SCHOOL FISH SOVEN GULPS GOLD FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD WINS AMID CONTROVERSY.Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer LONG BEACH - May every freshman's first week of high school go as well as 15-year-old Phillip Soven's. The ninth-grader at Lake Brantley High in Altamonte Springs Al·ta·monte Springs A city of east-central Florida, a residential suburb of Orlando. Population: 40,900. , Fla., missed classes Friday to head to Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. for the X Games X Games Sports medicine The official Olympics of 'extreme sports' sponsored by ESPN, held annually during the summer. See Extreme sports. . But he will return for his first-period work experience class Tuesday as the men's wakeboard champion. ``I can't even imagine what it's going to be like,'' said Soven, who won his first competition at age 6 and was the youngest rider in the field. Soven came to the Games wanting to win the gold medal gold medal traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize and left Long Beach Marine Stadium on Saturday afternoon with one hanging from his neck. It was a perfect complement to the braces on his teeth. But Soven's victory did not come without a little controversy. Fan favorite Parks Bonifay Biography Parks Bonifay was born in Winter Haven, FL USA on September 30, 1981. Bonifay is Considered the world's greatest wakeboard freerider. His present Hometown is Lake Alfred, FL. He became a Pro Wakeboarder in 1994. , the dreadlocked two-time champion in the event, thought he should have won with a run that elicited the loudest crowd reaction he ever had heard. He capped it with a double half-cab roll - a move no one else has landed. The X Games announcers, masters of hyperbole hyperbole (hīpûr`bəlē), a figure of speech in which exceptional exaggeration is deliberately used for emphasis rather than deception. , declared Bonifay's run the gold-medal winner even before he went for his final trick on the double-up pass. Bonifay waved his arm, exhorting the crowd to cheer louder, and delivered the cab roll. But when Bonifay - the pro 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. tour's top points winner the past two years - reached the shore, he saw Soven raise his arms in celebration. Soven's score of 59.25 won gold; Bonifay settled for bronze at 57.05 behind Chad Sharpe. ``I thought that I won that thing,'' Bonifay said. ``I've gotten sort of shafted in other contests, but this is probably the worst. ``So many kids came up to me just now and were just like, 'What happened man? I thought you should have won.' It doesn't make it all better but it makes it feel a little bit better. '' Bonifay thought he slid better on the water obstacles than Soven, though Soven landed two 720-degree aerials. And Bonifay also believed his double half-cab roll deserved more credit than Soven's final heel-side 720. ``That's part of the reason why I think I got ripped off,'' said Bonifay, the only one of the four finalists not to fall during his run. ``Because I do it every contest and I hardly ever fall on it, the judges don't take it seriously. But no one else does that trick.'' Nevertheless, Soven waited anxiously for the final results. He was told afterward af·ter·ward also af·ter·wards adv. At a later time; subsequently. Adv. 1. afterward - happening at a time subsequent to a reference time; "he apologized subsequently"; "he's going to the store but he'll be back here he would have to buy dinner for all the other riders and accepted congratulations from three-time defending champion defending champion n (SPORT) → defensor/a m/f del título defending champion n (Sport) → champion(ne) en titre Danny Harf, who did not qualify for the finals. ``Sorry to break up the streak thing,'' Soven said. Replying to Soven, Harf - himself an X Games winner at age 16 - said: ``I didn't even come close. This kid is hot.'' Soven's victory came on a day youth definitely was served. The women's winner was 17-year-old Dallas Friday from Orlando, Fla. She won her third gold and fifth medal all-time at the Games with a score of 74.05. ``I'm hoping to be in another 10 X Games, as long as I can,'' Friday said. ``I love the competition here.'' Friday was a little disappointed with her final run, in which she fell while attempting her signature whirlybird at the end of her run. But she landed it successfully on the double-up and said someday some·day adv. At an indefinite time in the future. Usage Note: The adverbs someday and sometime express future time indefinitely: We'll succeed someday. Come sometime. she would like to compete against men in the event. ``Hopefully, yeah, I'll be up there with the guys and showing them what's up,'' Friday said, ``and hopefully making them a little bit scared.'' Ross Siler, (818) 713-3610 ross.siler(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): box Box: SCHEDULE |
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