X-CITEMENT IS IN THE AIR DAREDEVIL ATHELETS DEFY CONVENTION - AND GRAVITY.

Byline: SANDRA BARRERA

>LA.COM 

When Paul Rodriguez Jr., moved to Simi Valley recently, a steady stream of kids clamoring for autographs was there to greet him.

Why all the pen-waving? As any bystander could tell from the skateboards offered as scribbling pads, it wasn't because they mistook him for his famous "Pops," the comedic actor Paul Rodriguez Sr.

Junior, known as P-Rod, is a celebrity in his own right as a Nike-sponsored, two-time

X Games champion of street skateboarding. Next week, the 22-year-old will jump stairs, grind curbs and pop kick-flips in the air with the hopes of nabbing yet another gold medal at the ESPN X Games 13.

Now in its 13th year, the four-day competitive action-sport event that kicks off Thursday will draw an international contingent of top male and female athletes from the fields of skateboarding, BMX Freestyle, Moto X, rally car racing and surfing.

While old-school skateboarders sometimes resent the quasi-corporate world that the

X Games represents, Rodriguez's generation of skaters consider the contest the most prestigious.

The roster says it all.

"The guys that I really look up to like Andy Reynolds, Chris Cole and Eric Koston, the guys who helped to shape the kind of skating I do today, attend this contest," Rodriguez says, adding that his two gold and one bronze X Games medals are his most prized awards earned in the five years he's been skating professionally.

Rodriguez picked up the skateboard at age 12. The trigger was seeing other kids ride their boards to and from school. After school, they would try out moves like the ollie. (One of the first tricks a skateboarder learns, the ollie involves popping the board into the air without it ever leaving the feet.) Soon after getting his first skateboard, Rodriguez Jr. was on his way to becoming a star.

"P-Rod is a class act," says Todd Huber, co-founder, curator and general manager of the SkateLab indoor skate park and museum in Simi Valley. "Not only is he the best skateboarder out there, he is humble, friendly and always takes the time to talk to the kids."

For the average 10-year-old, the X Games is the mecca of skating and all other action sports. The majority of events take place at Staples Center and the Home Depot Center, while the surfing finals will be held at Puerto Escondido, Mexico's answer to Pipeline.

It's no surprise Rodriguez is most excited about the skateboarding competitions, which include street courses, vertical ramps and the now-official Big Air challenge, in which skaters roll down a 60-by-80-foot ramp with the option of jumping over a gap 50 to 70 feet long and continuing into a 27-foot quarter-pipe.

"You're going to see people put themselves on the line by doing some really mind-

boggling, crazy stuff," Rodriguez says.

Still, he readily admits skateboarding doesn't have a monopoly when it comes to perilous play. "My sport is dangerous, but Moto X and BMX Freestyle is very dangerous," Rodriguez says.

BMX rider Chad Kagy can attest to that.

Four years ago this September, the 28-year-old Northern California native now living in Pennsylvania broke his neck attempting a double-back flip. Less than a year later, he was competing again.

"Everything happens for a reason," he says. "In more ways than one, my breaking my neck has made me a smarter rider. A better rider."

Kagy, whose sponsors include Mountain Dew, stole the gold at last summer's X Games with a dizzying performance in the Vert challenge -- a favorite of action-sports fans and athletes alike. Next week, he returns to defend his title and maybe try to squeeze in a triple tailwhip while he's at it.

"I've been trying to do that move for years," Kagy says.

The triple tailwhip is rarely accomplished -- and it's no wonder. To perform the midair trick, the rider takes his feet off the pedals, spins the frame three times under him and then plants his feet back on the pedals before landing back on the ramp.

"I'm real close to doing it," Kagy continues. "And if my nerves allow me, I will have that triple tailwhip."

Rodriguez is also planning to whip out a new move or two.

"Ideally, I'd like to pull off a nollie late flip," he says, describing the uncommonly seen move as "challenging."

The skater pops the nose of the board in the air with his front foot. Using the same foot, the board is flipped under the skater at the very last second.

"I've never actually done it in a contest, but I've done it," says Rodriguez, who returns to the X Games for his fifth consecutive time after finishing seventh last year.

Rodriguez chalks up his disappointing placement as the result of too many distractions.

"Skateboarding is my No. 1 love, and I want to take advantage of the years that I have left," he says. "But acting is something that I would also love to get into."

He's already appeared in a handful of skate videos and was featured in the Tony Hawk Pro Skater video games "Underground" and "American Wasteland." He also starred in two independent films now in post-production, including "Sweet Dreams," which he was working on prior to competing in the last X Games.

"For me, competition depends on my state of mind," Rodriguez says. "You do the tricks you know you can do on a consistent basis. But because I had been working on the film, I couldn't skate on a daily basis and ... my head wasn't right, I suppose."

He's clear now and ready to tackle the street course, an improvement over previous years.

"They've made a street course that's literally a street course," he says, "so I'm pretty psyched."

Sandra Barrera, [phone],

[e-mail]

If you can't attend the games at Staples Center of Home Depot centers, ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC will televise some of the action.

Going to the X Games?

Here are some events you won't want to miss:

Thursday>

>Men's Street Skateboarding Selection Session: Catch local skating phenom Paul Rodriguez in his first elimination challenge during this qualifying session at noon at the Home Depot Center. Nineteen skaters will be narrowed down to an elite nine for the finals. Chris Cole, last year's gold medalist, will round out the 10 finalists in the competition.

>Big Air: The newest addition to X Games is Big Air, which features athletes skating down a humongous ramp and then launching into the air. Skaters then continue along a 27-foot quarter-pipe in this event developed by skateboard pioneer Danny Way, who will be among last year's top finishers duking it out with three yet-to-be named competitors at Staples Center at 5 p.m.

Friday >

>Girls Get on Board: Girls, this is your day.

X Games celebrates women's participation in action sports at the Home Depot Center with a variety of activities. A GGOB BMX clinic will start at 12:30 p.m., and a 2 p.m. skateboarding clinic will be hosted by Element Street skaters Vanessa Torres, Lacey Baker and Evelien Bouilliart (who compete at 11 a.m.). Information: www.girlsgetonboard.com.

>Men's Street Skateboarding Finals: Skateboard Street Men's Finals take place at 12:30 p.m. at the Home Depot Center. If Paul Rodriguez qualifies on Thursday, you'll have a chance to see him here, too.

Aug. 4>

>BMX Vert: A favorite among X Games-goers is the BMX Vert. In this competition, beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the Home Depot Center, riders soar high above the deck of a 153-foot-wide half-pipe complete with 11-foot transitions and 2 feet of verticals. From wall to wall, riders are judged on such points as creativity, volume of maneuvers and the overall flow of their 60-second run.

Aug. 5 >

>Rally Car Super Special: X Games comes to a close with the whir of engines in the Rally Car Super Special. An all-star invitational, the event kicks off at 1:30 p.m. with a dozen teams racing their Subaru, Mazda and other super-charged cars through the Home Depot Center on a course in an elimination format. Each car has a co-driver who navigates the course and communicates upcoming road conditions to the driver. The goal is to maintain speed around hairpin turns, over dips and other such obstacles.

Tickets: [phone] www.ticketmaster.com. Prices start at $5.

The Staples Center is at 1111 S. Figueroa St., downtown Los Angeles.

The Home Depot Center is at 18400 Avalon Blvd., Carson.

>S.B.

CAPTION(S):

5 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- cover -- color) This year's X Games primed for the AIR APPARENT

(3 -- 4 -- color) Above, BMX rider Chad Kagy catches some big air during a competition. Kagy has first-hand knowledge about the dangers involved -- four years ago he broke his neck while attempting a double back flip. At right, street skateboarder Paul Rodriguez Jr. -- yes, he's the comedian's son -- shows off his moves.

(5 -- color) Vanessa Torres

Box:

Going to the X Games? (see text)