Quick Hits Archive: June 28 - July 4, 2007
Jul 21 2007 / Los Angeles, CAJuly 4, 2007 - Happy Fourth of July
Bartels Leads Women's Team USA to X Games Surfing WinPublished: 1:12 p.m. PT by Me
Team USA has won the first ever Women's X Games surfing competition, with Melanie Bartels leading the USA team while Stephanie Gilmore and Chelsea Hedges both had strong performances for the World team.
Overall, the USA won by a score of 55 to 52, taking two of the three scoring periods.
Here are the scores:
Team USA
Rider - Period 1, Period 2, Period 3
Rochelle Ballard - 7.0, 2.0, 3.0
Melanie Bartels - 8.5, 4.0, 6.0
Keala Kennelly - 5.0, 3.0, 5.0
Courtney Conologue - 5.0, 3.0, 3.5
Carissa Moore (Bench) - no score
Megan Abubo (Bench) - no score
Team World
Stephanie Gilmore - 7.5, 3.5, 4.0
Sofia Mulanovich - 3.5, 2.0, 3.5
Chelsea Hedges - 6.0, 3.5, 5.5
Claire Bevilacqua - 1.5, 6.5, 3.5
Paige Hareb (Bench) - no score
Lee Ann Curren (Bench) - 3.0, 0.0, 0.0
FINAL
Period 1, Period 2, Period 3, Total Team
USA: 25.5, 12, 17.5 - 55
Team World: 20, 15.5, 16.5 - 52
Click here to check out a full recap and photos
Zack Warden Wins AST Dew Tour Trick of the WeekPublished: 1:42 a.m. PT by Me
Zack Warden may not have reached the winner's podium at the first stop of the AST Dew Tour in Baltimore but he did get honored for landing a new trick during the BMX Vert Finals. Fans have selected his whip-to-whip back as the PlayStation® Trick of the Week, which earns Warden $5K and a chance at the tour-=end PlayStation® Trick of the Year.
Warden edged a tough list of competitors, including skateboarder Alex Perelson (Tailgrab 720), FMX rider Blake Williams (Kiss of Death Backflip) and Ryan Sheckler (huge Air to Manuel).
Read more then check out a couple of photos below from the big event...
Warden in action doing the new trick in Baltimore...
Warden gets some man-love from K-Rob after landing the trick...
Photos by Mike Buscher/Lat34.com
White's Not Now -- Slater Up NextPublished: 1:13 a.m. PT by Greg
We told you a little while ago about a new thing ESPN is going called "Who's Now?" which is pitting the top athletes from today against one another with a panel and fans choosing who is the "champ" -- it will be taking place through the month of July.
One of the first matches was Shaun White v.s Dwayne Wade on Monday. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem as though White's ubiquitous AMEX commercials made an impact, as White did not advance against the Miami Heat basketball player.
Kelly Slater is next up on July 9 -- it's a little tougher match for him. Slater is going up agains LeBron James. Slater has a tough lineup in the ESPYs as well, where he has two nominations.
Click here to vote or here to vote for Slater in the ESPYs (or someone else).
X Games Makes More Invitations, Including White, MirraPublished: 12:50 a.m. PT by Me
Many more athletes have received invitations to the X Games, which are only a month away. Included in the latest wave: Shaun White (Skate Vert), Dave Mirra (BMX Park), Holly Lyons (Skate Vert) and a bunch more. There will be a few more invites, but most of the competitions are looking pretty solid.
Get some more info or just jump to the full list of invited athletes..
Carissa Moore -- Best Female Surfer Ever?
Published: 12:36 a.m. PT by Me
It might be a little early to dub a 14-year-old as the best female surfer ever, but there aren't very many 14-year-olds who have done so much in so little time. Carissa Moore has kept piling on the awards and wins, taking two last weekend for a total of 11 national surfing titles to her credit, setting a new record for the most national surfing titles held by one person, male or female.
After the wins, Moore is guaranteed a spot this fall to travel to Mexico with 15 other National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) surfers, all boys, to compete in the NSSA's "Sweet 16" contest. She's also taking part in the X Games surf contest this week.
Read more about this amazing surfer.
Red Bull Elevation Photos
Published: 12:01 a.m. PT by Greg
We promised some pics and here they are, albeit a little later than we would have normally liked! Oh well -- enjoy them! Some good shots.
See the full gallery or read the recap.. And hey, whaddya know, here's a gallery from Red Bull's Elevation 2006.
Here are a couple of photos to whet your appetite.
TJ Ellis
July 3, 2007
Stephen Murray Update - Pneumonia
Published: 10:46 p.m. PT by Greg
Some updates posted by the Murray family on BMXTalk about Stephen's condition:
Unfortunately Stephen has developed pneumonia as a side effect of his injury. The hospital assures us that this is commonly associated with spinal chord injuries so we're confident that with antibiotics they can get this under control. As a result of this he has really high temperatures and sleeps for most of the day. He's also suffering from bad nightmares as a side effect of one of the sleeping aids they are giving him so they are changing this. Poor kid has all this to deal with alongside his broken neck. This has knocked his breathing ability back quite a bit so we are no further forward with getting him off the ventilator and he is still in intensive care.
He'll eventually come through this though and hopefully we can start thinking of the best rehab facility for him to go to. We have a meeting with the Christopher Reeve foundation on thursday who have kindly offered their support and guidance.
Updates to follow
Murrays
Also, some news that a fund previously set up in memory of the the late UK BMX rider Rob Indri, who knew Stephen, has been donated to the Murray fund.
The Stephen Murray Benefit Hame is taking place at Da Compound in Lake Perris tomorrow -- the compound will be open from 10-10, with fireworks about 9 p.m. There is a second day on Saturday... More about Da Compound..
Keep up with all the updates re: Stephen in our Stephen Murray update page..
Arkansas Cop Cleared of Wrong-Doing in Go Skateboarding Day Arrests
Published: 11:30 a.m. PT by Me
A review board has cleared a Hot Springs police officer of any wrong-doing in the series of arrests that took place on Thursday, June 21 -- Go Skateboarding Day. Video posted on YouTube appeared to show Joey Williams using execssve force on several skateboarders, including minors, and the web community responded by flooding the Hot Springs Police Department with calls and emails. Williams was placed on administrative duty while an investigation was started. Now the Hot Springs Police Department Internal Affairs Board has found the use was within policy and recommended "no changes to this policy."
"This was a minimal force issue," Police Chief Bobby Southard told The Sentinel-Record. "He didn't resort to anything above hand control techniques and handcuffing."
Yeah, tell that to anyone who watched the video. A poll on AOL News shows 58% of those who saw the video felt the officer was too rough...
Six skateboarders - two adults and four juveniles - we arrested and are awaiting upcoming court dates on a variety of charges.
Click here to read the story and vote on the poll.
Oh, and in case you haven't seen the video or need to see it again, here it is...
The Dog Files: Blogging From the X Games Surf CompPublished: 2:00 a.m. PT by Omar
Odog AKA Omar Etcheverry reporting from the 2007 X Games of surfing live from Puerto Escondido.
I'm down here doing the television commentating alongside X Games and E channel announcer/TV personality legend Sal Masekela to an estimated 100 million viewers world wide.
The last few days have been a blur of great meetings with ESPN staff and out of control drinking with a few of my childhood heroes such as Brad “Gerr” Gerlach and Martin “Potz” Potter. Oh my, the stories I've heard about professional surfing in the 80's from those two have been all time. Classic!
It amazes me how much work and organization goes into X Games events. It's really cool. It makes me proud and motivated to be a part of the X Games.
Have to run for now. I'll be back with photos and more blog’n soon!
- Omar
Follow along with the blog here or read more about the competition here.
Stephen Murray Update: + Auction News
Published: 1:33 a.m. PT by Me
A new update from Stephen's family, as well as an update on a new auction being started to help raise money for his bills...
First, a word from his family as posted on BMXTalk...
Stephens had a bit of an up and down time over past few days. There are lots of complications associated with such an injury and these are the main concerns at the moment, as opposed to just thinking about letting the bones in his neck heal. Things like fevers, high temperature, breathing complications (his lungs still aren't working efficiently for him to breathe on his own so he's still on the life support machine/respirator), O2 and CO2 levels in his blood, avoiding pneumonia etc. etc.
Yesterday his breathing showed some signs of improvement and he was able to breathe on his own with the respirator machine still working, but mainly as back up. Today, the machine has been turned back up as he took a bit of a backwards step, but we have come to terms with the fact that there isn't always going to be positive news. Its definitely a rollercoaster!
He slept most of today but did manage a huge smile when i read him out a message from Andy Ruffell!
Thanks for all the support, it really is overwhelming.
Murrays
Meanwhile, it looks like an auction is about to get underway Tuesday to help raise money for Stephen and his family. Albe's BMX mail order has worked with DK and Props to get all the riders of the Props Rock -n- Roll BMX Tour to sign a complete DK 6 Pack bike. It will be auctioned on EBay starting later today.
A laundry list of riders signed the bike, including legend Mat Hoffman, Morgan Wade, Corey Martinez, Zack Warden, Scotty Cranmer, Brian Kachinsky, Aaron Ross, Neil Harrington and more... Hoffman is also including a a signed copy of the "Aggroman, Headfirst, Ride On" DVD and there will be some extra stuff included for the winner.
Click on the graphic below for more about the auction. We'll also let you know when the auction is up.
Keep up with all the updates re: Stephen in our Stephen Murray update page..
ESPY Awards Part TwoPublished: 1:15 a.m. PT by Me
Last weekend we posted a link to the ESPY nominees and, oddly enough, in the hundreds of categories that were listed, two appeared to have been omitted. Nothing that special, just Best Male and Female Action Sports Athletes. D'oh!
Here are those nominees:
Best Male Action Sport Athlete:
Ricky Carmichael
Kelly Slater
Travis Pastrana
Danny Way
Andreas Wiig
Best Female Action Sport Athlete:
Jamie Anderson
Layne Beachley
Torah Bright
Sarah Burke
Elissa Steamer
And, if you want to pick the winner, you can by going to www.espys.tv and voting! You have until July 8 to pad the boxes. We recommend voting for Danny Way and Jamie Anderson (pictured, left). Or Sarah Burke. Actually, all of the women pretty much rock.
Celebrities Love to Surf
Published: 12:27 a.m. PT by Me
It's summer - the time when that unqiue creature called the Hollywood celebrity takes to the seas to surf... In our quest to make sure you have the latest on the habits of these beings, we scour the Internet for photos and video of evidence...
Case in point number one... Paris Hilton, fresh out of jail and in Hawaii to relax from her life-altering experience appears to discover the surfboard in this video. Only the first few seconds show her even attempt anything that could be called even close to surfing. After that, it just gets easier to jump around in the water. Watch the video.
Case in point number two... Bennifer, the hybrid creature of Ben Affleck and any woman named Jennifer (at this time, Jennifer Garner), took to the seas in Hawaii last week. Unlike Paris Hilton, they seemed to have grasped the concept of how to surf. Check out the photos.
That is our update for now. But rest assured, whenever a celebrity attempts to surf, we will be there to point it out and probably laugh our asses off.
Here's another gallery we have of surfing celebs.
More From DC's King of LA
Published: 12:01 a.m. PT by Me
We've got some some more photos from Sunday's King of LA skate competition in Santa Monica. If you saw our gallery yesterday, you saw a lot of the competitors, but this gallery also gives you Danny Way, along with some shots of the top three finishers and the overall course. Check it out!
And if you didn't read it yesterday, check out the recap of the event.
July 2, 2007
Ryan Nyquist Wins Red Bull ElevationPublished: 11:23 a.m. PT by Greg
Ryan Nyquist has followed up his win in BMX Dirt at the first stop of the AST Dew Tour by taking the top spot at Red Bull Elevation, one of the craziest BMX Dirt contests out there.
Nyquist barely took the top spot over Aussie Corey Bohan, who was the defending champ. Brian Foster was third. James Foster took the best trick prize.
While there was a huge 31 rider field that was whittled down to 12 in the prelims. Several major names missed the contest for various reasons, including Cameron White, Ryan Guettler, Dew Tour BMX Park finalist Dennis Enarson, Steve McCann, TJ Lavin, Anthony Napolitan, Alejandro Caro, Heath Pinter and Kym Grosser, but the field was still crammed with some of the best.
Photos coming soon!
Here are the final results:
1. Ryan Nyquist - 92.1
2. Corey Bohan - 92.0
3. Brian Foster - 87.4
4. James Foster - 87.2
5. Chris Doyle - 86.9
6. TJ Ellis - 86.6
7. Allan Cooke - 86.0
8. Dane Searls - 85.7
9. Gary Young - 85.7
10. Dave Dillewaard - 83.6
11. Mike Clark - 83.1
12. Adam Baker - 81.6
Check out more about the finals here plus some more from FatBMX.com.
America Likes Cooking Rat More Than Surfing Penguin
Published: 10:23 a.m. PT by Me
Okay, check this out... Disney/Pixar's "Ratatouille" (which I had to look up how to spell) will earn almost as much in three days as "Surf's Up" has earned in four weeks.
So here are the numbers: "Ratatouille" from Monday to Friday: $47.2 million. "Surf's Up" since June 8: $53.7 million. And that six million separating the two will probably be $0 by the time you read this.
Not that it really means anything. But it's just interesting. I really don't like penguins, though "Surf's Up" wasn't the worst movie of the summer (hello, "Pirates of the Carrebean 3?"). And not that this little fact means anything either: "Ratatouille" has the lowest opening -gross of any Pixar film in the last nine years, falling well behind last year's "Cars" ($60.1M), 2004's "The Incredibles" ($70.5M), and 2003's "Finding Nemo" ($70.3M).
We return you to your regular browsing experience.
Salabanzi Wins Street at Copenhagen Pro
Published: 1:37 a.m. PT by Me
Bastien Salabanzi took the Street finals at the 2007 Copenhagen Pro Sunday. Wagner Ramos came in second, followed by Kerry Getz.
Getz took first in the best trick contest with a Kickflip frontside nosegrind across and down the hubba. Klaus Bohms was second with a backside 180 flip nose grind on the hubba and third was Willian Seco (Switch front blunt shuv it out).
Here are the final results for Street -- here are the links for Vert and Bowl if you missed the results for those...
1 Bastien Salabanzi
2 Wagner Ramos
3 Kerry Getz
4 Daniel Viera
5 Eero Antilla
6 Jani Laitiala
7 Chris Pfanner
8 Willian Seco
9 Klaus Bohms
10 Ricardo Oliveira Assis
11 Steve Forstner
12 Roberto Aleman
More about the event..
Mendes Wins King of LA - Santa Monica
Published: 12:11 a.m. PT by Greg
Chris Mendes has won the third event in DC Shoes' King of LA skate... We've got a full recap here..
A ton DC skate team skaters were there (photos of Ryan Gallant and Devine Calloway below) - and most of the competitors were from the LA-area. Check out a photo gallery, too. More photos coming soon, too.
Fuel to Produce Swerve Festival in September
Published: 12:09 a.m. PT by Me
Fuel is launching a new festival dedicated to the West Coast creative culture -- including art, film, music and, of course, action sports. It will take place Sept. 28-30 in Hollywood and other spots in Los Angeles. Named the "Swerve Festival," it will include film screenings of independent feature and short films, music videos, live music performances and original art installations.
We'll hear more soon, but read more now...
July 1, 2007
Schedule Set for Snowboard Grand Prix
Published: 2:41 a.m. PT by Me
It's July 1 -- time to make reservations for snowboarding season. The dates for the 2008 Chevrolet US Snowboard Grand Prix are set. Here you go:
2008 CHEVROLET U.S. SNOWBOARD GRAND PRIX SCHEDULE
Dec. 14-15, 2007, Breckenridge Resort, Colo.
- Friday, Dec. 14 – Halfpipe Qualifiers
- Saturday, Dec. 15 – Halfpipe Finals and Night Downtown Paul Mitchell Progression Session Freestyle Event
Feb. 9-10, 2008, Tamarack Resort, Idaho
- Friday, Feb. 8 – Halfpipe Qualifiers
- Saturday, Feb. 9 – Halfpipe Finals
- Sunday, Feb. 10 – Snowboardcross Qualifiers and Finals
March 15-16, 2008, Killington Resort, Vt.
- Saturday, Feb. 15 – Halfpipe Qualifiers and Night Finals with concert
- Sunday, Feb. 16 – Paul Mitchell Progression Session Slopestyle Qualifiers and Finals
Read more about the sked...
Shaun White, Kelly Slater, Among ESPN's "Who's Now?"Published: 2:22 a.m. PT by Greg
ESPN is pitting different sports stars against one another to determine who is the best athlete right now. We talked about this once before, when it was being discussed, but the list is now official. It kicks off today with Tiger Woods vs. QB Matt Leinart -- then tomorrow Shaun White goes up against Dwayne Wade. The winner of each matchup will advance based upon fan voting (70 percent) and ESPN's three-person panel (30 percent) -- and in the end there will be one champ, announced at the end of the month.
On July 9, record-breaker Kelly Slater gets pitted against NBA player LeBron James.
If you are compelled to vote, Click Here... You can only vote on the day of the matchup. If Slater or White advance... oh, who are we kidding?
Irons Board Auctioned For CharityPublished: 1:27 a.m. PT by Greg
A surfboard Andy Irons used while winning the 2005 Triple Crown of Surfing has sold on EBay for US $2,425. Iron donated the board to help the charity Keep the North Shore Country. Its mission is to preserve Oahu's North Shore.
The Eric Arakawa-designed board was also autographed by Irons, who just won the Rip Curl Pro Search in Arica, Chile.
Visit the Keep the North Shore Country Charity Site.
Glifberg First, Dias Second in Vert at Copenhagen Pro Published: 1:11 a.m. PT by Me
Maybe there is such a thing as a hometown advantage. Run Glifberg took the Skate Vert competition at the Copenhagen Pro Saturday, edging Sandro Dias and Renton Millar.
Here are the top 10 results.
1 Rune Glifberg
2 Sandro Dias
3 Renton Millar
4 Juergen Horrwarth
5 Matias Ringstrom
6 Neal Hendrix
7 Adam Taylor
8 Nicky Guerrero
9 Terence Bougdour
10 Andy Scott
The Skate Street qualifiers also went down on Saturday, with the finals coming up on Sunday. Here are the finalists...
1 Wagner Ramos
2 Bastien Salabanzi
3 Jani Laitiala
4 Chris Pfanner
5 Daniel Viera
6 Eero Antilla
7 Willian Seco
8 Rodil Jr
9 Kerry Getz
10 Steve Forstner
11 Roberto Aleman
12 Ricardo Oliveira Assis
More about the contest here.
Update: Murray Gets Some Wheelchair Time
Published: 12:24 a.m. PT by Greg
Here is the latest update on Stephen Murray's condition from his family on BMXTalk.com:
Stephens tracheostomy operation went well and has made him more comfortable. He now has the respirator breathing for him via a tube into his thoat and a feed tube into his stomach rather than everything going into his mouth. This has meant he is able to communicate better and we can understand most of what he is trying to say. Although no sounds comes out when he speaks, we are optimistic that with time and speach therapy, his voice should slowly but hopefully improve.
The doctors and surgeons have said that being so fit and healthy has been a major help to him in both sustaining the shock of the injury and in his ability to recover.
Yesterday he was put into a wheelchair by the side of his bed for 2 hours whcih gave him a huge lift.
His next goal is to gradually wean himself off the respirator and to hopefully breath for himself in the future. Whether this is possible we aren't sure but should he overcome this it would be a great aid in his recovery. This is more of a mid-term goal than an immediate one.
We hope that with some improvement to his breathing he will be moved out of intensive care and down the corridor to a slightly lesser dependant unit within the next week. That will be another big step.
His spirits are strong and he is so determined to overcome this, it gives us all hope.
We want everyone to know that we really appreciate everyones support. Some of the things people have said, have done, and are doing is overwhelming. Unfortunately we haven't had the time to reply to everyone at the moment, but Stephen has said that he will reply to each and every person that has contacted him over the last week to show their support.
He is in the University of Maryland Shock and Trauma Unit Hospital, widely regarded as one of the best Spinal Chord injury hospitals in the world. Can you believe he injured himself 300 yards from here!
Updates to follow (hopefully tomorrow)
Murrays
There are also some benefit auctions being set up (nothing set yet) which should help raise some more money for him. He is expected to be in the Baltimore hospital for months.
Keep up with all the updates re: Stephen in our Stephen Murray update page..
Headlines: Hawk, Death and the ESPYsPublished: 12:07 a.m. PT by Greg
Happy July -- here are some headlines for you to start the month off right.
- A state wrestling champ is knocked out of action thanks to a skateboarding accident.
- Springfield, Oregon hopes Tony Hawk will help it become "The Simpsons'" hometown.
- A Montana man died after a snowboarding accident in the state. He fell 1,000 feet.
- Travis Pastrana and Kelly Slater included in. the ESPY Award Nominees.
- The father of a boy who drowned after skateboarding into a creek may be criminally charged.
June 30, 2007
Latest Updates on Cops vs. Skateboarders in Arkansas
Published: 1:56 a.m. PT by Greg
There are some new developments in the "Cop vs. Skateboarders" case that is getting national attention following the posting of video on YouTube.on Monday. The video was taken on Thursday, June 21, as a group of skateboarders were placed under arrest by a policeman who was shown apparently choking and using excessive force on the skaters, which included a 13-year-old girl.
New surveillance camera video has surfaced that gives a new view into the incident. Taken from two cameras at a local merchant, the officer is seen chasing after a specific skateboarder once the single-file line of 10 skateboarders passes by him. There is no sound in the video and it does not have sound, but it is the first new video of the incident to surface since the You Tube video began circulating on Monday. The video is the #1 most-viewed YouTube video in the last four days, with 1.2 million views. Two additional videos have since been released.
ABC News has an interview with 21-year-old skateboarder Matt McCormack, who shot the video, in which he discusses the incident and treatment he and the other skaters received from Police Officer Joy Williams, who has since been placed on administrative leave while his conduct is investigated.
"He could have just grabbed us by the arm and stopped us and then that would've been it," McCormack said.
But even so, McCormack, who was also arrested, is careful about calling the incident "brutality."
"The posts might be a bit excessive," McCormack admitted, saying instead he would call it "excessive force" instead.
McCormack does have more video than has been posted, but has been advised by counsel (not, as ABC News reports, "council") not to do so at this time. He has a July 10 court date.
More as this story develops... Here's the video if you haven't seen it yet.
Read about the new video and read the ABC story..
TV Critics Pile on "Cincinnati"Published: 1:34 a.m. PT by Greg
It may be a little premature to write off HBO's drama about a family of surfers as a failure. However, several TV critics are doing just that and for most of them, the crucial episode will this weekend's fourth. For some, it's because of a self-developed "rule of four." But for most, it's simply because they only were given three preview episodes of the show and haven't seen anything beyond that.
"I am developing no taste for Milch's latest concoction," writes Kansas City Star TV Critic Aaron Barnhart writes. "It's week four for 'John from Cincinnati,' and unless I get a little resolution on this John character -- is he touched by an angel, or simply touched -- I'm going to have to move on. And I suspect I won't be alone."
Viewers don't appear to be very forgiving, either. "Cincinnati" dropped from an opening 3.2 million viewers in its first showing behind "The Sopranos" to 1.2 million the following week.
HBO will not pull a show like the broadcast networks and will let "Cincinnati" run through its remaining episodes but don't be surprised if there won't be a second season for the David Milch drama.
Read Barnhart's full story.
BMX Rider Austin Coleman Blogs For Albes
Published: 12:22 a.m. PT by Greg
BMX rider Austin Coleman is blogging for Albe's Mail Order and he has an update from the AST Dew Tour first stop, where he took part in the BMX Park competition.
Coleman gives a little bit of the athlete's perspective on what the conditions were like at the Panasonic Open in Baltimore.
"The weather wasn't so good. people were getting blown off the dirt course into the stands during practice. the vert ramp transformed into a wind tunnel, and it was raining every hour on the hour for the fist couple of days. The result: lots of downtime, pranks in the athlete lounge, and pissing off hotel employees.." he wrote. He added that the Dew Tour probably won't be invited back to the Sheraton in downtown Baltimore anytime soon. I bet.
Read the full blog.
Copenhagen Pro - Bowl Jam Results
Published: 12:05 a.m. PT by Greg
The Copenhagen Pro is underway in Denmark. So far, the Bowl Jam is complete. Here are the results:
1st Michael Jensen
2nd Ivan Rivado
3rd Thomas Kring
4th Jurgen Horrwarth
5th Thomas Madsen
Look for some other updates coming soon.
June 29, 2007
Kiwi Surfer Almost Deleted X Games InvitePublished: 2:06 p.m. PT by Greg
Kiwi surfer Paige Hareb is joining the World team in the upcoming X Games surfing compeition which starts next week in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. But she almost didn't get the word she was invited -- that's because she almost deleted the email from Layne Beachley asking her to join the team.
"It came up in my email inbox and it said `Layne Beachley - X-Games' and I thought it was just promoting it. I was just about to delete it," she said.
But the 17-year-old didn't delete it and now she's reaping the benefits, including a new sponsorship from Billabong. She was chosen as one of two wildcards by Beachley for the inaugural inclusion of women's surfing in the X Games, which has also adopted a new "USA vs the World" format.
Read more about Hareb and see a preview video of the X Games surf comp below. And be sure to check out the live webcast on EXPN.com from July 3-5.
Speaking of Bam Margera...
Published: 1:55 a.m. PT by Greg
While we don't have an official reason Bam Margera isn't pimping the Jackass game (see below), we do have a short update about the Bam-Man. He seems to be pretty much improved from his torn liver (he had two weeks he was supposed to keep from lifting anything heavy -- that's basically up). There are a few photos of Bam on the town on his official site., including one of him with Posion & Ratt (yeah, I guess they're still round and round) and him hanging with Cameron Diaz (is there anyplace she isn't?).
Let's see, there's also a short clip (placed here for your ease) of him doing some editing...
Meanwhile, in non-official-site-related-news, Bam is working on a CD/DVD set named "Bam Margera Presnts: Viva La Bands, Vol. 2" that comes out Sept. 4 and will feature a wide range of bands like Placebo, The Bloodhound Gang, Clutch, The Sounds, Gwar, Kill Hannah and more... plus the DVD will have about 30 minutes of Bam footage. Cool.
See Bam's official site and then read more about the cd/DVD release.
First Look: Jackass The Game
Published: 1:22 a.m. PT by Me
Gamespy has a detailed review of Jackass the Game, featuring most of the Jackass crew -- with the notable exception of Bam Margera, who is not participating for reasons unknown (cough*money?*cough). Gamespy actually seems to like the game, which is more or less a set of smaller "minigames" strung together as a "lost season of Jackass."
Among the 35 stunts/minigames -- "New York Pogo" (jumping around NYC rooftops with a pogo stick), "San Fran Trash Can" (Steve-O gets rolled down a steep hill in San Fran while in a trash can) and "Whac a Wee-Man" which is pretty self-explanatory.
The game will be coming out this fall. Check out the story for more about the game.
Published: 12:41 a.m. PT by Greg
Kudos for TMZ noting that Kelly Slater's surfboard he used yesterday in a losing effort at the Rip Curl Pro Search in Arica, Chile, had a political bent to it. On the board are iPod-advertisement-style images from the Abu Ghraib prison images that became the stuff of legend.
Yeah, except Surfline knew about it the day before and got Slater to explain it.
"It's my favorite images of the war...no, not really. It's just a poster a friend of mine made to bring some awareness to what's happening in Iraq and a funny play on iPods. Pop culture meets political awareness." Slater told Surfline.
See the image below.... Check out Surfline and TMZ if you want...
Meanwhile, Slater has officially said he's not retired. And he's not officially out of J-Bay (or in, yet).
“I have no idea why or who wrote this, where do they come up with this stuff?” Slater told Australia’s Surfing Life. “I surfed a good heat and lost and had to leave immediately to catch a flight.”
More on that...
Daniel Dhers / Kevin Robinson Red Bull ShootPublished: 12:16 a.m. PT by Greg
Daniel Dhers won the BMX Park title last week at the Dew Tour opener, the Panasonic Open, and while we have a ton of photos from that, we also have a cool Red Bull photo gallery from last month featuring Dhers and Kevin Robinson in a photo shoot at Camp Woodward.
Some nice photos here -- check 'em out!
Who's Going to Win the Foster's ASP Tour?Published: 12:01 a.m. PT by Greg
Now that the Rip Curl Pro Search event in Arica is done, with Andy Irons the winner, we're almost halfway through the season. No better time than now to do some baselss prediction. However, to read the prediction, check out my blog on Lat34 People. There's a poll there for you to say what you think (or you can add a comment to say how wrong I am).
In case you missed out on the recap of the Rip Curl Pro Search, click here. Then visit the ASP World Tour site to keep on everything...
June 28, 2007
Daewon Song Gets "Firsthand" Treatment on FuelPublished: 5:28 p.m. PT by Greg
Daewon Song, the 2006 Thrasher Skater of the Year, is going to be featured on the Fuel show "Firsthand" It'll follow him through the ups (winning the SOTY award) and the lows (his father passing away).
Check out more details here....
Dew Tour FMX Finals Webcast-- Recap and ThoughtsPublished: 4:42 p.m. PT by Greg
Here's a few random thoughts after watching the FMX finals on Motocross.com...
- The whole finals webast clocks in at 91:27. I must admit I skipped ahead a little. No offense to Potter, Buyten, Fulmer, etc. I knew who the top three were and when they were going. I wanted to check them out. So you can make it through in considerably less time if you skip around.
- It wasn't a bad field, but we missed seeing Twitch. Would have been nice if he made it to the finals but I guess it's just too soon. Surprised also that Beau Bamberg didn't make the cut, but there's always Cleveland.
- It was actually a pretty interesting competition, with Nate Adams coming through on his second (and winning) run with some great tricks like a no-handed backflip with a one-handed lander, lazy boy back flip, superman backflip, cliffhanger backflip and a cordova backflip. Unfortunately the camera (and Floyd) missed the cliffhanger -- so we'll take Bartram's word for it. See a photo gallery of the finals here, including some shots of Adams (left)
- Mason and Williams couldn't keep up with their second runs -- Mason stopped his run after a blown trick ruined any chance of his surpassing Black Williams (Bilko) and Adams and didn't make a mistake like Bilko and try one more trick for the fans -- something that knocked Bilko out for probably two months.
- There wasn't a very good angle on Bilko's crash so it's hard to see how he broke his foot/etc. But it looked like it could have been a lot worse, so at least that is something fans can be thankful for!
- Kenny Bartram did an okay job of co-commentating, as most of his fellow athletes did in the other broadcasts. Robbie Floyd and Bartram didn't address why Bartram was opting out on competing (that I heard). Would've been nice to just say he's retiring from FMX, etc. or whatever. Heck -- he won the Dew Tour in '05.
- My favorite part was actually near the end, right around the second run of Bilko (Blake Williams), there was an extended period of confusion, with Robbie Floyd repeating various transitions (then asking should he do it again, etc.), some dead air (with crowd shots) and some background discussion (ostensibly) between Floyd and Bartram about what should be on air, etc. Might be expected during a live webcast, but this thing was done Sunday -- plenty of time to QC it.
- One last thing -- the first five minutes had a couple of funny moments as they introduced the riders -- the camera didn't know who was who, so it was on Mike Mason when Nate Adams was being introduced (after Mason pointed over for a few seconds, the cameraman got it) and then had trouble finding Adam Jones. I guess it's because they lined up wrong or something. Still, funny.
But that onsite public announcer Brad Jay -- I was at all five tour stops last year and I don't remember the whole "Mileeeeeeeeeeeeeeees RICHMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONDDDDDDDD!" "WILEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY FULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLMERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR" intro... I saw it in other events, too, but here it was just too much...
Anyway, that's what I thought. Permalink
Stephen Murray Update + New Website For Donations
Published: 4:00 p.m. PT by Greg
A couple of updates from the friends and family of Stephen Murray.
First off, his brother's latest update from BMXTalk.com.
Yesterday was quite a big day for everyone. The general surgeon arrived to discuss his tracheostomy operation which should hopefully be a temporary measure rather than a permanent fixture (amazing). This procesure takes the respirator out of his mouth and into his throat relieving pressure off his voicebox. They will also take out the feed tube from his mouth and insert this into his stomach. This leaves his mouth free and should be a lot more comfortable for him. It should also enable him to mouth words over the coming weeks, something which has been really frustrating for him. They hope to do this today.
Today, they also plan to operate to put a filter into his vena cava vein to prevent the build up of blood clots along with an MRI to check on the status of his neck.
Quote of the day came from the director of the neurotrauma team.
"he's not going to end up like christopher reeve"
This, as you can imagine, was a massive boost for everyone. There are plenty of rumours still flying round that he'll be riding by xmas, he's gonna be able to walk etc. etc. The only thing to listen to is this blog/update. He has sustained a life altering injury and we have come to terms with the fact that he may never walk again. The most we could ever hope for at this moment is for some use of his upper body and the ability to breath on his own in the future.
He did also manage to tell my mam "happy birthday" for today!
Last night his friends from england, scott edgworth and marco delisola flew in which put a smile on his face.
The comments on ths site (and others) and emails we have received are so comforting to us, and they will be even more comforting to stephen over the coming weeks when we are able to read them out to him.
Thanks again.
Updates to follow
Also, there is an "official" website now set up to make donations through: http://www.stephenmurrayfamilyfund.com/.
The news continues to be good for Murray. Keep up with all the updates on our Stephen Murray Update page -- we will always keep it updated with the latest info on his condition and on how you can help Stephen with donations or just by sending a note of hello.
Suport Bender's MS Battle - Buy A ShirtPublished: 3:52 p.m. PT by Greg
AZ skateboarder Lee Bender has been diagnosed with MS, and the AZPX family is gearing up to help him out by putting out a shirt featuring the graphics they hope to put out a deck down the line.
If you feel like doing him a solid, check out the link and buy a shirt -- he gets $10 of every sale...
Check out AZPX.com to buy it....
Andy Irons Wins Rip Curl Pro ChilePublished: 8:18 a.m. PT by Greg
Andy Irons has just defeated Damien Hobgood in the finals of the Rip Curl Pro Search contest in Arica, Chile. Irons dominated the final winning 16.84 (9.17, 7.67) to 8.67 (5.67, 3.00).
The semis were more interesting, as Irons took our Mick Fanning (who will finish 3rd) 16.33 to 15.33 and the Hobgood brothers took on one another, with Damien taking the win 13.13 over CJ (12.00).
"It's my favorite trophy," Irons said after winning the contest. "One for the living room, one for the mantle." Irons won the event last year when it was held in Mexico.
When told he's back in the hunt for the world title, Irons said he didn't go anywhere, but that it was "Game One" now.
Read more about Irons' Win
Check out the Rip Curl Pro Search site for anything else right now!
One More FMX Story - Catch Dew Tour FMX on Motocross.com TODAYPublished: 8:03 a.m. PT by Greg
Just in case we didn't have enough FMX for you today (with our lead story on FMXer Mary Perkins and our updates on Blake Williams and Robbie Maddison below), here's a reminder that you can watch what you missed in last weekend's AST Dew Tour on Motocross.com TODAY (Thursday) from 4 p.m. ET on -- apparently it will be available on demand, as well, which is nice. You can catch Nate Adams win his, what is it, third Dew Tour event?
And so we don't overburden you with FMX today, you can catch our exclusive interview with Beau Bamberg on... well, let's say Sunday.
Robbie Maddison on Track For X GamesPublished: 7:42 a.m. PT by Greg
Another Aussie FMX rider, Robbie Maddison, is recovering from a broken leg he suffered lat last month at the Reb Bull X-Fighters contest in Ireland. It looks as though Maddison is on track to make it back on his bike in time for the X Games in early August, which is good news. Again, found on Crusty.com..
FMX Injury Update: Blake Williams to Miss X Games, Dew Tour Stops
Published: 7:31 a.m. PT by Greg
Aussie FMX rider Blake "Bilko" Williams finished second in last weekend's FMX Finals of the first AST Dew Tour stop, the Panasonic Open. However, he was injured on his second run and the injuries aren't too bad, but they will take some time to heal. Here's an update from the man himself:
Well guys the first round of the dew tour did and didnt really go to plan... I wasnt feeling 100% yet on the different ramps and new bikes so i decided to ride not to wild and secure a good finish. i ended up second with out a cliffy flip or 360 combo's so that was a good sign of my level of riding but unfortunately in my second run i sailed on a trick and had a few jumps left so i thought i'd pull a ruler flip for the crowd, hadn't had any trouble with one all week, same ramp i had been doing them off and all.
I hit the ramp and pulled harder to flip, standard for a ruler flip, but i came off the ramp un even, i went to push my legs out and didnt feel right so i stayed with the bike. realising i was spinning way to fast i still kept my legs off and my weight on my levers to try and slow the bike down but it didnt work enough. i over rotated by a fair bit and landed on my legs. i broke 2 bones in my ankle and dislocated it, broke the top section of all my toes and my fib.
So here i sit, still in Baltimore hospital waiting for surgery to fix the mess. Ill be off the bike for 2 months which means missing X, anyway, these things happen...
Keep it safe, Brrrrrrrraaaaaaapppppppp
Bilko
Unfortunately Bilko won't be able to come back to X Games to try and better the bronze medal he received last year, as well as probably the next three Dew Tour stops. So Nate Adams can breathe a little easier for the time being. Found on the Crust Demons Site Crusty.com. -- best domain name ever.
