Close. But No 1080

Aug 06 2006 / Los Angeles, CA

Perhaps it was too much to ask for a double back flip in FMX Best Trick, a double flare AND a flatspin double whip in BMX, and a 1080 in the Skate contest all in one big night at the X Games? Shaun White busted his butt spinning like crazy for 30 minutes straight – and then some after the buzzer – but couldn't quite get the board under his feet after nearly two-dozen attempts at the Staples Center.

PHOTO GALLERY Check out Shaun White in the Skate Vert Best Trick competition at the X Games.   VIEW GALLERY>

He kept trying until X Games organizers literally had to block him from the ramp, and then got in a few more runs after that on the strength of his very vocal fans, who booed and hissed and gave standing ovations until White was allowed to take two more attempts.

White very nearly had to be dragged off the ramp on a stretcher: exhausted after more than a half hour of dizzy spinning, his last fall nearly wiped him out completely. And while he will clearly be disappointed after tonight, one thing is clear: A 1080 on a skateboard is going to be a reality very soon, and Shaun White is going to be the one to stick it.

He's been skating with obsessive compulsion this week, and while it didn't pay off quite as handsomely as Travis Pastrana's triumph or the double whammy of Kevin Robinson and Chad Kagy's BMX spin frenzy, Shaun White has clearly staked his presence as a force in Vert skateboarding.

The Skate Vert contest as a whole made for a pretty good show despite White's anticlimax: Bucky Lasek got off to a slow start but ultimately came through with a few big hits including a switch 360 flip trick and a nollie flip 360 to win the Gold. Bob Burnquist pulled a slightly sketchy but super-technical frontside tailslide to 360 off the lip to take Silver, and Max Dufour's kickflip backside tail grab 360 won Bronze.

Jean Postec came closer to landing a switch 900 than White did to the 1080, and all told it was a good night for skateboarding. Still, the discarded Mountain Dew signs with Shaun White's name and the ominous number 1080 left all over the Staples Center were soaked with the sad emotion of misprinted Super Bowl Champion hats for losing teams. Good thing there are still three big Dew Tour events left in the summer contest season: Something tells me his fans and his own personal demons won't let him rest until the 1080 is put to bed.

– Colin Bane