lithy said:Best part was shortly after he was completely wiped out on the deck, the commentator says "I can't believe he landed that 720."
That made me lol too.lithy said:Best part was shortly after he was completely wiped out on the deck, the commentator says "I can't believe he landed that 720."
Jake Brown Recovering after 50-Foot Fall at X Games
Atlanta, Ga. 8/3/2007 5:19 PM GMT (FINDITT)
Within seconds Jake Brown went from pure elation to near death and now he has no memory of either experience. Brown had just completed a 720 over a 70-foot gap after barreling down an 80-foot ramp, a monumental accomplishment on a skateboard, when he proceeded up the 27-foot quarterpipe to attempt his final trick. What happened next left many thinking the Australian skater was dead.
Rising 15-feet into the air Brown lost control of his board and fell approximately 50-feet straight down to the base of the ramp, slamming his body so hard against the frame that his shoes were knocked from his feet. Brown lay motionless for several minutes while those watching stood in disbelief, wondering if they had just seen X Games’ first casualty.
Fellow skater Pierre-Luc Gagnon said, “I seriously thought he was dead, broke his back or broke both legs. That was the gnarliest slam I've ever seen in my life.” Those sentiments were felt by Jason Ellis as well. Ellis immediately approached Brown after the fall and noted “That's the most terrifying thing I've seen in my life, in the history of skateboarding. His eyes were open and he wasn't breathing. I thought he was . . . dead.”
After nearly ten minutes of remaining motionless Brown was able to get to his feet and staggered to the side. Brown asked Ellis “'Do I have another ride?' 'What'd I do?' 'Did I try the 720?'”. Ellis told him “You made the 720” but when Brown asked “What’s I do on the quarter?” Gagnon responded “Nothing, dude, you did nothing on the quarterpipe.”
Brown was taken from the Staple Center, site of the X Games 13 Skateboard Big Air event in a wheelchair but is believed to recovering nicely.
X Games 13 update
A daily look at X Games 13 from Staples Center and the Home Depot Center by Los Angeles Times staff reporters.
From Times Staff Reports
August 3, 2007
Jake Brown survived a harrowing 45-foot plunge to the bottom of the mega-ramp in the Skateboard big air competition Thursday night at the X Games, and Bob Burnquist walked away with the gold medal at Staples Center after producing the winning score on the ensuing run.
Brown, a 32-year-old from Australia, was leading the event entering the last of his five runs. He landed the first-ever 720-degree revolution on the mega-ramp, but did not set up properly for the 27-foot high quarterpipe that followed his leap over the 70-foot gap.
Fellow competitors thought he was crouched too low when he took off from the top of the quarterpipe and his momentum shot him away from the wall. He threw his board away and flailed his arms and legs in mid-air before landing on the flat portion of the ramp that leads into the quarterpipe. As he laid motionless, silence enveloped the arena.
"That was the gnarliest thing I've ever seen in my life," said Pierre-Luc Gagnon, who was standing on the arena floor during Brown's final run and immediately ran to his side. "I seriously thought he was dead for a second."
After several minutes, Brown was helped to his feet and walked off the ramp under his own power. He told medical personnel that he did not want to go to the hospital, but he was taken away shortly afterward for observation.
Burnquist then followed that run with a winning score of 96.55, knocking Brown into second with a score of 95.33, achieved on his third run.
"It is bittersweet," Burnquist said of his victory over Brown. "He's walking away hurt, but he's walking away."
-- Dan Arritt
lithy said:Best part was shortly after he was completely wiped out on the deck, the commentator says "I can't believe he landed that 720."
butta said:That was Tony Hawk.
lithy said:Best part was shortly after he was completely wiped out on the deck, the commentator says "I can't believe he landed that 720."
Dude, I'm glad I wasn't the only one who remembered that game.KumagaiToshiro said:Well, that and Skate or Die, when Jake's shoes flew off when he landed.
Kazuki Dash said:Dude, I'm glad I wasn't the only one who remembered that game.
Good times.