| 2002 X Games Return to Philadelphia | |
 | |
Sport
Description:
Big Air – Riders have three attempts to perform their best trick while
jumping over an approximate 80-foot gap. The bigger the air and more difficult
the trick, the higher the score.
Step Up – From a stationary position between 15 and 20 feet away, the rider
takes his bike up a 15 foot plus vertical dirt face and leaps into the air,
attempting to clear a horizontal bar placed between two uprights at the top of
the jump.
Freestyle – 16 competitors on 250 cc motocross bikes, try to go as big as
humanly possible by attempting to pull off high-flying tricks mid-air.
Scoring:
Big Air – Each of the 16 riders get three jumps with the highest score
taken as the final. They are ranked by their best score 1-16.
Step Up – Each of the 16 riders attempts to jump a horizontal bar. After each
round the bar is raised in six-inch increments until a winner is determined.
Freestyle – Each of the 16 competitors complete two 60-second runs. The best
of the two scores is assigned as the competitor’s best score with the top
eight advancing to the final round. In the final round, athletes compete in
reverse order of the leader board with each completing two 60-second runs.
Scoring is based on overall impression, tricks, execution, use of the course,
and landings.
Equipment:
Engine – Most freestyle riders compete on either 125cc or 250cc two-stroke
machines.
Suspension – This helps insure a soft landing when the bike and rider executes
the landing. In the front of the bike, the suspension is located in the bike’s
fork, whereas the back suspension is positioned in front of the back wheel.
Protective Gear – Riders wear knee-high plastic boots, chest protectors, nylon
pants and a full-face helmet designed specifically for motorcross.
Who to Watch:
Tommy “Tomcat” Clowers (Ramona, Calif.) is the two-time defending X
Games Step Up champion. He holds the record for the highest jump and needs only
to stay in the contest to get the gold for a third year. Eighteen-year-old Nate
Adams (Glendale, Ariz.) is the current World Freestyle Association Champion in
Freestyle and Big Air. Expect Nate to make his mark in both X disciplines this
August.
Host City Logo used with the
permission of www.philadelphiaxgames.org.
Official Press Release of ESPN X Games VIII