| 2002 X Games Return to Philadelphia | |
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Sport
Description:
Men’s & Women’s – This event evolved from a combination of surfing
and water-skiing. Riders are towed behind a boat while spinning, flipping, and
twisting off the boat’s wake, in addition to using water obstacles, to try to
score points.
Scoring:
Men – In round one, competitors are divided into two heats based on
current tour standing and other criteria. The competition begins with each
athlete in Heat A completing one run (two passes), in reverse order of the
rankings. The competition continues with each athlete in Heat B making one run
(two passes), in reverse order of the rankings. The top four competitors from
Heat A and the top four from Heat B advance to Round two. In Round two, the
competitors complete one run (two passes and a double up). In this round the
competitors running order begins with the two fourth-place finishers from Round
one and ends with the two first-place finishers. The scores after Round two, the
final round of eight are called the Round 2 Final Scores.
Women – Each of the eight competitors runs in reverse order of their
standings. Each competitor will complete one run (two passes and a double up)
for a final score.
Equipment:
Binding – The “straps” on the board that hold the riders feet in place
are called the binding. There have been many recent developments in bindings
that are more durable, tighter and are more form fitting, which protects the
athletes from sliding out and injuring themselves. Thicker footbeds, which
provide better shock absorption for riders, have also been a recent change on
many boards.
Boards – There are two different types of boards on the market. The newest
is referred to as the “finless board”, which is a deceptive description as
the board does have fins that are on non-interchangeable rails built into the
board. These boards are looser and give more of a snowboard feel, which may feel
uncontrollable to some.
Boats – An essential element in wakeboarding, MasterCraft™ was the first
company to design a boat specifically for the sport.
Ropes – Wakeboarding ropes have little or no stretch. The lack of stretch
prevents “recoil” during tricks.
Obstacles:
Slaughter Box – A hybrid ramp/slider creation that rises up from the water
about three feet on both sides. Sliders can run along the edges of the ramp and
platform.
Rainbow Slider – The rainbow slider is the third piece of the apparatus that
is made up of 30 feet of pipe for riders to hop on and slide.
Kicker – The kicker is a short but very steep ramp that shoots riders six feet
off the water allowing for a lot of height and elevation, perfect for flips.
Who to Watch:
In 2000, Dallas Friday (Orlando, Fla.) entered the Wakeboard scene at age 13 and
instantly dominated the women’s field. Last year, she clinched gold at X
Games, utilizing her gymnastics background to reach new heights on a wakeboard.
Rafael Shigueo Kamogowa (Sao Paulo, Brazil) clinched his X Games VIII spot by
claiming gold in front of his home-country crowd at the first ever Latin
American X Games Qualifier this past March in Rio de Janeiro.
Host City Logo used with the
permission of www.philadelphiaxgames.org.
Official Press Release of ESPN X Games VIII