X Games announce athletes
By Keith Lair, Staff Writer
Sean White, winner of the inaugural Dew Tour event's Panasonic Open in Louisville, Ky., leads a second set of athletes named to the invitation-only X Games, to be held Aug. 4-7 in Southern California.
The teenage snowboarding pro from Oceanside won his first skateboard vert competition in Louisville and leads the five-stop series point standings. There is now only one invitation left in the discipline.
In all, 62 additional athletes received berths. The athletes are chosen by a sport-specific selection committee.
One position was vacated when Ben Bostrom, who won last year's inaugural Supermoto event, turned down a chance to run again because of a conflict of the World Superbike Championships in Brands Hatch, England.
All freestyle motocross spots are filled and there are only four more invitations left in both skateboard and BMX, with the exception of best trick in both. There are also four spots remaining for the wakeboarding events and five in motocross Step Up.
Skateboard Big Air now has 11 competitors with the addition of Buster Halterman and Rob Lorifice. There are three street spots left with Geoff Rowley gaining an invite.
In BMX, Mike Aitken, Adam Baker, Kye Forte, Ryan Nyquist and Cameron White were added in dirt, leaving two spots remaining. Scotty Cranmer, Ryan Guettler, Josh Harrington, Corey Martinez, and Steve McCann were added in park, also leaving two spots open. Chad Kagy, Koji Kraft, Simon Tabron, Eduardo Terreros and Tim Wood will fill out the vert field.
No vert best trick riders have yet to be named.
In freestyle motocross, Beau Bamburg, Kenny Bartram, Jeff Kargola, Dustin Miller and Jeremy Stenberg completed the best trick field. Bamburg, Bartram, Ronnie Faisst, Adam Jones and Drake McElroy complete the freestyle field.
Added to the Supermoto race is Darryl Atkins, Eric Bostrom, Mark Burkhart, Ben Carlson, Steve Drew Chris Filmore, Juergen Kuenzel, Ivan Lazzarini, Jeff Matiasevich, Kevin Windham and Jake Zemke.
There is one men's wakeboard invitation left with foreigners Brett Eisenhauer, Rusty Malinoski, Josh Sanders Nowra, Chad Sharpe and Daniel Watkins added to the event. There are three women's spots left with Tara Hamilton, Lauren Loe, Lauren Lohrmann and Meaghan Major added to the field.
The Surfing teams were also announced. On the East Coast team, all from Florida, will be 2004 world champion Kelly Slater, C.J. and Damien Hobgood, Baron Knowlton, Cory and Shea Lopez, Peter Mendia and Todd Morcom. On the West Coast team, all from California, will be Shane Beschen, Tim Curran, Keiran Horn, Taylor Knox, Rob Machado, Pat O'Connell, Dane Reynolds and Chris Ward. Surfing will be contested in Mexico.
The X Games is seeking volunteers for the 11th annual event, to be held Aug. 4-7 at Staples Center, the Home Depot Center and the Long Beach Marina Stadium.
The primary function of the volunteer will be to assist spectators during the event. Volunteers are expected to be proactive, helpful and knowledgeable hosts.
They will be privy to X Games apparel, sponsor goody bags, snacks and refreshments and will also receive an invitation to the private X Games volunteer appreciation party.
Volunteers should be able to work a full day. Several day-long volunteer positions are available including: hospitality, crowd control, ushering, access control and credential checking. The X Games also offer the XCEL program, designed for individuals who are willing to volunteer every day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. They will receive an extra X Games 11 token of appreciation.
In addition to the other items that volunteers will receive, there will be the chance to take part in a daily raffle of items donated by local and industry businesses. Businesses that donate items to be entered into the volunteer raffle will gain exposure by having their company name included on the volunteer Web site thank-you page and the on- site Jumbotron at the games.
Those interested in volunteering must be 18 years of age by Aug. 1. Applications are being accepted at the Web site www.xgamesvolun teers.com . Businesses can log onto the site for more information on how to get involved. Prospective volunteers can also call Sharon Walsh at (310) 642-1514.
Beaver Creek, Vail became the overall winner in the Race Across America on Monday in Atlantic City, N.J. The four-man Colorado team of Mike Janelle, Toph Leonard, Jimi Mortenson and Brian Smith completed the 3,051.7-mile course from San Diego in five days, 18 hours, 15 minutes.
Later today, 2004 champion Jure Robic is expected to win the solo competition.
Team IWC Schaffhausen finished second, about three hours behind the winner. In solo, Fabio Biasolo is in second and Chris MacDonald third.
The race was marred by tragedy west of Trinidad, Colo. when competitor Dr. Bob Breedlove, 53, died in a collision with a pickup truck last Thursday, four days into the race. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The accident took place on a section of road that sloped downhill. According to the driver, the orthopedic surgeon from Des Moines, Iowa appeared to slump on his bicycle and swerved into the path of the oncoming vehicle. His support team had left him a mile earlier.
At the time of the accident, he was leading the 50-plus category and was 12th overall.
"This is a terrible tragedy, just terrible,' race director Jim Pitre said. "We all stand in awe of the memory of Bob Breedlove, who was a supreme cycle racer, an outstanding surgeon and just a great human being.'
Breedlove was competing in his sixth RAAM. He won a tandem title in 1990 and was second last year. The last time a competitor died was two years ago when Brett Malin turned left, instead of right, and went into traffic.
An autopsy has yet to be completed, but race officials are fairly certain that Breedlove did not fall asleep.
"He's done this enough to know to pull over if he feels sleepy,' the race official Pamela Heisey said. Keith Lair can be reached at (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2272 or by e-mail at keith.lair@sgvn.com .
|
|
