XGames 13: Jake Brown Takes A Terrible Fall[Update w/video]

Today marked the first day of X Games 13 with two events; freestyle motorcross and big air skateboarding. For those who don’t know what big air skateboarding is, well I’ll put it simply for you. It’s two very high roll ins (I believe 60 and 70 f0ot) with each having different gaps (50 and 70 I believe). After the respective gaps there is a landing and a quarter pipe, which I believe is 50 feet high. Each rider usually gets atleast 15 feet high off the QP, so that equals atleast 45 feet in the air.

Tonight big air skateboarding was bigger and better than before. Danny Way, the father of big air skateboarding, sat on the sidelines becuase of a knee injury a few weeks before. Danny has proven himself time and time agian, winning pretty much every big air event he enters. He even jumped the Great Wall of China on his skateboard in 2006. Well this is the first big air skateboarding event he won’t win, he’s taken gold in all three previous events. So that opened the gates for other skaters. Piere Luc Gagnon, Bob Burnquist, and Jake Brown were the favorites going into the event. Piere seemed to have a comanding lead early on but Jake took over the lead and was winning going into his final run.

Jake set up for his final run. He was already in the lead, but Bob Burnquist still had to go and no one takes Bob lightly. So Jake went for a 720 (two rotations) over the 70 foot gap. He landed it, and it was the first 720 ever in a competition! Everyone was pumped! He still had to go up the QP though, and he was going at a very fast speed. His wheels and trucks were wobbling like crazy. He hit the QP and launched atleast 60 feet into the air…but he lost his board. Normally when someone loses their board they just go down, hit the curved part of the QP, and get back up. This isn’t what happened for Jake. He went out over the flat part of the ramp and fell 60+ feet to the ground, spinning in mid air and trying to hit as soft as possible. It was no use. He hit with such an impact that both of his shoes litterally flew off. He wasn’t moving. He laid there, motionless. I honestly thought he was dead, I could barely watch anymore. I thought I had just watched someone die. The Staples Center was silent.

A few minutes had passed and there was movement! Yes, Jake started to move his legs! He even had the power to get up and walk! He went into a hallway where the medical examiners looked at him and eventually took him to the hospital. No word yet on his injuries, but he was conscious and coherent. He remembered that he landed a 720 and he seemed fine. He hit so hard that I’m sure he has broken ribs and a broken collar bone. I hope there is no internal bleeding.

Moments later Jake’s good friend, Bob, did his run. You could see the terrified look on his face. Hell everyone was terrified, even the man who did a double backflip in freestyle motorcross last year, Travis Pastrana. Bob did his run and took first place, with I believe a switch 180 over the gap and a frontside 540 on the QP. You could feel the emotion in the place. I believe Bob began crying after he landed his tricks. If anyone knows anything about Bob then you’d know he is a truly amazing guy. He cares so much about his friends, family, and the planet. He’s really an amazing man. He showed that by going to talk to Jake while he was being taken to the hospital. It was beautiful.

As a skater myself I have the most respect for Jake, Bob, and everyone else who has the balls to do what they do. I hope Jake has a very speedy recovery so we can see him doing what he loves really soon. I’m praying for you Jake.

I’ll make another post as more news comes in. Possibly a video as well.

[UPDATE] Here is the video: