Confidence and aggressive riding were the overriding themes during the vert comp at X Games X in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday, August 7, 2004. At 13.5 feet tall, with a 1.5-foot extension, the half-bowled ramp made the riders look tiny, but they definitely weren't intimidated by the behemoth. The 20-minute jam session hosted five skaters on the floor of Staples Center, and the ladies made good use of their time: For the first time in her career, Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins -- the tiniest rider of all -- took first-place honors away from veteran vert ripper Cara-Beth Burnside.

Tahoe girl Holly Lyons was popping airs off the extension and grinding all over the ramp, but ended up stuck below the coping too often to be in contention for the podium. Longtime pro Jen O'Brien poked out her frontside airs well above coping and locked into frontside grinds on the flat walls. She also utilized the corners of the bowled end of the ramp to do corner-to-corner carves, then hit the hip, where she floated clean backside ollies.

The lines San Diego local Mimi Knoop took separated her from the field. She skate nine-oh, linking up big frontside airs, frontside ollies, backside airs over the hip, and boardslides. Knoop's aggressive lines were inspiring. She nailed her backside inverts and the only frontside invert of the event.

Cara-Beth Burnside was in control of the comp with her huge bag of tricks and supreme confidence. Lip tricks like feebles to fakie, locked rock-n-rolls on the extension, and boardslide to fakie mixed with huge amplitude and aggressive lines seemed to make CB the sure shot for first. But she changed the tide of the event by focusing on her personal progression instead of consistent, safe lines. About halfway through the comp, CB started trying to land a kickflip Indy, and stayed focused on that until the time expired. Unfortunately, she was unable to land it.

Fueled by youthful energy, Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins kept the hammer down throughout the comp. She used the roll-in to launch herself four feet over the extension, doing laid-out backside airs, and kept the over-the-lip airs and lip tricks flowing through her runs. The fourteen-year-old nailed two money tricks to lock into her first X Games gold medal: the Gay Twist (a Caballerial with an Indy grab) and the kickflip Indy that eluded CB through the comp. You can bet we will see more amazing things from this young blood in the near future.

- advertisement -

RESULTS
1. Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins
2. Cara-Beth Burnside
3. Mimi Knoop
4. Jen O'Brien
5. Holly Lyons