As it turns out for Heikki Sorsa, he will return to Finland with only street credit for the one footed frontside 360 he threw over the 65 footer on the last hit in the Winter X Games 12 Slopestyle competition. According to the judges, the rest of his run simply wasn't clean enough to score him the points he deserved for throwing such a creative trick. Sorsa will go down in Winter X history despite the fact that he only finished 5th overall.
Did you see Heikki Sorsa's one footed frontside 360 in the Winter X Games Slopestyle competition? What'd you think? Check it out below. Do you think he should have scored higher and finished above 5th place?
Men's Slopestyle Finals
1. Andreas Wiig, 92.00
2. Kevin Pearce, 88.33
3. Shaun White, 83.33
4. Eero Ettala, 82.66
5. Heikki Sorsa, 77.00
6. CHas Guldemond, 76.33
7. Mikkel Bang, 68.66
8. Mason Aguirre, 63.66
9. Mathieu Crepel, 43.00
10. Jussi Oksanen, 42.00
World-class athlete, Shaun White, put on a world-class performance in last night's Snowboard SuperPipe Men's Final to close out Winter X Games 12 in true X style. Despite the snow storm that moved into Aspen during the competition which slowed down riders and lessened their visibility, White still found a way to throw down one of the best runs in X Games history to win the gold with a score of 96.66.
White's final run included a huge Lean Air, a flawless McTwist, a clean Frontside 1080 into a Fakey to Forward 1080, Front and Backside 900s, and - to finish it off - a Frontside 1260 at the bottom of the pipe. In true X games fashion, White went bigger than ever before by ending his run with an improbable 1260. White admitted later that he had been practicing the four spins since last season and knew he was ready to throw it down for the fans.
White's gold medal in last night's SuperPipe tied him up with Tanner Hall, one of the most influential skiers of his generation from Kalispell, Montana, with seven first place finishes at the X games.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Snowboard SuperPipe Men's Final
Winter X Games 12
Aspen/Snowmass, Colo. - Jan. 27, 2008
The 13th annual X Games are quickly approaching. Three new events will be featured this year: surfing, BMX freestyle big air and motocross racing.
While X Games 13 will take place August 2 to 5 in Los Angeles, California, the surfing competition is scheduled for July 3 to 6 at Puerto Escondido, also known as the Mexican Pipeline. In addition to women's surfing, this year's competition will feature a "USA vs. the World" format that replaces the "East Coast vs. West Coast" approach from past years. This format pits surfers on opposing teams against one another as they compete for the highest score based on speed, control and power, all in support of a team victory.
The surfing competition is less than a week away. Until then, this video should hold you over.
The event will mark the first time X Games Asia will be held in the People's Republic of China.
More than 200 of the world's top action sports athletes from more than 20 countries and five continents will compete in the three-day event and feature multiple disciplines, including Aggressive In-Line Skate, Skateboard, BMX Freestyle, Sport Climbing as well as a Moto X demonstration. (Photo provided by Getty Images/Streeter Lecka)
"In the tradition of progression, adding Women's Surfing is a perfect fit and will highlight the best athletes in the world competing on the biggest stage in the world," said Ron Semiao, senior vice president, ESPN Original Entertainment.
Surfing's seven-time defending Women's World Champion, Layne Beachley, commented on the addition from her hometown in Australia. "The talent of women's surfing coming through the ranks from all over the world is definitely justified now as it is included into the X Games," said Beachley. "I am really excited that finally the world of action sports acknowledges the existence of women's professional surfing, and I think it is going to be a great environment for our sport to be exposed to."
The X Games is the premier action sports event in the world, featuring athletes from across the globe competing for medals and prize money in the following sports: BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard, Surfing and Rally Car Racing. Last year for X Games 12, more than 138,000 fans attended the competition while another 35.6 million fans tuned in on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. Now, X Games 13 is shaping up to be the biggest one ever!
(Photo provided by Getty Image/Rebecca Woods)
http://active.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/73132854_1.jpgCamp Woodward and Intrawest have announced an exclusive partnership to bring the state-of-the-art action sports training facilities to the slopes. By November of 2007, Copper Mountain in Summit County Colorado plans to provide the first progressive winter-focused action sports facility to skiers and snowboarders. Previously, Woodward Camps and facilities were only available for summer action sports such as inline skating, skateboarding and BMX. Woodward at Copper will maintain the same instructional principles of Woodward?s world famous camps in Woodward, PA. and Tehachapi, CA. The 20,000-square-foot indoor facility will incorporate progressive teaching apparatus including trampolines, foam pits, resi-pits and bungee systems, two on-snow superpipes, and a private terrain park. This safe and supported environment will allow winter athletes to push the limits of their own abilities while propelling competitive snowboarding to the next level.
(Photo provided byGetty Images,taken by Doug Pensinger)