She Finds the Games Worth the Pain

Cara-Beth Burnside hung out with her older brothers a lot when she was young and impressionable and it wasn’t long before she had left behind the games most little girls play.

By 11, she had filled her room with trophies from skateboarding contests.

These days, Burnside, 28, is leaving her impression on the pro snowboarding tour and sometimes--unintentionally--on the side of a mountain. She recently suffered a brain bruise during a snowboarding mishap and will be wearing a helmet during the Winter X Games, running through Sunday at Snow Summit in Bear Bear Lake. Burnside, who lives in Orange, will compete in the halfpipe, slopestyle and boardercross events.

She moved from the pavement to the snow six years ago and began competing professionally on her snowboard four years ago. In 1994, she finished second on the Pro Snowboard Tour of America and took second place during the 1995 World Cup competition.

But Burnside hasn’t stopped wearing out the wheels on her skateboards. She was named 1996 female skateboarder of the year by Thrasher magazine and often spends evenings on her skateboard after a full day on the mountain.

“The way I think about my snowboarding tricks, I can visualize them,” she said. “That comes from skating and seeing a lot. I also like to learn tricks on my snowboard and take them to skating. I think the two sports really help each other out.

“I actually prefer skateboarding to snowboarding because it’s so hard.”

She says her brothers helped instill a competitive edge that has carried her to new heights on her snowboard. Along the way, she developed a strategy for success that hinges on consistency.

“I just try to have solid runs, go as high as I can and not sketch out,” she said. “I get really bummed when I fall, or put a hand down, or just have sloppiness.”

Burnside, who gets physical therapy for an injured shoulder as well as wearing the extra head protection, downplays the dangers of her sports.

“I’m always hurting,” she said, “nothing bad, but I’m always battling [an injury].”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

X County

Orange County participants in the Winter X Games:

* Snowboarding: Cara-Beth Burnside, Orange; Steve Graham, Huntington Beach.

* Crossover: Emmit Crooms, Huntington Beach and Josh Heino, Huntington Beach (bike stunt); Brian Patch, Huntington Beach, crossover (skateboard).

* Snow mountain bike racing: Pete Loncarevich, Rancho Santa Margarita; Todd Lyons, Huntington Beach; Mike Mautner, Mission Viejo.