THE X GAMES

A daily look at X Games 13 from Staples Center and the Home Depot Center by Los Angeles Times staff reporters. Included in this year’s coverage are several latimes.com exclusives, including a frequently updated blog, a user-generated photo gallery and a continually evolving notebook that includes event updates. All at latimes.com/sports/extreme.

It still makes him feel like a kid

Kevin Robinson, who has competed in all but one of the 13 X Games, chalked one up for the veterans when he successfully defended his gold medal in the BMX big air competition Friday night at Staples Center.

Robinson, 35, landed a no-handed back flip over the 70-foot gap, then completed a flair 18 feet 2 inches above the top of the quarterpipe for the winning run of 95.33 points.

He bested Steve McCann, 24, and Anthony Napolitan, 20, who placed second and third, respectively. But just because Robinson has more than a decade on those guys, doesn’t mean he’s not having as much fun.

“Every time I drop in there, I want to yell ‘Wheee!’ ” Robinson said.

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Sheckler gets real

An MTV crew will zoom in on Ryan Sheckler during today’s Skateboard vert men’s final, much as it has been zooming in on the personable 17-year-old almost constantly for months.

The pilot episode of “Life of Ryan,” a reality show series, will air Aug. 27 and tackle some heavy situations, such as Sheckler dealing with the divorce of his parents, Sheckler trying to be a mentor to his younger brother, and Sheckler trying to get a girlfriend.

“It’s just the reality of my life and all the crazy hectic things that go on,” says Sheckler, who is from San Clemente and finished fourth in the street final Friday.

It’s not all so personal. The series covers Sheckler’s victories in the first two Dew Action Sports Tour events, and sometimes comical interaction with his many friends, “so it’s a funny show, but serious too,” Sheckler assures.

But it has been trying having a crew of 20 all but living at the Sheckler home. Says Sheckler’s mother, Gretchen: “It’s like having a party in your house 24/7, and after a while you need a break.”

--Pete Thomas

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Brown begins recovery

Skateboarder Jake Brown, whose 45-foot free-fall Thursday night brought a hush to the crowd at Staples Center, remains hospitalized after suffering bruises of the liver and lung, stress fractures in his vertebrae and a small fracture on the top of one hand.

Brown, 32, who was injured during the big air competition on the mega-ramp during a silver medalist performance, is expected to be released from the hospital today or Sunday and make a full recovery.

“Doctors said there was no paralysis or anything like that,” said Bryce Kanights, team manager for Adidas, which is among Brown’s corporate sponsors.

Kanights was critical of X Games medical personnel for not immobilizing Brown immediately and placing him in a stretcher.

A hospital spokesman refused to discuss Brown’s condition.

The Carlsbad skateboarder, who missed the transition after soaring nearly 20 feet above the 27-foot quarterpipe and landed backside-and-feet first on flat wood, lay motionless for about two minutes.

He was rolled over a minute or so later and helped to his feet eight minutes after the fall. He was then escorted to a hallway and placed in a wheelchair.

He also suffered a mild concussion and could not immediately remember performing a 720-degree spin across the 70-foot gap leading to the quarterpipe -- the first time that maneuver has been accomplished in competition.

But he was still in good spirits.

“One of the first things he did was ask for Bubblicious gum,” Kanights said.

--Pete Thomas

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Close, but not quite

Anybody who witnessed the 45-foot free fall by Brown in the skateboard big air contest probably clinched their fists in apprehension when Mat Hoffman appeared out of control high above the 27-foot quarterpipe in the BMX big air competition Friday afternoon at Staples Center.

Hoffman, a 35-year-old high-air world record holder from Edmonds, Okla., had just completed a back flip over the 70-foot gap on the last of five runs, but lost his footing on the landing. The only competitor with no brakes on his bike, Hoffman knew he was in trouble as he headed up the quarterpipe.

“I was thinking, ‘I can drop 47 feet or 20 feet. I’m going to go for 20 feet.’ ” he said. “It was either knock myself out or break my leg.”

Hoffman said he was able to cushion his landing by pushing off on a television camera as he came down on a row of pads that line the top of the quarterpipe.

Hoffman, who has endured numerous injuries over the years, including a ruptured spleen that nearly killed him, called the competition one of the most “intense experiences” of his career. He had not competed at the X Games since 2002.

“I’ve been kind of laying low because I keep pushing it too far and I keep putting myself in the hospital,” he said. “I just had to celebrate what we all do here on this great stage.”

--Dan Arritt

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Mega Las Vegas!

Less than two weeks have passed since Danny Way had the ligament of a cadaver surgically installed in his left knee, causing him to miss X Games 13, but he’s already planning his next great endeavor.

Way, 34, a three-time gold medalist in the big-air competition, revealed in an interview that he’ll bring a super-sized version of the mega-ramp to Las Vegas next spring and jump the fountains at Caesers Palace.

If he clears the 100-foot gap -- the X Games mega-ramp features a 70-foot gap -- he’ll become the first person to jump the fountains with a non-motorized vehicle.

Way two years ago jumped the Great Wall of China -- a day after fracturing an ankle during a practice run.

Robbie Knievel and Mike Metzger have jumped the Caesars Palace fountains on motorcycles successfully.

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PETE THOMAS

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Dal Santo rises to top

They do not have as much power as the men, but their hearts are just as big.

They do not attain the same heights as they launch off steps and ramps, but they crash as violently and bruise and break more easily.

And another thing about the eight women who competed in the Skateboard street event inside the Home Depot Center’s Velodrome:

They’ve progressed a long way, and nobody nailed their kick-flips, board grinds and tail-slides as consistently as Marisa Dal Santo.

The shy, thin and bespectacled Chicago resident posted a three-stage average score of 86.08 to defeat Elissa Steamer. Huntington Beach’s Amy Caron was third.

“I guess we’re getting better every year. I don’t know,” Dal Santo said afterward.”Everyone’s taking pictures of me. I’m not really used to this sort of thing. Sorry.”

In years past, the women had trouble finishing difficult tricks, but on Friday morning they slid on rails and flipped their boards underfoot with surprising adeptness.

Dal Santo, late in the third stage or zone, pulled off a backside kick-flip, which drew applause from the sparse crowd. But the skateboarders seemed to be feeding off each other’s energy.

“You see a chick throw down a really good trick and it pumps you up,” said Vanessa Torres, who finished sixth and lit a cigarette moments after the competition. “It’s really motivating.”

--Pete Thomas