Six locals in ESPN’s hot summer fling

Steve Virgen

In regard to in-line skating, Fabiola Da Silva could be called, the

queen of the half pipe. If extreme sports were women’s tennis, she

would be Serena Williams.

Da Silva, a Costa Mesa resident, will be one of the most

recognizable athletes of X Games IX, the premiere action sports event

spearheaded by ESPN that begins today and ends Sunday at Staple

Center in Los Angeles.

Da Silva, a Brazilian native, is one of six local athletes

involved in the extreme sport extravaganza that will be televised and

aired Saturday through Thursday, on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. As a female

aggressive in-line skater, she has pushed the sport to new limits and

is plenty capable of competing alongside the men in the aggressive

in-line vert competition.

The aggressive in-line vert competition, which takes place

Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the Staples Center, will feature 20

competitors, men and women combined, who perform various tricks in

the half pipe. The skaters are challenged to link tricks together in

two 50-second runs.

The performances are judged and the top 10 skaters advance to the

final

In the vert final, each competitor completes two 50-second runs

again. The greater score of the two runs is assigned as the

competitor’s best score. Scores are based on style, difficulty,

consistency and line.

Da Silva was one of the featured athletes during the X Games’

kickoff press conference Wednesday.

Chris Gentry, also from Costa Mesa, will be competing in the

skateboard vert competition. In addition, he will be trying to win in

the doubles division of the competition, which will include Rune

Glifberg, who also hails from Costa Mesa. Glifberg will also compete

in the skateboard, vert best trick event, one of 17 competitions in

the X Games.

Rodil de Araujo Jr., a Costa Mesa resident, will display his

talents in the skateboard street and the skateboard park events.

Robbie Miranda of Newport Beach will compete in the downhill BMX,

which will include Costa Mesa’s Thomas Allier.

From year to year, X Games has been increasing in popularity and

those involved with the event expect the competition and notoriety to

take a huge step forward with its venue in Los Angeles this year. X

Games IX will showcase more than 300 of the world’s best extreme

sports athletes and with the scene so near to Hollywood, organizers

are expecting high drama.

Da Silva is one who is sure to deliver.