FOZ DO IGUACU, BRAZIL (BDCi) — For the past eight years, dating back to 2006, Bob Burnquist has earned a medal in every X Games Skateboard Big Air competition, five gold, two silver and one bronze.
He did it again winning on Thursday night in his native Brazil on the MegaRamp, a singular hardwood structure that sends skaters down an elevator roll-in, soaring over a 65-foot gap then rocketing up a 27-foot wall toward outerspace.
In each of the eight years Burnquist has medaled, his performance has included a notice. There are a handful of MegaRamps on earth and one of them happens to be in his backyard. Everyone in skateboarding knows it and everytime Burnquist wins, he is docked a few public-perception points for his so-called advantage.
Lost in the celebration on Thursday night was a big fact, perhaps the biggest factor at play on the historic night.
In the months leading up to the X Games in Brazil, Burnquist allowed the eight competitors to use his ramps to practice. There were no hard feelings or bad vibes and no charge either even though it cost Burnquist tens of thousands of dollars to build the MegaRamp back in 2006.
Charging his competition to use the ramp, bronze medalist Jake Brown conceded “would probably be a good idea.” After all, the point is to win, right?
“You don’t do anything alone,” Burnquist said, almost shouting to drown out the Brazilian throngs chanting his name. “It’s not fun if its just you. If I’m filming a new trick, yeah, I’m going to keep it quiet, but when its pre-event like this, if you keep people from skating and come out here and win, in the back of your mind you feel like you had an advantage.”
Source: espn.go.com