Skateboarding

Take a look at the upcoming X Games’ Day 4 events on July 1 and where to watch them in this detailed schedule.

Sunday will showcase the announcement of the Real Street fan favorite vote on ESPN to crown the winner for this X Games prize. Tune in to see who the fans voted as the Real Street skating winner.

All scheduled events and times are derived from ESPN.com scheduling.

Event: Day 4 of the X Games

Place: Los Angeles

When: Sunday, July 1

Time: 12:15 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. ET

Skateboard Street Heats	3:15 p.m.	ESPN2 / ESPN3.com
RallyCross Round 1	3:45 p.m.	ESPN2 / ESPN3.com
Skaetboard Street Final	5:45 - 6:15 p.m.	ESPN / ESPN3.com
RallyCross Round LCQ and Final	6:15 - 7 p.m.	ESPN / ESPN3.com
Winner of Real Street	9 p.m.	ESPN
BMX Big Air Final	9:30 p.m.	ESPN2 / ESPN3.com
Moto X Enduro X Men's Round 1	10:30 p.m.	ESPN2 / ESPN3.com
Moto X Enduro X Women's Final	11:30 p.m.	ESPN2 / ESPN3.com
Moto X Enduro X Men's Final	11:45 p.m.	ESPN2 / ESPN3.com

*All times displayed in ET

*All events can also be viewed on ESPN 3D with subscription

Follow Mike on Twitter @BigHoagowski

At 12 years old, Tom Schaar is young even by X Games standards, but the skateboarding wunderkind has more than proven that he belongs with the sport’s big names.

In March, Schaar became the first skater ever to land a 1080—and if you don’t feel like doing the math, that’s three full revolutions, on the skateboard, in the air. Schaar’s success set a new target for skateboarding stars: adding still another half-revolution to reach a 1260.

For the youngster’s X Games debut tonight, though, he’d be better off staying far away from that physics-defying stunt.

In the first place, he’s making his first appearance on a very big stage. He’s facing more than enough pressure to succeed without adding in a trick that he’s never landed before.

Of course, it’s not just that Schaar hasn’t pulled off a 1260—he hasn’t even been working on it. As his father, Nick, observed to ESPN, Tom is likely to push for a 1260 in the future, but not until he’s a little more experienced and has added some extra muscle.

In theory, he could have been working on a 1260 for tonight’s competition while keeping it quiet, but that’s hard to imagine in real life. As soon as he landed the 1080, Schaar became a celebrity, and something would have leaked if he had been preparing an even more astonishing trick in the three months since.

Trying a maneuver in competition that no one has ever landed takes guts, but would hardly be unheard of at the X Games. Trying such a maneuver without practicing for it would be pointless.

Then, there’s the simplest reason for Schaar not to go for a 1260 in this competition: he doesn’t need it. Just hitting the 1080, which he’s now done several times, will give him a trick that no one else is likely to match, much less beat.

For his first time on national TV, Schaar should stick with what he knows. After all, that should be more than enough to take home X Games gold.

Not only was it a gold medal win or his fourth first-place finish at the Big Air, but it was also the moment when Bob Burnquist became an X Games legend.

With a gold at the 2012 Big Air Competition, "the kid-slapping grandpa," as Burnquist jokingly dubbed himself, was able to knock off some of the youngest, most skilled talent he has ever faced.  He says it was the competition's outright impressive skill that pushed him to greatness this year.

His ollie over a 60-foot-plus gap and a 720 onto a pipe gave Burnquist the best run of the entire competition. It was more impressive than anything ever put on display at these games.

Now with an extensive tenure in the X Games, overtaking tough, young competition for back-to-back gold medals at the event, as well as his countless wins as a skater, Burnquist might well be one of the greatest to ever grace the sport.

His tenure at the X Games is arguably his most ridiculous accomplishment on paper. This is a guy, 35 years of age, that has been a competitor over half of his life. Skating competitively since 1992, this is his 20th season as master on the board.

Talk about one heck of a run. Considering the chance of injury in such a body-grinding sport makes this feat all the more impressive for Burnquist.

It is also important to consider just how monumental this win was. He won his fourth gold medal at the event, and it wasn't just a repeat of last year's win. It was one in which he dominated especially skilled, younger skaters.

He topped 12-year-old Tom Schaar, who had beat him in Asia just before the games. Burnquist also topped Rony Gomes, 20, who proved to be an outright beast in the eliminations round Thursday. To be able to top these two young talents was a feat in itself, let alone being able to take down the entire field.

More importantly, the win gives him a jaw-dropping 21 X Games medals, tied for the second-most in its history.

To be able to boast such a tenure, win 20-plus medals, and dominate the competition at age 35 is unreal and deserves its praise. Burnquist's injury and comeback at this year's X Games was the icing on the cake, while his win at the Big Air was simply the cherry on top.

When Jagger Eaton made the 84-foot drop-in this past Thursday at the X Game's Big Air Competition, he became the youngest competitor ever seen at the X Games.

Just a boy—11 years old—the Mesa, Arizona native is competing against men twice his age on the action sport's biggest stage.

Jagger was supposed to be competing alongside his 13-year-old brother Jett, but Jett recently suffered a concussion during a competition, ultimately ending any hope of an X Games appearance this week, according to Tariq Lee of TucsonCitizen.com.

According to Lee's article, the two boys have been skating for seven years under the guidance of their father and coach, Geoff Eaton.

"When my two sons were four and seven I wanted to introduce them to skateboarding. We started by getting them a skateboard, and then I built them a small quarter pipe in the garage at our house.”

Geoff Eaton, a gymnastics teacher, built his sons a mini skatepark at his gymnastics facility, which is where they began to elevate their level of skateboarding.

Though Eaton's older brother recently sustained a bad injury, he's not worried about falling or getting hurt, but rather anticipates the company which he'll be enjoying, saying, “It’s really cool because I get to skate with all the guys I’ve looked up to my whole life since I began skateboarding,” (via TucsonCitizen.com). 

For those who don't know, the Big Air Competition features an 84-foot drop-in, which is followed by a 55-foot gap and 27-foot quarter pipe.

My Take:

I don't think there's anything cooler than seeing this 11-year-old kid out there competing against men twice his age on a ramp that's way scarier than a roller coaster.

This kid reminds me of Ryan Sheckler. Sheckler, who is the same age as me, was consistently one of the youngest competitors in every tournament he entered, including when he won gold in the 2003 X Games Park Discipline Competition.

He also reminds me of Sheckler because of the relationship that he has with his father, as Sheckler's dad was the one who originally taught him how to skate.

I wish this kid the best this weekend.

Follow me on Twitter @Pete_Schauer

Skateboarding isn’t a sport.

Recreational activity is more appropriate. The rise of 11-year-old Jagger Eaton only confirms this.

Tod Leonard of U-T San Diego reported that on Thursday, Eaton became the youngest competitor in X Games history when he participated in the Big Air Skateboard event. But he didn’t just show up—Eaton qualified for the finals and showed that he belonged.

And so did three other skateboarders under the age of 16.

What the quartet of youngsters is accomplishing is a phenomenal feat and they should be fully recognized for it. Each is worthy of incredible hype. But what does it say about the veteran skateboarders who are in the same competition as children who aren’t even in high school yet?

Keith Hamm of ESPN reported that skateboarding legend Bob Burnquist isn’t a fan of the injection of immaturity into the competition. He said:

Tom Schaar and Mitchie Brusco are 110 percent deserving to be [skating Big Air]. But you have to keep in mind that this is a professional contest, and you can't open it up to any kid who can jump the Mega. If [contest organizers] really want to do it that way, have a kids division.

Why isn’t Burnquist a fan? It makes him and other household names look like bums.

These meddling kids are flying down the same MegaRamp that Jake Brown almost died on in the 2007 X Games.

Just this past Tuesday, Burnquist thought he broke his back after he lost his board in midair above the half-pipe and slammed into the top of the ramp.

Last year, Mitchie Brusco became the youngest Big Air competitor ever at 14 years old and he finished fifth. At just 12 years old, Tom Schaar landed the first 1080 in competition ever. Name another major sport in which pre-teen and young teenage athletes are capable of competing with grown men three times as old as them.

In football, they’d die—literally. In basketball, they’d get jumped over—literally. In baseball and hockey, they could have all the skill in the world, but they still wouldn’t be ready to compete physically.

A human being’s physical ability peaks from 25-31 years old. It's science. Unlike every other athletic competition, skateboarders aren’t held back by their undeveloped bodies—they’re aided by them.

When Schaar landed his 1080 back in March, he weighed 80 pounds. Of course he’s going to get more hang time than Burnquist, who’s 100 pounds heavier than him.

If the X Games fails to make a kids division like Burnquist suggested, the sport’s recreational activity’s credibility will never recover.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels

Shaun White will not defend his gold medal in the skateboard vert at the 2012 X Games, and fans will be the biggest losers of his decision.

Keith Hamm of ESPN.com reported White’s decision. In the article, White’s publicist Samantha Hill stated, “Shaun has decided to sit out this year's X Games in Los Angeles. This has been a lively year so far; he's now getting back on his skateboard and is excited for summer."

White dominates on half-pipes of any form. He has won five consecutive gold medals at the Winter X Games on the superpipe, and has won gold twice at the skateboarding vert. 

White had an extremely successful snowboarding season and scored the first perfect score in Winter X Games’ history to win the superpipe competition.

In recent years, he has battled Canadian skater Pierre-Luc Gagnon in epic battles on the vert. Gagnon had taken gold in three consecutive years from 2008-2010 before White edged him out in 2011.

Gagnon is a professional and he will carry on without a hitch. He said, in Hamm’s same article, "I'm just focused on what I need to do to be on top of my own skateboarding. And right now, I feel great skating every day. I've got my tricks down. I'm just doing what I've been doing for the past 15 years."

Gagnon will pay no attention to White’s absence, but the fans will be wishing the redhead had decided to attend the event. 

White is one of the biggest stars in extreme sports and the competition between him and Gagnon fueled both skaters. 

Without Gagnon’s dominance in previous years, White would never have been pushed towards this epic run that won him the gold medal. 

White’s personality and talent have made him a big star and his fame has kept him busy. He certainly has plenty on his plate, but his decision to sit out the X Games will make the competition significantly less interesting. 

His fans, and fans of skateboarding at the X Games, will be the ones to suffer the most from his decision.

Gagnon will likely cruise to gold at the vert, and spectators will be left wondering how exciting the competition could have been if White had been there. 

The Summer X Games just got a little less appealing. After winning a gold in 2011, Shaun White will sit out of the exciting Los Angeles competition this year.

The news comes from Samantha Hill, White's publicist (via ESPN):

"Shaun has decided to sit out this year's X Games in Los Angeles," said Hill at WTK Public Relations. "This has been a lively year so far; he's now getting back on his skateboard and is excited for summer."

Lively indeed. After becoming the first snowboarder ever to score a perfect score in the SuperPipe this January at the Winter X Games, White has been busy in New York (or with Maxim's hottest woman alive, Bar Refaeli) and hasn't been able to prepare on the vert as much as he would have liked.

As a result, he's out of the Games. Let's take a closer look at what this means. 

What it Means

Most importantly, it means a ratings drop for the Games. Shaun White is without a doubt the most popular snowboarder/skateboarder on the planet, and a lot of the people who tune in to watch do so just to see White.

He's been winning gold medals at the X Games since 2003, and it will be weird to see him not involved this year. 

The Summer X Games have never been as popular as the Winter Games, and this is just going to hurt its popularity even more. 

However, it does open up the competition for other skaters to make an impact.

What's Next

Without White, who won gold last year on the vert, Pierre-Luc Gagnon is suddenly the clear favorite. 

Nonetheless, according to ESPN, Gagnon won't be approaching the event any differently:

"I'm just focused on what I need to do to be on top of my own skateboarding. And right now, I feel great," he said. "I'm skating every day. I've got my tricks down. I'm just doing what I've been doing for the past 15 years."

There are plenty of other skaters to watch out for in White's best competition.

Bucky Lasek (yes, the 39-year-old is still a force in the skating world) finished third last year.

Andy Macdonald grabbed the bronze in 2009 and 2010 and has eight golds under his belt.

Mitchie Brusco, 15, Pedro Barros, 17, and Alex Perelson, 21, are all young upcoming stars.

Even Elliot Sloan and Adam Taylor, who finished in the top five last year, will have a major chance of grabbing a medal.

While Gagnon is the clear favorite, White's absence opens things up big time. 

Follow @t_keen

The holy grail of action sports has been landed. 

From the most unlikely of sources, the 1080, one of the most sought after tricks to be landed, has been done by 12-year-old Tom Schaar from Malibu, California. 

Around Friday at noon, there were a few tweets and rumblings coming from Red Bull and their action sports page on Facebook, as well as a few tweets being re-tweeted from the Nitro Circus family, most notably Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins, wife of the ever-popular Travis Pastrana. 

This is not only a massive step forward for the world of skateboarding, but this is bound to be a huge popularity booster for the young skateboarder. Expect those in charge of the summer X-Games to get this kid and bring him in for this summer's event.

It does make you wonder what skateboarding and action sports phenoms, Shaun White and Tony Hawk, think of a feat as massive as this. 

Shaun White has been working on the trick for years now for the X-Games Best Trick competition and has yet to land it in competition. He has no problem performing it in his first sport, snowboarding, but it will be interesting to see what he has in store, and what he has to say about a 12-year-old beating him to the punch of one of skateboarding's most sought after tricks. 

Then you have Tony Hawk, the name and face of skateboarding. The first ever man to land a 900 in competition. He has been advocating the sports young stars ever since he has taken a step back from skating in competition himself, White included in that group. It will be interesting to see what comes from the living legend and his mind after such a young person has out done what he sought to achieve for so many years. 

Here is the link to history, via the people at Red Bull.  

Bleacher Report has just learned that superstar skateboarder and Oakley athlete Bob Burnquist will be competing and signing autographs at “Air in the Square.”

This event will take place in New York’s famous Times Square and will feature a 195-foot long course that will take up over a block of the square. The event will feature 20 of the world’s best skate and BMX pros and is free to the public to attend.

Bob Burnquist will be competing at the event and will make a special appearance at the Oakley Store in Times Square on June 15 from 7-9 p.m. ET to sign autographs.

According to a note sent to Bleacher Report from our friends at Oakley, Burnquist is very excited to be at the event.

“Being part of the Oakley family, I’ve been to some wild venues, but it will be mind blowing to be there in Times Square. The event will bring the excitement of the sport to a wider audience and it’ll be a lot of fun seeing the faces of people who didn’t know you can do those things with a deck and four wheels,” said Bob Burnquist.

Burnquist will be one of 20 skate and BMX pros attending the event, and the course itself will be a major attraction as well.

Featuring a one-of-a kind 195-foot long course taking over a block in Times Square, “Air in the Square” will feature 20 of the world’s best skate and BMX pros. Free and open to the public, the event will take place on a MegaRamp ASA Triples course that includes a roll-in ramp measuring 25 feet in height, two 25-foot wide jumps, and a course ending 14-foot high quarter pipe. An estimated 1 million+ people are expected to go through the event site, and the competition will be shown live on two of the jumbo screens above Times Square.

According to the note, this is the first event of many intended to bring action sports to the New York Market.

“Air in the Square” is the first event produced by the newly formed partnership between ASA Entertainment and the Madison Square Garden Company to develop a series of large-scale action sports and lifestyle events in the New York market.

In addition to the live event, “Air in the Square” will be broadcast via three hours of national television coverage on FSN, premiering July 22 at 5:00pm.

And of course, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention Oakley’s role in the event and the special promotions they will be running at the new Oakley Store in Times Square. Oakley is a major sponsor of Burnquist and skateboarding star Ryan Sheckler, who gave Bleacher Report an exclusive interview from the Oakley store a few months ago.

From June 15th to the 16th, customers who visit the Oakley Store in Times Square will have a chance to win autographed skate decks. The company will also give away a limited number of tickets for a post-party event, as well as select Oakley products during the two-day promotional period.

Open since April of this year, the Times Square Oakley Store showcases the company’s latest style creations and performance innovations. Oakley Stores augment the company’s valued retail partners around the world while giving customers unique opportunities to preview next generations of the company’s new inventions.

For more information go to Oakley.com and don’t forget to check out “Air in the Square” on June 16 and the Oakley Store in Times Square for an autograph session with Bob Burnquist on June 15 from 7-9 p.m. ET.

Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AKonSports