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| PHOTO: Terence JR Lee |
It was not a weekend for the faint-hearted, as extreme sports enthusiasts pulled out every trick and turn they could from their bag, attempting heart-stopping “handlebar rides” and mid-air “hardflips” at the first ever NYC Xtreme Championship Cup held over the weekend of July 10 and 11 at the Somerset Xtreme Skatepark and East Coast Xtreme Skatepark.
Part of the SHINE Youth Festival, the event saw aggressive inline skaters, extreme skateboarders and BMX bikers taking to the ramps and half-pipes to strut their stuff for a chance to qualify for the Singapore Xtreme Championship, a regional competition happening in August.
Still, friendly competition was the name of the game as competitors high-fived, slapped hands and patted backs after each run. While there were the expected thrills with flamboyant 360s, there were also spills aplenty, with competitors visibly tiring during the later stages.
Venezuelan Ernesto Borges took a bad fall while attempting a trick, and was rushed to the medic station clutching his shoulder—but returned to win the inline stunt segment of the competition. Ng Chee Keong and Nazeer won the BMX and skateboard segments respectively.
For non-competitors and casual observers, there was also a host of alternative sports to try out, such as parkour and Jumping Jacks, where jumping stilts allow the wearer to stride and jump further. Students from Singapore Polytechnic gave a demonstration of Sport Chanbara, a discipline of martial art which combines martial art techniques with the use of padded weapons.
To promote these extreme sports, the National Youth Council, which organized the event, also holds clinics two Sundays a month at the East Coast Xtreme Skatepark. For more details, contact nycextreme@nyc.sg.
