X Games 17: Nate Adams Takes Gold in Speed & Style
Sunday, July 31, 2011 | 11:15 AM
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PrintNate Adams Styles His Way to X Games Gold in Moto X Speed & Style
Although he didn’t cross the finish line first, Nate Adams’ style points gave him the X Games gold in Moto X Speed & Style over the speedy Mike Mason.
“I just found out I won,” a surprised and excited Adams said. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet. I am speechless I don’t even know what to say. I put in the work and I was doubtful of myself coming into this year honestly. I guess I need to be more doubtful more often.”
In last year’s event, Adams just missed the top spot and took silver, but 2011 is turning out to be his year as it is his second gold of X Games 17. His first came in Friday night’s Moto X Freestyle event.
Even though he didn’t get the top spot, the silver represented Mason’s best finish in X Games.
“I am so stoked right now,” Mason said. “The course was awesome, so much better than last year. I am so pumped about my medal. I felt so good through the whoops and I am just happy I rode well.”
In the bronze medal match Ronnie Faisst, who just four months ago broke his femur, knocked off Moto legend Carey Hart for his second-consecutive bronze in the discipline.
“Because of my injury I am came in with no expectations, but stoked I was able to medal,” Faisst added.
Speed & Style combines racing and the gravity-defying tricks of Freestyle. Two riders will race head-to-head around a four-lap, short-track-motorcross-inspired course. The twist is that both riders must hit a freestyle ramp and execute a trick on each lap. Upon the conclusion of the race, the judges give each rider a “style” score based on overall impression of the tricks performed on each lap. In addition, the first rider to cross the finish line receives bonus “speed” points for their margin of victory over the other rider. The overall goal of the competition is to find a balance between speed (time) and style (execution of tricks).
X Games 17
In its ninth year in Los Angeles, X Games 17 will feature more than 200 athletes at competition venues and event spaces including STAPLES Center and Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE. The 17th annual action sports competition to be held in Los Angeles July 28 – 31 and will debut the new discipline of Enduro X, as well as the first-ever rally street circuit running through the downtown area. ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC will combine to telecast 25 hours of live X Games 17 competition. In addition to the 25 original hours in high definition, the Worldwide Leader in Action Sports will also televise 21 hours of X Games action on ESPN 3D. More than 29 hours will also be distributed on ESPN3.com.
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basically everything about this years xgames has been a joke. where should i start?
the best whip contest...i dont even wanna get into how pathetic that was with "fan voting". it was a popularity contest, not a best whip contest.
the freestyle contest...espn are u kidding me with this freestyle course? thats the lames thing ive seen in my entire life. what happened to the home depot center that was huuge and had a bunch of dirt hits and other obstacles that actually allowed the riders to get creative? this years course was the same cookie cutter bs, i couldnt even watch it it was so boring.
and speed and style? well it was on that lame excuse for a supercross course that was about 7 feet wide in some sections.
unless i see some better courses next year i'm done watching xgamest, which should absolutely not be considered the biggest/best one of the year.
Totally agree with you m c!!!
X games smells rotten............
Money, sponsors whoring out their athletes, stupid contests, it's all lame.
when did speed and style air on tv? i tried to record all the moto stuff but seemed to miss it. or did it not air yet?
The whole X games has become a joke it does nothing for our sport. They take out actual racing for this fruity racing that they can manipulate with a judged element. Makes me wonder how much it costs in advertising revenue to get a win.
yea this years "popularity contest" was really lame. best whip was a joke. suprised twitch didn't win speed n style too
JUST A COMPLETE JOKE, Did you see the poll here no one gives a hoot about womens motocross thats the biggest joke of all. How about skate boards even worse lol lol lol
OK, I dont have TV so I cant say anything about the coverage. I will say most of the people whatching are probably the stick and ball soprts, also even if you like golf how can that be called a sport? It is like playing pool or Poker. takes some skills but not a sport. I give Basketball the best ranking and Football is ptretty tough. Baseball and golf are in the same place about Plolo. Hey I like playing ping Pong (no I am not talking about Ping) I like to play Pool and Darts. OK anyhoooooo...... yes from wht I understnd TV is ruining X_Games. Before you all bash me I did race Motocross for 27 years it is the real sport!!
@Get real, I care about womens moto. So you dont like moto unless the person riding the bike has a Male member between his legs?? Says alot about you. I love all moto, I guess I am just a moto fan. And the speed and style was a all USA podium, yess. USA all the way!!
Has anyone questioned the scoring of this event? 90% of the event is racing and 10% is style over a jump, however, 90% of the score comes from style over a jump while the racing accounts for 10% of the score. The scoring doesn't reflect the event. It seems like another freestyle contest to me.
Mason is a bad dude wish he would have won it but its all good. Pretty sure he is the only freestyler with a legit moto back round that has actually qualified for nationals, Supercross and Arenacross. Too bad the best dude got silver in speed n style this year.
I think more than Mason have qual'd for MX/SX/AX in the past.
BUT, Deegan tried sometime in the last 5 years to do the FULL MX season (got a good deal to do them). He didn't qualify at round 1, and I think got hurt at round 2. I would assume they go out to practice days in Cali sometimes.
I think they should hold a race for freestylers with a huge purse to see who is the fastest these days.
Hey get real, you wish you could ride like those girls, they are awesome. It pretty pethetic that some idiot behind a keyboard complains about girls racing, if you don't like it don't watch. My guess is you've already got your ass kicked by a girl on a bike.
speed and style event - yawn
I have been beat by Whitmore at various races in Michigan years ago.
I care not whether its a woman or a man beating me, but I go to a national to watch professional level riders and when the fastest woman is in the bottom 10-15 of the men it makes it like watching a local A/B class (albeit at a WELL prepared track).
On the flip side, where DO you place them??
i went riding today in the florida heat and humidity.at no time during my three six lap moto did i feel the urge to add difficulty to those rides by adding f$$king back flip. who the hell came up with speed and style, what is that? the speed partis a race between two guys who cant even get into sx event.the style part is hucking a backflip and hoping the guy does not land on you! some one please get death-x games off my tv it/s really pissing me off.
Tbone
Nate Adams qualified for a SX night show last year at Salt Lake and missed a night show by .10 second I believe at A1.
I would be curious to see how many people who talk crap on X-games athletes actually know them and hang out with them on a regular basis. These athletes have a lot of respect for each other and understand the commitment and sacrifice that each one goes through to be able to make a living within their respective sport.
I am deployed overseas and didnt get to see any of the X Games, but, from the reviews that I am getting....it must not have been very good. One word.....RESTRUCTURE. X Games is awesome to have around but, I think that the same events are being pushed to the point where they are too predictable. So, add new ideas and more exciting events.....Im sure that alot of neat ideas could be brought to the table for next year. Im sure that $$$$$ is a big issue also, hopefully this issue will be resolved sooner than later.
dear 2 cents in the words of clint east wood,"dyen aint much of liven son" listen i woulnot nor would i let my son ever attempt back flips,front flips,360, any of the stupid sh$$t these guys pull. whatever there commitment and sacriafies i will bet you a weeks pay not one of them would tell you it is worth not walking again! what pisses me off is espn makes dough off these guy hyping the danger i douht these guys get peice of tv revenue . the whole thing needs to go away!