Extreme Measures : Competitors Show Off Wheels of Fortune at Seal Beach Event

SEAL BEACH —  There is in-line skating, skateboarding and biking.

And then there is something else entirely, something that happens when possessed teens dare to stop skating or biking on mere pavement and hop up on railings, jump from ramps and even defy gravity by shooting up an 11-foot-high wooden arc, writhing impossibly in midair at the top and effortlessly sailing down feet-first for another go.

It all looks so simply crazy here at the B3and Blade Jam, an ESPN-sponsored “extreme” televised event in which more than 100 daredevil in-line skaters, skateboarders and BMX bikers compete for three days ending Sunday at the Seal Beach Pier.

Saturday was a day of preliminaries before the finals today, and a treat for pros and novices alike.

With huge speakers thumping out rap, ska and punk music, each sport showcased its best on three lots, with concessionaires, games and food sprinkled throughout.

There were BMX stunt bikers swinging back and forth--with some midair whirling and twisting, of course--along twin 11-foot-high, arced ramps.

Skateboarders tested their agility along a course that included two-foot high ramps for quick jumps as well as 6- to 8-foot, arced ramps for such antics as “backside kickers”--which really is pretty much just that, a quick spin and kick out of the board toward the posterior.

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At least, that’s how it looks from the stands.

In a third lot, “aggressive skating,” one of the newer extreme sports, showed off its “sick tricks.”

That description, a compliment for a particularly spectacular move, belongs to Mark Shays, 26, one of the originators and promoters of this sport that turned pro about three years ago.

If racing along the 11-foot ramps and flying off the “verts”--vertical slabs at the tips--twisting, writhing and, with any luck, never falling before returning to Earth, doesn’t seem eye-opening try this: Some of these kids--most are 14 to mid-20s--who belong to the professional organization, the Aggressive Skating Assn., pocket from several thousand dollars to $500,000 a year or more through product endorsements, competition purses and show biz appearances.

But practitioners swear by the fun of it all.

These are people who, when not in school, are gliding railings, curbs, fountains, benches along city streets and every loop and ramp the few skate parks in the area have to offer.

Chris Garrett, 21, of Seal Beach, and one of the top performers, explains that the growth of the sport is a logical progression from what seems to come naturally to Southern California beach bums.

They eschew “training”--some even hate the word--in favor of “sessions” with buddies along streets, alleys, parks--whatever.

“We skate all over, everywhere. We skate all over as our transportation,” Garrett said.

Whether it was bladers, bikers or boarders, many fans dreamed of copying these guys.

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Some have a long way to go.

Adam Nichol, 7, of Huntington Beach, donned his in-line skates, skittered a few feet and froze solid in front of a 2-foot-high ramp set up in a lot for those who wanted to attempt to turn dream into reality.

With some reassurance from a chaperon, he skated back a few feet and tried again, this time making it halfway up the ramp before flopping forward, arms and legs flailing.

“I think I can do it, but I need one at home,” he told his mother, Marie, who didn’t look convinced.

Mark Ambrose, 13, sped toward the ramp, went right up and landed with a skid, clearly a stunt he has tried somewhere before.

“Piece of cake,” the Mission Viejo youth said afterward, before dashing around for another try.

“I don’t know if I can do that,” he said, pointing to the towering arcs the pros were using for their competitions. “But I’m ready to try.”