"My goal is to have a grass-roots program," Ream said. "We know the numbers in skateboarding are better than Little League."
In a move that will make action sports more like Little League, the governing bodies for skating and BMX plan to implement contest series culminating in national championships during the next year, including vert.
Ream has also recognized that the 4m-tall ramps that the pros ride are overwhelming to youngsters who are only getting started, so he had a 3m halfpipe built.
"I started on a 12-foot (3.7m) vert ramp," said Koji Kraft, who at 22 is the youngest BMX freestyle vert rider at the X Games. "It was intimidating."
Given the danger of falling on a huge vert ramp, many opt instead for the street, according to Kraft. "Crash on street and you could be back two days later," he said. "One crash on vert could take you out for a year."
Added Kagy: "It doesn't matter how good you are, eventually you are going to slam. Vert's a darn scary thing. You could fall off the top of the ramp and get hurt. Now try going 13 feet (4m) above that."
All of which will continue to make vert riding the exclusive domain of the bold. For those willing to try, however, there will soon be more opportunities to ride ramps.
"This is something we've thought about for the past five years," Swope said. "We're going to have some new blood come along. No question -- there's talented riders out there who can ride vert."
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