Street sports are hot right now in Taiwan and another extreme sports challenge today will add fuel to the growing flame.
Organizers of the Nutrilite Extreme Challenge have teamed up with the Aggressive Skaters Association, an international organization, to put on a "world-class" two-day event at the Warner Village complex in Taipei, near the City Hall. They have transformed the car park site between the New York, New York department store and the Hyatt Hotel into a fairground for extreme competition, including a street course and half-pipe vert ramp, along with other sideshows and events.
More than 120 local skaters will be vying for the right to be Taiwan's No. 1 and trying to knock the sport's international stars off their perches.
The "king of skateboarding" and Taiwan's ESPN X-Tour winner this year, Huang Yao-te (黃耀德) has been confirmed for the tournament, along with BMXers Liao Wu-Hsung and Cheng Bang-chung -- who are both X-Tour champions. Jacky Chen (陳奇權), one of Taiwan's most experienced X-Games athletes, has represented the country in US and international competitions.
"The big thing about it is that this is a world-class event. Six of the seven guys [coming over] are ranked in the top 10, so this is a top-class field. It's international, only about 20 cities in the world are holding these things," said Geoffrey Le Cren, who runs a skate shop in Taipei and has been responsible for much of the grassroots development of the sport in Taiwan since 1996.
"It's the first time that many of the emerging sport's top pros have come to Taiwan," Le Cren said. "They [the organizers] have made the competition very accessible. It's all geared up for a lot of people who will all be able to see the action. We've got the caliber of athletes who will attract that sort of interest."
There is a strong US presence for the competition, with premier skaters Matt Lindy, 20, Shawn Robertson, 21, and the world street champion challenger Ryan Dawes, 19, taking part. Respected skater, judge, actor and relative veteran at 27, Azikiwee Anderson will head the judging team.
The European contingent comprises Sven Boekhorst, 21, from the Netherlands, who took the world street title last year and Beni Huber, 19, from Switzerland, who placed first in the 1999 European championships.
Japan's world champion Yasutoko brothers, 18 and 15, are the cherries on top of the skating cake and are expected to set the competition alight.
Most of the competitors flew in yesterday and are all young men who are happy to be able to do what they do best and get well rewarded for it.
"We're on top of the world, it couldn't get much better," said Shawn Robertson. "We could do a regular job, but we do what we want and get paid for it, meet nice people and travel the world."
Lindy said that though it could not be compared with the NBA in terms of professionalism and money, yet, skating has gained mainstream acceptance as a sport and the cash incentives are growing.
"Just last year, I think, people were starting to wise up and promoters started coming in and coming up with sponsorship. People are starting to get paid. It's not at the level of professional sports, but it's growing," he said.
Lindy said he realized that with the rewards came responsibility, "The reason they [sponsors] put up money is because they want to sell product. They want us to represent them. It's no good being a dick and not signing autographs."
Anderson agreed.
"That would be a double negative. We all have opportunities, so that we can do something with our lives, but if you're into doing different types of things [like skateboarding] we still need different people to look up to us," he said. "Skating is not a team game, so individualism is important and to move ahead in the skating world you have to get noticed and then hope to pick up a sponsor, such as a skateboard manufacturer, sportsclothes makers, or even e-businesses -- because they want to be associated with new and exciting sports.
"Rollerblading is one of the few sports where you can be yourself and people will like you for that," Anderson said.
Lindy compares it with the PGA golf tour.
"There's competitions every week that we can either go to or not go to. We are our own people and we run our own lives," he said. "If we do well then we earn. There is money in the game."
Sven Boekhorst said the most he has made for winning one competition is US$23,000, but admits the money is getting better.
In Taipei, US$10,000 in prize money is on offer.
A structure for competition skating has developed and a career ladder for skaters has emerged: It starts in the parks and the streets, goes on to highschool and amateur competitions, followed by sponsors and involvement in the professional game.
Ironically, skating gets people off the streets and into another lifestyle, Dawes said.
"Where I come from [Plano, Texas] it's heroin or skating. I made a positive choice by doing skating."
James Coury, director of the Aggressive Skating Association said, "You can either be a street punk or do something with your life.
"Many people take the choice of study and college. Others get into professional sports. Or you can go your own way. Skating is something that you can excel in and now make a career of."
The ubiquitous presence of Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
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