1975- American snowboarder One of the most decorated snowboarders in the history of the sport, Kevin Jones has medaled in all but three of the X Games events he's ever entered, settling for fourth place in big air competition at the Summer X Games of 1999, fifth place in big air at the Winter X Games of 2001, and fourth in slopestyle at the 2002 Winter X Games. An avid skateboarder as a boy…
1950-1998 American surfer Surfing champion Rell Sunn fought almost single-handedly to grant women access to the sport at a time when it was still very much a male-dominated pursuit, and along the way emerged as one of the top female longboarders in the world. Often compared to Duke Kahanamoku, considered the founder of modern surfing, Sunn was "the modern archetype of the Hawaiian water-wom…
1975- American motocross racer Brian Deegan is a champion freestyle motocross (FMX) rider, the gold medal winner of his event at the 2002 Winter X Games. A medalist in each X Games from 1999 to 2002, Deegan is a member of the Metal Mulisha, a team of riders that includes Deegan, Mike Jones and Tommy Clowers. These riders take even extreme games to the extreme, dressing in black leather with spikes…
1961- American skateboarder Skateboard champion and punk-rock vocalist Duane Peters has been an idol of the underground skate-punk movement for nearly three decades. Known among his fans as the Master of Disaster, Peters is largely credited with pioneering the counterculture that unites skate-boarding and punk music. Skin-headed, missing his two front teeth, and festooned with tattoos and safety-p…
1890-1968 American surfer Duke Kahanamoku achieved legendary status in two sports—swimming and surfing—and in the process became Hawaii's best-known citizen. More than a sports champion or media celebrity, however, Kahanamoku also represented a vital link with his native land's past. In popularizing surfing among new generations of athletes around the world, Kahanamoku …
1983- American snowboarder American snowboarder Kelly Clark "had such an awesome run," on February 10, 2002, her Olympic teammate Shannon Dunn-Downing told the Washington Post. "She just kept going big. She did a super-nice McTwist … at the end, she just busted out a seven." Translation: Clark won the gold medal in the women's halfpipe competition in the 2…
1974- American BMX rider American Dave Mirra is a dominant BMX freestyle rider who won a number of extreme sports competitions, winning at least thirteen medals at the X Games, the most of anybody in his sport to date. Nicknamed "Miracle Boy," Mirra has suffered a number of injuries but continues to ride. Mirra was born April 4, 1974, in Syracuse, New York, and grew up in Chittenango…
1968- American skateboarder Tony Hawk is considered one of the greatest skateboarders in the history of the sport. From his first turns on a board at age nine, Hawk has consistently challenged physics, gravity, and his own body by accomplishing astonishing acts on a piece of wood attached to four wheels. The California native was instrumental in the evolution of skateboarding from the preppy recre…
1972- American snowboarder Extreme athletes like snowboard slalom champion Chris Klug brought a new look and a new rhythm to the Olympics with the introduction of (e)Xtreme sports at Nagano, Japan, in 1998. Without altering the Olympic ideals, the personas of the heroes of the Games were redefined. For Klug, who took the Olympic bronze in 2002, the win was an anticlimax to a life-saving surgery th…
1960- American waterskier Camille Duvall, "The Golden Goddess" of professional water skiing, holds more titles in slalom than all other women waterskiers combined. Her nearly thirty year dominance in the sport is unprecedented, and her impact on the public's perception of water skiing helped it gain recognition and popularize the sun-drenched water sport. Her impact is so grea…
1979- American motocross racer After winning the American Motocross Association (AMA) 125-cc Motocross series for three consecutive years, Ricky Carmichael moved up to the 250-cc class and won that series for the next three years. He is also a two-time champion in the AMA 250-cc Super-cross series. In 2002 Carmichael posted an unprecedented perfect record of twelve overall wins in the twelve-race …
1968- American extreme athlete Shaun Palmer When it comes to sports, Shaun Palmer likes them extreme. If he doesn't get an adrenaline rush from it, it's not worth doing. He started with skateboarding and snowboarding as a boy and over time has tried his hand—quite successfully, it turns out—at mountain biking and motocross racing. He's had this insatiable …
1964- American surfer Tom Curren was the American surfing icon of the 1980s. As the first American to find success on the Australian-dominated Association of Surfing Professionals tour, he gave hope to hundreds of young would-be competitors across the country. Between his fame, his success, and his clean-living Christian lifestyle, Curren was a role model for thousands of young surfers. …
1972- American BMX rider Mat Hoffman, five years old, stood at the top of a home-made ramp in the family's backyard, perched on his BMX bike with only an older brother's grip to keep him from falling over the edge. He pleaded with his brother to hold on tight so, as older brothers will, he dropped him. Hoffman flew down the ramp, and took the jump while keeping his balance. After yel…
