THE X GAMES

The ESPN X Games will bring together more than 450 of the world’s best alternative sports athletes for the next 11 days in San Diego and Oceanside, where they will compete for medals and $500,000 in 10 sports categories. It’s the fourth anniversary of the summer X Games and their second consecutive year in San Diego, where game officials say more than 221,000 fans watched the 1997 competition. The games debuted in June, 1995, as the Extreme Games and were held in Rhode Island and Vermont. By the second year the name was changed to the X Games. This year’s summer X Games are expected to generate more than 38 hours of programming for cable television network ESPN and its affiliates.

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Sky Surfing

A unique hybrid of skydiving, board skills and technical prowess judged as a two-person team.

How it works: A parachutist (sky surfer) with an aerodynamic board strapped to his feet and a second parachutist (camera flyer) with a video camera mounted on his helmet exit a plane at around 13,000 feet. While falling 100 to 120 mph, the sky surfer performs a routine, incorporating inverted spins and other choreographed maneuvers. The camera flyer keeps pace, filming the 50-second routine while flying over, under and turning inverted along with the sky surfer. The footage is viewed live by judges and spectators on monitors below.

Judging: Based on execution, skill, creativity and quality of video footage.

The Sky Surfer

Skyboard: Custom-made of carbon fiber and structural foam. Resembles a snowboard, only lighter and stiffer.

Weight: Less than five pounds.

Length: Usually between 50-60 inches long, depending on sky surfer’s height, weight, experience and preference. Shorter boards are easier to control, longer boards provide more lift for certain maneuvers but require more skill to control.

Width: 9-12 inches.

Thickness: 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch.

Bindings: Toe loop and heel strap secure board to feet. Left-foot forward is called natural or normal stance. Right-foot forward is referred to as goofy foot, just as it is in surfing.

Release system: Cord attached to bindings runs up pant leg and fastens to handle on waistband. Sky surfer pulls handle to release bindings.

Jumpsuit: Style depends on preference. Most wear tight-fitting pants with a loose-fitting jacket to give upper body more lift.

Harness container: Backpack for main chute, reserve chute.

The Camera Flyer

Digital video camera: Films live-action footage.

Microwave transmitter: Transmits footage to judges’ monitors for spectators below.

Still camera: A 35mm camera for stop-action shots can be mounted here during practice runs instead of transmitter.

Audible altitude alarm: Makes a beeping sound at preset altitude to alert camera flyer to open main chute.

Winglets: Fabric panels sewn to jumpsuit catch air. Slows descent and provides maneuverability.

Shoes: Regular athletic shoes

The Routine

Exiting aircraft: (Approximately 13,000 feet

Hairy Armpit: Sky surfer and camera flyer fall in tandem with sky surfer grasping camera flyer’s feet. Camera flyer swings around and stands on skyboard.

Invisible Man: Sky surfer breaks away and begins rapid vertical spin, arms tucked close to body. Camera flyer keeps pace, filming the maneuver while flying horizontally away from sky surfer.

Tracking pass: Camera flyer and sky surfer fly toward each other horizontally, crossing paths.

Torpedo: Sky surfer turns inverted and begins spinning head down while grasping the end of the board.

Body Spin

Sky surfer turns horizontally and begins spinning rapidly while crouching low on the board, arms extended.

Tidy Bowl in the Hole: Camera flyer crosses over and films the spinning sky surfer from above.

Chutes open: 3,000-4,000 feet

Time in the air: 50 seconds

Landing: Sky surfer releases board a few feet off the ground

Total time in the air: 60 seconds

The Sports

451 athletes will compete in 10 sport categories, including:

Skateboarding:

Where: Mariner’s Point

Events: Vert, vert doubles and street skating

Top performers: Tony Hawk, Bob Burnquist, Andy McDonald

Bicycle Stunt Riding:

Where: Mariner’s Point

Events: Vert, vert doubles, street, dirt jumping and flatland

Top performers: David “The Lord” Voelker, Dave Mirra, Dennis McCoy

Aggressive In-Line Skating:

Where: Mariner’s Point

Events: Street, vert and vert triples. Separate competitions for men and women.Top performers: Keith Turner, Brian Bell, Fabiola DeSilva, Tash Hodgeson

Wakeboarding

Where: Mariner’s Point

Events: Three runs of two passes each, judged on trick difficulty. Separate competitions for men and women

Top performers: Darren Shapiro, Jeremy Kovak, Tara Hamilton, Sonja Scheffler

Other sports:

Big-air snowboarding, Downhill in-line skating, Sky surfing, Street luge, Sport climbing Barefoot water-skiing

The Locals

Forty of the 129 X-Games participants from California live in Orange County. That’s more than extreme-sport mecca San Diego County, which is home to 29 contestants. Where Orange County’s X-Games participants reside:

ANAHEIM

Shaun Butler, Bicycle stunt riding

Josh Stricker, Bicycle stunt riding

COSTA MESA

Champion Baumstimle, Aggressive in-line skating

Ryan Brennan, Bicycle stunt riding

Beau Brown, Downhill skateboarding exhibition

Chris Gentry, Skateboarding

Rune Glifberg, Skateboarding (Denmark)

Omar Hassan, Skateboarding

John Rogers, Street luge racing

Neil Semar, Aggressive in-line skating

Lincoln Ueda, Skateboarding (Brazil)

CYPRESS

Randy Spizer, Aggressive in-line skating

HUNTINGTON BEACH

Don “Waldo” Autry, Street luge racing

Julie Brandt, Downhill in-line skating

Ruben Castillo, Bicycle stunt riding

Brian Foster, Bicycle stunt riding

Kevin Guiterrez, Bicycle stunt riding

Ron Hanstein, Street luge racing

Eric Lee, Downhill skateboarding exhibition

Todd Lyons, Bicycle stunt riding

Cory Nastazio, Bicycle stunt riding (Canada)

George Orton, Street luge racing

Brian Patch, Skateboarding

Andrew Reynolds, Skateboarding

Brad Strandland, Street luge racing

Chet Thomas, Skateboarding

Rick Thorne, Bicycle stunt riding

Gabe Weed, Bicycle stunt riding

FOUNTAIN VALLEY

Ed Templeton, Skateboarding

FULLERTON

Sean Mallard, Street luge racing

GARDEN GROVE

Pat Channita, Skateboarding

IRVINE

Mike Budnik, Aggressive in-line skating

Eitan Kramer, Aggressive in-line skating

LAGUNA NIGUEL

Tara Dakides, Big-air snowboarding

LAKE FOREST

Dave Auld, Street luge racing

ORANGE

Peggy Tillinghast, Downhill in-line skating

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO

Jake Brown, Skateboarding (Australia)

SEAL BEACH

Chris Garrett, Aggressive in-line skating

TUSTIN

Darren Lott, Street luge racing

WESTMINSTER

Perry Fisser, Street luge racing

Source: ESPN X-Games

Source: Elsinore Surf Sky Surfing team (Scott Smith, sky surfer, and Sabia, camera flyer); Surflite Inc.;, Pete McKeeman, ESPN X-Games sky surfing event coordinator;ESPN X-Games. Graphics reporting by JANICE JONES DODDS / Los Angeles Times