Trick-for-Trick Showdown Set For Game of S.K.A.T.E.
Skateboarding is going back to its simplest form and taking it old-school, as ESPN hosts Game of S.K.A.T.E., a new World of X Games event and show being filmed at the network’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn., on August 1.
Much like everyone’s favorite driveway basketball game H-O-R-S-E, the competition is a trick matching showdown on a flat stretch of pavement, with skaters battling head-to-head to test each other’s skills. A total of eight skaters will have to replicate the same trick performed by the first athlete. If he doesn’t land the trick, he gets a letter, and any athlete who spells out S-K-A-T-E is eliminated from the event. First place is awarded to the last skater standing.
The all-star lineup for the event includes X Games medalists Chris Cole and Nyjah Huston, previous Battle at the Berrics winners Mike Mo Capaldi and PJ Ladd, and Street League competitors Shane O’Neill and Tom Asta. X Games Los Angeles 2011 Game of S.K.A.T.E. runner-up Brandon Westage and Bill Marks will round out the field.
The Game of S.K.A.T.E. will be streamed live on ESPN3, with X Games host Brandon Graham doing the commentary. It will also be televised as part of the World of X Games series on August 10 at 5 p.m. on ABC.