DANNY WAY – BIGGER & BETTER

Just because Danny Way’s out of Big Air doesn’t mean he’s done.

Courtesy X Games 3D: The Movie

Danny wants to keep prgressing beyond anywhere he’s been before.

When you watch something like Danny Way’s dramatic slam at X Games 14, it’s not hard to see why some people call him skateboarding’s Evel Knievel. Way has been pro for almost 20 years and spent the first half of it competing like any other skater. But over the last 10 years his name became synonymous with large ramps and record-breaking stunts. First was the Super Ramp and his bomb drop from a helicopter. Then came the Mega Ramp and his jump over the Great Wall Of China. Then the drop in from the Hard Rock sign in Las Vegas, and on and on.

Way was instrumental in bringing the MegaRamp to the X Games in 2004, going on to win the event three times. But on Friday, Way announced he’s opting out of the Big Air at XG15 to focus on the Rail Jam that he’s convinced X Games to hold on this year’s Mega. He says the move will allow him to focus on what he loves most: innovation and progression. “My mindset with skateboarding, from a little kid until now,” Way told ESPN Skateboarding, “was always, ‘What’s next?’ You know, looking to the future. What drives me is progression.”

The MegaRamp was first seen in Way’s closing segment for the 2004 “DC Video,” and Big Air has since become a staple of the X Games. In Way’s eyes it now stands on its own. “The MegaRamp was a part of the progression. I skated that out in the desert and knew it had a life of it’s own beyond just myself in a video part. To see it in the X Games, it’s at a point where I feel that with or without me it’s a genre in skateboarding.”

“Bob [Burnquist], Jake [Brown], and Pierre [Luc Gagnon]—those were the guys that I felt would be caught up to speed and be competitive real quickly and you look at the results and they have done the best,” Way said. “Creating a genre like this within our sport and seeing it stand on its own, was amazing for me.”

Way seems content with what he has done in the Big Air event. He will continue to be instrumental in the Big Air and all other MegaRamp events, whether through his MegaRamp company, which he part-owns along with Bob Burnquist or as a commentator alongside Tony Hawk at this year’s broadcast. But he wants to look to the future.

Courtesy X Games 3D: The Movie

Danny takes a spin on Bob Burnquist’s backyard monstrosity.

Way stressed that he’s not “backing out” of Big Air; rather, he feels he’s returning to where he’s most comfortable: skateboarding’s cutting edge. And for him, that’s now the Rail Jam. The event will take place on the MegaRamp, with a rainbow rail placed to span the gap of the initial jump. “I did the rail five years ago and it’s taken five years to get the rail in the X Games. This year will be the first year and it is important. My sole purpose for skating Mega was not to prove myself above or beyond anyone else. It was driven by pushing myself and now I feel the next thing is the Rail Jam.”

Recently, Lizard King, Ryan Sheckler, and Pat Duffy all stepped to the MegaRamp and landed the gap. However, Lizard King and Sheckler slid out before the vert quarterpipe and Duffy tried but failed to skate the vert ramp, breaking his tibia in the process. Way feels their ability to pull the gap suggests a possible merging of the Mega with street elements and different kinds of vert elements.

“Lizard, Sheckler, and Duffy had the same issue—they all aired the gap but jumped off at the quarterpipe because they don’t know how to skate vert. All the street guys want to jump the gap, but they don’t have the skill set to skate the quarterpipe. So, my mindset is, ‘How do I create the event to get all of those guys involved?” says Way.

Way’s answer is something he’s calling “The Hawaii Project.” Located on a piece of property he purchased in Hawaii, Way is circumspect on any details of the Project since it’s still in the planning stages. But the gist is a giant MegaRamp course with street and pool elements—huge jumps and huge hips. “I have this really crazy plan that I’m going to start working on. It’s a new kind of structure—I think there are so many other things on the MegaRamp scale that are possible.”

Plz visit Josh Brooks blog and view the original interview @: http://espn.go.com/action/skateboarding/blog?post=4340201