Jake Brown

Infobox_Person
name = Jake Brown


image_size = 320px
caption = Jake Brown after his X Games 13 slam.
birth_date = birth date and age|1974|9|6
birth_place = Sydney, Australia
occupation = Skateboarder
spouse = April Brown

Jake 'Unbreakable' Brown (born September 6, 1974) is an Australian skateboarder who competes in the X Games. He began competing in 1996, turning pro the following year. [about.com [http://skateboard.about.com/od/proskaterbios/p/ProJakeBrown.htm Biography] ] His skateboard stance is "goofy".

Personal

Jake Brown's parents divorced when he was young, and he lived with his mom, riding horses and going to dog shows. At 13, Jake Brown gave up soccer for skateboarding, and eventually moved from Sydney to Melbourne to be able to skate more. In 1996, Jake Brown competed in his first pro event, the Slam City Jam, and in 1997, he moved to California. Jake Brown now lives in Carlsbad with his wife April, who works at a Biotech firm.

ponsors

* Blind Skateboards
* KR3W Apparel
* Ricta Wheels
* Independent Truck Company
* LG Electronics
* Monster Energy
* Dragon Sunglasses

Mega ramp fall

On August 2, 2007, during the Summer X Games 2007 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, Brown suffered what ESPN commentators called the "heaviest slam they had ever seen". On his fifth and final run, he landed the first ever 720, in competition, on a mega ramp, but on the ensuing trick, he lost his balance, flew into the air, and fell about 45 feet (15 m) onto the ramp below. [Asterpix.com [http://www.asterpix.com/console?as=1192503871597-93af77da8a "Interactive Video"] ] According to Brown, when he landed the 720, he was approaching the quarterpipe too far to the left. At that moment, he started carving towards the right, which caused him to go into a slide. To stop the slide he had to compress, which shot him out above the flatground once he flew over the coping of the ramp.Thomas, Pete [http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-xside5aug05,1,4252133.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-sports&ctrack=1&cset=true "JAKE BROWN: The Aftermath"] , August 5, 2007]

The collision with the ramp was so hard, it knocked both of his shoes off. Tony Hawk compared it to walking off a three-story building and landing on the concrete. Incredibly, Brown managed to walk away from the scene under his own power, [Break.com [http://www.break.com/index/jake-brown-falls-over-50ft.html "Live Video"] ] [Gibson, Jano. [http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/the-gnarliest-slam-ive-ever-seen/2007/08/03/1185648124807.html "The gnarliest slam I've ever seen"] , The Sydney Morning Herald. August 3, 2007] [Lair, Keith. [http://www.whittierdailynews.com/sports/ci_6532063 "Frightening fall puts Brown in hospital"] , Whittier Daily News. August 4, 2007] but was found to have sustained a lacerated liver, a lung contusion and stress fractures in his vertebra as well as a small hand fracture. [Thomas, Pete [http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/la-sp-xgames4aug04,0,7314715.story "It still makes him feel like a kid"] , August 4, 2007] During an interview, his doctor said that Jake was very lucky to be alive, and that only 1 out of ten people survive a fall from 45 feet.

Brown had won the silver medal earlier in the X Games for the Skateboard Big Air.

Brown was released from the hospital on August 5, 2007, having been there for 3 days for observations.

Career highlights

* 2004 - First in Vert at LG Action Sports Tour, Beijing, China [http://www.lgactionsports.com/athlete.html?athlete_id=72&sport=skateboarding Jake Brown LG Sports Tour Biography] ]
* 2005 - Second in Vert at LG Action Sports Tour, Paris, France
* 2005 - Won "Best Vert Skater" from Transworld Skateboarding Magazine [ [http://www.skateboarding.com/skate/news/article/0,23271,1067262,00.html The 7th Annual TransWorld SKATEboarding Awards Winners!] , May 31, 2005]
* 2006 - Highest air at Global Assault, Australia [ [http://www.globe.tv/events/globalassault/news/results.php Global Assault results] ]
* 2006 - X Games Big Air Silver Medalist
* 2007 - X Games Big Air Silver Medalist
* 2008 - X Games Big Air Bronze Medalist

References