Chatsworth Rider Uses Tricky Road to Title

The skateboard street competition Thursday afternoon at the X Games had more obstacles than just rails, ramps and benches. The nine competitors also had to withstand heat that scorched the course outside Staples Center.

Paul Rodriguez Jr. of Chatsworth, the event’s defending champion, didn’t wilt from the heat or pressure. Rodriguez, 20, performed a variety of tricks on the challenging layout to average 92.50 points and defeat Greg Lutzka of Huntington Beach (85.25) and Chris Cole of Levittown, Pa. (84.25).

“Thank God I didn’t cramp up out there or get sore or anything,” said Rodriguez, the son of comedian Paul Rodriguez. “I was able to keep my stamina up and I felt good about it.”

Each competitor began with two runs through the layout. They then competed in three 15-minute “jam sessions” on key sections of the course.

Ryan Sheckler, a 15-year-old from San Clemente and the event’s 2003 champion, held the lead after the individual runs, but Rodriguez took the lead during the first jam session and didn’t look back.

“With each obstacle, I just tried to do everything I could possibly think of,” Rodriguez said. “Just try and keep that gap.”

Sheckler, the youngest competitor at the X Games, took a nasty fall while trying to grind on an eight-step handrail during the second session. He slid on his belly and then doubled over in pain from grinding his hip bone on the concrete.

He was helped off before returning about 10 minutes later and finishing.

His absence caused him to drop from second to fourth in the competition and he couldn’t make up ground during the final session.

“I tried hard,” Sheckler said. “It was fun though.”