We Add a Measure Sports
Sweet Sixteen
of Moue to
Everythin
An in-line skater gets his
We Bake...
dream birthday

present.

s weet

reams

And it didn't involve a
set of keys.

LONNY GOLDSMITH

a

Staff Writer

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SWEET DREAMS

6558 Telegraph Rd., Bloomfield Plaza

9/26
1997

40

(Maple 6- Telegraph) • 248-737-- 8900

rowing up, you'd expect
that your 16th birthday
would be- the best day of
your life.
You finally get a driver's license
and, if lucky enough, even a car.
It was the best day of Aaron
Feinberg's life although he got nei-
ther on his 16th birthday on June
27. He still got what he wanted the
most: An X-Games gold medal in the
in-line skating street competition.
Although young in years and
small in stature at 4'11" and 90
pounds, the Portland, Ore. native
put his name on the map in the
extreme skating community.
"It was great to win this, especially
on my birthday," he said.
Feinberg was not only younger
then most of the competition, he
may also have had fewest years expe-
rience on in-line skates.
"I've only been doing this for
three years," he said. "I love it so
much though. My friends and I get
out and skate everyday."
The ESPN X-Games (the "X"
stands for extreme), held this sum-
mer in San Diego, is the biggest
competition on the in-line circuit.
There are two in-line skating disci-
plines at the X-Games: street and
vert.
A street course has a layout con-
sisting of stairs, ramps, and banisters.
Vert is a 20-foot high "half-pipe"
ramp. Both disciplines involve stunts
performed on the course. "These
were our Olympics," Feinberg said.
Feinberg has always had a daring
side while growing up in Miami,
before the move to Portland last year
with his family.
"He has an incredible amount of
energy," said Cynthia Feinberg,
Aaron's mother. "I've seen so many
events, and I get used to it but still
cringe all the time."
As a 3-year-old during an outdoor
family gathering at their Miami
home, Aaron disappeared.
"I couldn't find him," Mrs.
Feinberg said. "He wound up on the
roof of the house."

Aaron Feinberg gets airborne during his
gold medal winning run.

Mrs. Feinberg also described
Aaron's love for climbing 20-foot-
high palm trees when he was 7.
In a sport as aggressive as in-line
street skating, injuries are bound to
happen. Aaron recently suffered a
hairline fracture in his wrist and a
mild concussion.
Feinberg skates on two profession-
al in-line tours: Aggressive Skating
Association (ASA) and the National
In-line Skating Association (NISS).
"The ASA has more pros in it, but
NISS is the original tour," Feinberg
said. "The big-name skaters do
both."
The equipment that Feinberg uses
is not specialized for street skating,
and can be found in any store. The
difference is, he gets paid to use it.
"He uses Solomon Skates and
Hyperwheels, and wears SBC cloth-
ing and G Shock watches," Mrs.
Feinberg said. "Plus, he gets a salary
as well. He makes more money than
I do."
Even at the top of his game with
an "Olympic" gold medal, Feinberg
hasn't stopped the learning process.
"I watch videos of myself and
other skaters," he said. "Once you
know you can be good, you try
and move up the ladder to get bet-
ter."