Zexsports.com “Unstitches” all the Scarred Action
By Marlise Kast
Zexsports.com was front and center as some of the most daring athletes in action sports attempted to reenact their deadly stunts on live television. Airing as a special on MTV’s Scarred, the three hour event featured the top hard-hitting accidents ever to have appeared on the television program.
Energy was high and music was pumping as 500 skaters took center stage at Chula Vista’s Skate Park in San Diego County. At the same time, young groms ripped on side rails and ramps while competing in the 2007 Junior Olympics of Skating.
Kicking off the epic event were ten Scarred video clips introducing athletes whose original attempts ended in tragedy. On hand to “unstitch” all the Scarred action was our very own Zexsports.com media team.
Anticipation built as five of the ten featured athletes took a crack at their death-defying feats. One by one, each man recreated his original scenario, despite the nightmare of past pain still fresh in his mind. Adding to the pressure were cheering fans, live television, cameras, uncertain wind conditions and Southern California’s heat.
Hosting the event were MTV’s “Wee Man”, CariDee English and Amanda from Zexsports.com. Also showing support was six-time X Games champion, Bucky Lasek.
“I’m stoked for these guys who are facing their fears,” Lasek told Zexsports.com in an exclusive interview. “Today’s athletes are constantly pushing the limits and taking action sports to a whole new level. If there wasn’t some hint of danger involved, I don’t think any of us would be doing it. For me, skating is like a huge tree that can branch off in so many different directions. The sport will continue to grow as long as we feed it.”
Feeding that tree for MTV fans was Mitch Janusz who successfully landed a rail stunt that had once cost him a testicle. Pro-skater Kenny Hughes followed his lead in attempting a three level rail grind. That original stunt left him with a broken tailbone and hundreds of stitches in the most uncomfortable places.
“I felt completely violated in the hospital,” Hughes recalls of the incident. “Now I look back and realize there were signs that I should not have hit the rail. I kept going into it crooked. On my fourth try, my weight wasn’t right. The rail smashed into my butt crack and then I slammed into a pole.”
This time around however, Hughes dedicated the stunt to his mom who called into Scarred Live to wish her son good luck. Although the brave skater did not completely land the rail grind, he was able to face his fears and walk away unscathed.
Next in line was Josh Ragle who had once broken his femur while trying to ollie a chain. In two quick attempts, Ragle cleared the chain without any bodily injury. Fourth in the “scarred” series was BMX rider, Fat Tony. Now working as the editor for TransWorld’s RIDE BMX, Tony had once tried a rail grind that left him with a mangled face and three days in the hospital.
“That time, I made the mistake of not wearing my helmet,” Tony told Zexsports.com in an exclusive interview. “My face hit the concrete and I was left with stitches and a fractured scull. The whole incident nearly cost me my life.”
Since the tragic 2003 event, Tony says he has become an advocate for helmets and has revaluated the risks he is willing to take in action sports. “I don’t feel the need to push the limits of BMX riding anymore,” says Tony. “I have more important things to consider now like my job and family.”
Willing to face his past fears for the sake of Scarred viewers, Tony successfully walked away from the epic stunt totally unscathed.
All four mind-blowing feats led to the moment everyone had been waiting for. The climax of the event was FMX legend, Brian Deegan’s back-flip over a pool of hungry sharks. In 2005, the motocross pioneer had attempted the same jump on MTV’s Viva La Bam. Due to strong wind conditions, Deegan under-rotated the landing and slammed directly into his handlebars. The result was a shattered kidney, a lacerated spleen and severe internal bleeding. A permanent reminder of that accident is a fifty-staple zipper scar running up the middle of Deegan’s stomach.
Despite this painful memory, Deegan accepted MTV’s challenge. Present to support the ten-time X Games medalist were members of Metal Mulisha, his motocross team. Deegan first formed the group in 1999 in an effort to mold the sport into the “bad boy” image he always wanted. Among the 25 freestylers who spend their days at the Deegan compound are Ronnie Faisst, Colin Morrison, Justin Homan, Beau Manley and Ryan Hagy.
“We are like a huge pack of brothers,” says Metal Mulisha member Todd Potter. “It’s only understandable that we would all come out to support Deegan.” Despite their multiple tattoos and countless battle scars, the kind-hearted Mulisha crew signed autographs, greeting adoring fans and stopped to chat with our Zexsports.com film crew.
Although confident that Deegan would clear the ramp, close friends and family appeared to be holding their breath until the moment of victory. “I was pretty scared,” admits Deegan’s wife Marissa. “But I knew he would pull if off in the end.”
With hundreds of fans chanting his name from the sidelines, Deegan cleared the landing by only twelve inches, planting his wheel dangerously near the right side of the ramp.
“I’m so relieved the whole thing is over,” Deegan told Zexsports.com. “There were so many factors that contributed to the difficulty of the jump. The wind started to pick up, these ramps tend to move and I was totally nervous. I kept having flashbacks of my crash and I thought, ‘I can’t let it happen again’.”
Fortunately, for Deegan he can now relax and enjoy time with his wife and two children, Hailey and Haden. The 32-year-old daredevil says he also plans to practice a few new tricks for the upcoming X Games. Zexsports.com asked him what fans can expect to see at this year’s event.
“Right now, I have to keep it a secret,” says Deegan. “But one thing is for sure, it won’t involve sharks.”
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