ANAHEIM, CA -- Some very talented skaters took to the vert ramp today. There were guys pulling 1080s today, I saw comraderie, I saw language and cultural barriers broken down and lots of great athletes putting on a pretty good show.

Let's start with Fabiola Da Silva. She's got star quality, great moves, and an international following, so how come she doesn't have any other female competitors? The great Fabiola took first place in Women's Vert without even skating against another woman. In fact, she finished fifth overall in the men's competition and if she hadn't taken a couple of uncharacteristic falls in her last run, she might have finished in the top three.

Fabiola had a great first run and then fell her way out of 3rd place.

Fabiola put on some thrilling and competitive runs and earning her much respect from this writer. She was spinning 540s, stalling on handplants and grinding away with the best of the men. She's not too hard on the eyes either.

On the official men's side of things, first place was taken by Japan's Eito Yasutoko, the fourteen year-old brother of last year's Summer X Games gold-medalist Takeshi Yasutoko, on some wicked age-transcending tricks. The Roces-and-G-skates-sponsored Eito stole the show on his last run, throwing down a wicked 900, some silly grinds over the camel-hump-like lip of the half-pipe and some of the highest airs of any of the skaters out there.

Oh, no. There goes Tokyo. Ya-ya-Yasutoko!

Taig Khris took home second place despite nailing some runs that looked like first-place quality to this observer. Khris went higher than most and had some wicked back-to-back grinds followed by huge spinning 540s that seemed to seal the deal. Apparently the judges were into Eito's runs a bit more. The Japanese duo has taken the reins of the Aggressive In-line world.

The "monster" Jaren Grob finished fourth with some stellar runs and huge, ankle-grabbing airs. He hit some big tricks and styling airs but it just wasn't enough to break into the top three.

Shane Yost finished in sixth place even though he out-spun the entire field of competitors. Yost seemed to deserve his ranking of top in-liner in the world. The judges apparently thought otherwise today.

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