SAN FRANCISCO - So it didn't have the drama of last year's Skateboarding Best Trick contest. There was no Tony Hawk (at least not competing), no 900 (although Tas Pappas did try it), and the 2000 X Games vert champion Bucky Lasek pulled himself out of the contest to spend time with his family.

But for hardcore skateboarders, this year's contest was a thing of beauty.

Over a span of 20 minutes, Mathias Ringstrom, Tas Pappas, Andy Macdonald, Bob Burnquist and Colin McKay dropped into the halfpipe on Piers 30-32 in San Francisco attempting to pull some of the sickest, most technical tricks one could imagine.

Each rider was judged on his best trick landed, which for some occurred early, and for others never at all.

Bob Burnquist, who took third in the Best Trick competition last year, took home the gold after landing an amazing fakie 5-0, fakie kickflip out off of the grind bar which surprised even himself. Burnquist put his hands on his head in amazement as the roar of the crowd reached out across the Bay.

Burnquist works his magic.

"I'm surprised I made that trick when I had to. I really didn't think about it until I got here," said Burnquist while signing autographs and posing for pictures alongside of the ramp. "I've done that trick before without a bar so having the bar there made it a little harder. You have to come out of the bar all the way down into the ramp."

Speaking of coming "all the way down," Burnquist added a new wrinkle to the Best Trick competition when he took a 2-foot high box that had been placed at the top of the coping and turned it upright to eight feet. He then skated all the way up the box, tapped the tail of his board over the edge, and came back down.

Macdonald, who placed third after a disappointing outing in the vert competition where he failed to medal for the first time since 1997, incorporated the extension into his attempts by performing a lien to tail on the vertical structure.

"Using that extension and trying to leave your tail on that -- I've never done that before," said Macdonald who earned his 10th X Games medal with his performance. "It was a fun contest. It was the best trick and everybody really pulled out some good ones. I broke out a 720 for like only the fifth time in my life so I was really happy with that."

For Hawk, who was watching from the top of the ramp, there was no question as to what was the highlight of the evening.

"I think Bob doing the fakie 5-0, fakie kickflip out. He has only done that a few times on just a regular ramp and for him to do it above the ramp on something like that, you wouldn't even think it is possible," Hawks said.

Burnquist not only pulled the trick but also did it early into the contest and provided a boost of adrenaline for the other skaters.

"I didn't think I was going to make it so soon to be honest," said Burnquist. "It's just one of those things. It happened when it needed to happen."

Moments after Burnquist's masterpiece, McKay landed a nollie flip backside tailslide revert that secured him the silver medal for the second year in a row.

"It was hard, it was really windy," said McKay. "It wasn't really working for me but I got lucky and got one in so I was happy. I had fun."

Tas Pappas who has been injured throughout the year, managed to pull of an Indy 360 with a kickflip varial grab and Mathias Ringstrom attempted a kickflip 540 several times but was unable to make a clean landing. Despite their difficulties, it still made for a memorable event.

"It really heated up at the end," said Hawk about the sequal to 1999's event. "Everyone was unsure if they were going to make it and in the end they all pulled pretty much everything they had in mind. It was amazing to watch."

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