Tara Dakides
Encyclopedia
Tara Dakides, born August 20, 1975, is an American snowboarder
and co-owner of O-matic Snowboards. She was born in Mission Viejo
, California
. She has snowboarded since she was 18 years old. She now resides in Mammoth Lakes, California.
and skateboarding
. When she was a teenager, she branched out into several other more dangerous sports and became involved in motocross
, surfing
, mountain- and snow-based sports. This variety of sports experience gave her an edge in the X Games
competitions.
At the Winter X Games in 1999 Dakides won a silver medal in slopestyle
and a gold in big air
, in 2000 she won two gold medals, one in slopestyle with a combined score of 88.50 after three runs, the other in big air with a combined score of 78.00. In 2001 she won another big air gold medal with a score of 89.00, and she was seventh in slopestyle. At the 2001 Sims World Championships she was first in slopestyle and fifth in big air At the 2002 X Games she won her third slopestyle gold medal. She also received EXPN's Snowboarder of the Year award.
In May 2003 Dakides participated in the Gumball 3000
rally race. She continues to race in motocross, shifter carts
in addition to racing in the Baja 1000
competition.
and was named "The Coolest Sports Woman in 2001".
Dakides was featured on Spike TV
's special edition of MXC
on April 22, 2004 which was taped at the Universal Orlando Resort
in Orlando, Florida
and was dubbed MXC Almost Live. At the end of the episode, Dakides successfully ran the Log Drop after being challenged by Tony Hawk
.
During her appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman
in 2004, Dakides attempted to perform a stunt outside the Ed Sullivan Theater but fell 15 feet from a ramp while not wearing a helmet. She was taken to hospital and required stitches on the back of her head. She recovered and returned to the show for an interview a few days later.
Dakides is a spokesperson for the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit environmental
organization.
Dakides was nominated for the 2005 Teen Choice Awards in the category of Choice Xtreme Athlete - Female, losing out to surfer Layne Beachley. She was ranked #90 on FHM
's 100 Sexiest Women of 2004. She was featured in episode 62 of MTV Cribs
.
Dakides appeared as the captain of the Denver Hurlers on Game Show Network's show Extreme Dodgeball.
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
and co-owner of O-matic Snowboards. She was born in Mission Viejo
Mission Viejo, California
Mission Viejo is a city located in southern Orange County, California, U.S. in the Saddleback Valley. Mission Viejo is considered one of the largest master-planned communities ever built under a single project in the United States, and is rivaled only by Highlands Ranch, Colorado, in its size...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. She has snowboarded since she was 18 years old. She now resides in Mammoth Lakes, California.
Career
As a child she took part in gymnasticsGymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
and skateboarding
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
. When she was a teenager, she branched out into several other more dangerous sports and became involved in motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
, surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
, mountain- and snow-based sports. This variety of sports experience gave her an edge in the X Games
X Games
The X Games is a commercial annual sports event, controlled and arranged by US sports broadcaster ESPN, which focuses on action sports. The inaugural X Games was held in the summer of 1995 in Rhode Island....
competitions.
At the Winter X Games in 1999 Dakides won a silver medal in slopestyle
Slopestyle
Slopestyle is a popular type of competition for winter action sports; which originated as a snowboarding competition format. Today, there are many sports that are considered to have this style of competition, of which skiing and snowboarding are two of the most common...
and a gold in big air
Big air
Big air is a sports discipline where the competitor rides a vehicle down a hill and perform tricks after launching off very large jumps. It is an extreme version of slopestyle. Competitors perform complex tricks in the air, aiming to attain sizable height and distance as well, all while securing a...
, in 2000 she won two gold medals, one in slopestyle with a combined score of 88.50 after three runs, the other in big air with a combined score of 78.00. In 2001 she won another big air gold medal with a score of 89.00, and she was seventh in slopestyle. At the 2001 Sims World Championships she was first in slopestyle and fifth in big air At the 2002 X Games she won her third slopestyle gold medal. She also received EXPN's Snowboarder of the Year award.
In May 2003 Dakides participated in the Gumball 3000
Gumball 3000
The Gumball 3000 is an annual international road rally which takes place on public roads, with a different route around the world each year. Founded in 1999 by Maximillion Cooper, it sees an annual entry of 120 cars, which are mostly exotic and powerful sports cars. However, more unusual entries ...
rally race. She continues to race in motocross, shifter carts
Kart racing
Kart racing or karting is a variant of open-wheel motorsport with small, open, four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits...
in addition to racing in the Baja 1000
Baja 1000
SCORE Baja 1000 is an off-road race that takes place on Mexico's Baja California Peninsula in November. The Baja 1000 is part of the SCORE Championship Desert Racing Series that include the Baja 500, San Felipe 250 and the new San Felipe Challenge of Champions in place of the Primm 300 which had...
competition.
Media
She has appeared as a cover model for various sports magazines and has appeared in various video games. In 2001 she was on the cover of Sports IllustratedSports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
and was named "The Coolest Sports Woman in 2001".
Dakides was featured on Spike TV
Spike TV
Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...
's special edition of MXC
MXC
MXC was an American comedy television program that aired on Spike TV from 2003 to 2007. It is a re-edit of footage from the Japanese game show Takeshi's Castle which originally aired in Japan from 1986 to 1989...
on April 22, 2004 which was taped at the Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando Resort is a theme park resort in Orlando, Florida. It is wholly owned by NBCUniversal and its affiliates. The resort consists of two theme parks , Universal CityWalk , and three Loews Hotels...
in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
and was dubbed MXC Almost Live. At the end of the episode, Dakides successfully ran the Log Drop after being challenged by Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
.
During her appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
in 2004, Dakides attempted to perform a stunt outside the Ed Sullivan Theater but fell 15 feet from a ramp while not wearing a helmet. She was taken to hospital and required stitches on the back of her head. She recovered and returned to the show for an interview a few days later.
Dakides is a spokesperson for the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit environmental
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
organization.
Dakides was nominated for the 2005 Teen Choice Awards in the category of Choice Xtreme Athlete - Female, losing out to surfer Layne Beachley. She was ranked #90 on FHM
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...
's 100 Sexiest Women of 2004. She was featured in episode 62 of MTV Cribs
MTV Cribs
MTV Cribs and CMT Cribs, depending on which channel it airs, is a franchise reality television program that originated on the MTV Networks' MTV. It later aired on its CMT channel that features tours of the houses and mansions of celebrities. The first show aired September 2000...
.
Dakides appeared as the captain of the Denver Hurlers on Game Show Network's show Extreme Dodgeball.