Like many great rollerbladers before him, Stephane started his skating career on quads. It was 1996 and the French countryside was littered with skate parks, so it didn't take long for him to discover ramps and make the transition from roller to inline.

"My brother skateboards," says Stephane. "He took me to the skate park and I learned how to skate."

Stephane's father is an auto mechanic who lives at the beach in the south of France. He was not happy with Stephane's career choice until he won his first prize purse at the Montpellier FISE competition.

"He saw that I could make money and he said 'OK, now I am happy with the skating'."

Since Stephane turned pro in 2001, he has won more than a little prize money. He took silver at the 2003 Global X, silver at Gravity and bronze at the 2003 X Games.

Still, he rides without a skate, wheel, clothing or even bearing sponsor. "I make my money from competitions and hope to make enough to pay for my flight. Sometimes, I find friends with hotels and sleep on the floor. It is difficult, but I do OK."

His casual attitude and laissez-faire lifestyle are cut with a sober dignity when it comes to competition. He doesn't stay out late or party the night before he has to compete. Instead, he gets a lot of sleep and focuses during the limited time he has to practice on the course. After the competition, however, well, let's just say he is developing a reputation.

In San Antonio, after the Global X competition, Stephane was handcuffed and arrested for underage drinking. An attractive young ESPN researcher, smitten with Alfano's charm and outraged by the officer's cultural insensitivity, tried to intervene. Unsuccessfully. Alfano went to jail, and the researcher, whose only fault was that she slept through too many French classes, was sent home early.