Live From LA

Once again, it’s the first weekend of August and I find myself in Los Angeles for the X Games. Counting each summer and winter X Games I’ve attended, and the X Games Global Championship (it was a real event; look it up), this is my 11th X Games. You’d think the event would have gotten a bit stale and unexciting for me by now. Well, I’ve found a way to keep it new—by experiencing it through fresh eyes.

Last year, my niece and my boss Steve’s son (and my folks) were out here for the event. It was like watching the X Games for the first time. Everything was “soooo cool.” It was sort of like living in New York, but experiencing it as a tourist when your friends come into town to visit. Suddenly, the foot traffic blocking your way to work becomes less of a nuisance and more of “a visible sign of our healthy commuter culture.”

So this year, I spent day one with my friend Dan, who has been an editor at the mag for a while, but just recently moved into the action sports department. This is his first X Games. And as we were watching dirt bikes soar over our heads from our spot down on the floor during moto X best trick, and interviewing Dave and Lauren Mirra for a TV feature, and white-knuckling the guardrails at the top of the roll-in of the mega ramp after skateboard big air, I watched my friend fall in love with a new group of sports.

And I remembered why I love this stuff, too.

THE VIEW FROM THE TOP …

megaramp%20small.jpg

1 Comment

  1. Mike on August 1, 2008 at 7:15 pm

    I was a huge fan when the X games started. I was a huge fan while I was still skating. But there’s just something about the coverage now that gets televised that bugs the crap out of me.

    I mean, don’t get me wrong I’m still into the backflips, mctwists, and I’m even glad they added the rally to the event list.

    But I’m just not pumped for it the way I used to be. I think they should start shifting where the games are held. The east coast needs a little touch of insanity.

Leave a Comment