Watching: Once Upon a Time in Mexico (Viva El Mariachi!)I've got my new harddrive, but now I have to reload everything onto it. That means it will still be a while before I get back into the swing of things.
Anyway, it's that time of the year again, time for the insanity known as the Summer X Games. Although I religiously watch it, I wasn't as amped about it as in the past. The action sports explosion was a double-edged sword. On one hand, it gave the athletes the recognition they deserved. On the flipside, X Games went corporate. I was pissed that they removed aggressive in-line from its competition and that some events didn't get as much coverage as others (all the female athletes got zero TV time). With no one but my brother to share my extreme sports enthusiasm, I started focusing on my other interests. However, X Games 12 has renewed my faith.
First off, I saw some athletes that I haven't seen in a couple years. It felt like I was catching up with old friends. I've seen a few of them in person when they were just starting to make a name for themselves, and I can't help but feel like I knew that they were going to be great back then. At the same time, we had some new gold medialists for the 1st time in several years. Then, I realized that the X Games have not stopped pushing the limits on what is feasible. Last night, so many new tricks were pulled off. The most notable on a personal level were Pastrana's double backflip on a dirt bike and Kevin Robinson's double flair (2 backflips with a 180). They had significance to me b/c for the first time, my mother finally understood why I love extreme sports and she enjoyed the show. Also, they reminded me of how and why I got into action sports into the first place. The 1st time I ever saw the X Games was in 1999, and watching a 15-year-old Pastrana got me hooked on freestyle motocross. At the first action sports event I attended in 2001, I saw (and met) Kevin Robinson. We've come so far since then, and all the X Games athletes continue to give me the guts to live my life the way I want it and to never give up in the face of adversity.
The only thing that would've made last night even better would be Shawn White actually landing the first 1080 on a skateboard. In the 1999 X Games, Tony Hawk's 900 inspired me and started this obsession. There's always next year for White, and I'm only half-finished with the show.
Quote of the day:
"We take these risks not to escape life, but to prevent life from escaping us." - No Fear saying
X Games time!