Collegiate Times

The summer X Games may not appeal to such a large viewing audience like that of major league baseball or basketball, but it probably should when you consider the kinds of stunts performed at these games and the immense amount of preparation that goes into all the various events. For a five day period, you can see gravity-defying jumps and tricks that you may never have dreamed possible. You simply never know what is going to happen next and it is this excitement and unexpected awe that drew crowds from all over the country to the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles for the 14th annual Summer X Games.

Starting off with the BMX Freestyle Street Competition, Garrett Reynolds took home the top honors.  If there was one stunt that captivated the judges and audience, it would most likely have been his barspin gap-to-icepick down a ledge.  While Reynolds would take home the gold for this event, Van Homan would take home silver and Sean Sexton would earn the bronze medal.

One of most exciting and more watched events is the Skateboard Big-Air competition.  While spectators watch from the stands, X Games participants roll down vert ramps and launch 20 to 30 feet in the air in which they then perform all different kinds of gravity defying stunts and tricks.  The winner of this event was none other than perennial gold medalist and defending champion Bob Burnquist.  However, there may have been some people who felt Danny Way should have won gold.  Way injured his foot during his warm-up after falling twice and felt that it may have been broken.  Despite the injury, Way was still able to pull-off a backflip over the gap followed directly by a 540 variable with a Mctwist in the quarter pipe.  It was truly an amazing night for Danny Way, but Burnquist still managed to take home gold after he performed a switch backside 180 and a backside 360.

On the women's side of things, Karen Jones managed to win gold in the Women's Vert competition.  Lyn-z Adams Hawkins would take home silver and Mimi Knoop would take home the bronze.  According to ESPN.com, when asked whether it makes her feel good to know that she is better than most male skaters, she replied, "I don't know if it makes me feel good, but it makes them feel bad."

Elissa Steamer would finish first in the women's skate street championship with a final score of 97.83.  Marisa Del Santo followed with a score of 81.50 and in third was Amy Caron, with a score of 80.  

In the BMX Freestyle Vert, Jamie Bestwick took the gold medal for the second year in a row after pulling off tricks such as no-handed 540s, an olley-oop barspin to turndown, and an olley-oop turndown flare.  Bestwick had some tough and experienced competition in the event.  He faced gold medalist of the BMX Big Air event Chad Kagy who would take home silver in the Freestyle Vert competition.  Kagy performed insane tricks such as double whips, his own Superman to barspin, and even some double whip flares.

Travis Pastrana managed to take home gold in the rally event which was held on Aug. 3 but not without a fair share of drama on the track.  Niall McShea who was favored to win the rally event, had his front suspension lock the steering up - because of this, McShea was forced to drive his car into one of the dirt mounds on the track.  Before his car broke down, McShea was having a great run and it appeared he would likely win the event.  Once McShea was forced to leave the race, the door opened for Pastrana and he didn't disappoint as he was able to take snag a gold medal for the event.