2022 eXponential Awards (excluding Olympics)

I decided that instead of recapping every X Games with an eXponential Awards, I would just go an annual version with bonus Olympics editions. The past couple of years have revealed that the X Games is no longer the dominant force representing action sports. It is still the event with the most variety, but the limited invitations means a lot of great athletes get left out. Furthermore, there are single sport events like Natural Selection and the World Surf League Championship Tour that contribute to the action sports world, and I also wanted to recognize film projects so there’s the new categories of Best Edit/Short Film (anything under 30 minutes) and Best Film. I’m not going to be able to keep with everything, especially all the movies, but given how exclusive contests like the X Games are, I want to diversify my consumption of action sports media and hope to give a better glimpse into the world with this new format. I do realize that I did an X Games Aspen 2022 version of the eXponential Awards so I avoided repeats despite some outstanding candidates from that event.

Best Female Athlete – Rayssa Leal (Skate)
Talk about domination. Rayssa Leal not only showed the world that the little girl heelflipping in a fairy costume was more than a viral photo with her Olympic silver, but she also swept the entire Street League Skateboarding series, winning all three events and the Super Crown. She also won her first X Games gold medal at Chiba and turned pro for April. This is all before Rayssa’s 15th birthday at the beginning of 2023 so she’s got many more years ahead.

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Best Male Athlete – Julien Vanstippen (FMX)
Julien Vanstippen might be relatively new to FMX, but his racing background has given him the bike skills to excel at Best Whip. He got two X Games medals from his first two appearances and then cemented himself as “King of the Whip” in a contest with that name in South Africa. Julien isn’t a one trick pony though. He won Best Upside Down Trick in the same contest and placed third in Red Bull Imagination.

Best Non-binary Athlete – Leo Baker (Skate)
You might question my choice since much of it has to do with Leo Baker not skating. However, to live authentically is what drives all action sports athletes. We finally see things from Leo’s point of view with the premiere of Stay on Board: the Leo Baker Story. The documentary helped us understand that the gender euphoria he experienced after getting top surgery is worth more than any Olympic or X Games gold, and we also got to meet Leo the musician with the release of his first single, “Hold Me Till We’re Home”. He’s still skating, and it’s finally on his terms.

X Games Minneapolis 2019 – Sunday lookback

In addition to being the final day of competition, Sunday was Marvel Day.  As that was advertised beforehand, the cosplayer in me couldn’t resist tossing in my Loki horns made by Korov Creations.  I got interviewed by the Marvel booth, but maybe I was a little too much since I didn’t make the montage.   Oh well, I still got a free keychain.

My Moto X Seatgrab pass was also an invite to a special walk-through of the flattrack course, featuring Lance Coury.  It’s amazing how hard the staff worked to remove all the jumps overnight.

X Games Minneapolis 2019 – Saturday lookback

My goal was to finish this before X Games Aspen 2020, but that didn’t quite happen.  Better late than never, right?  The trade-off is that you get a ton of photos because I was present at X Games Minneapolis almost all of Saturday and got great seats for some of the comps.

Saturday was Women’s Day, and I wanted to show my support for the female BMX riders boycotting X Games due to the lack of a competition.

I’ll make a different post about their fight, but my little form of protest actually led to me making a new friend.  So my plan kinda worked in that it brought women together in support of other women, yay!

BMX Park

• The riders kinda had it tough because no one was pre-qualified, and the finals immediately followed the semifinals.  Everyone did well, but only half the field could proceed.
• Larry Edgar blasted through the course, as expected, but he didn’t get the scores to move on.  We saw him go to the stands to watch the rest of the contest.
• Two guys I was unfamiliar with, Jose Torres and Rim Nakamura, definitely impressed me.  Rim especially was on fire!
  
• Logan Martin definitely had his eyes on the repeat win.  He was solid all the way through, and now he’s the first BMX Park rider to get consecutive golds.

eXponential Awards – X Games Sydney 2018 edition

Okay I lied about doing a wrap-up of X Games Minneapolis 2018 (although I do reference it a lot below).  You can revisit those memories here: Thursday recap, Friday recap, and Saturday/Sunday recap.

X Games Sydney was super rad even if the time difference didn’t allow me to join in live.  I was supposed to have this up before X Games Aspen, but it’s been a busy couple of months.  In any case, enjoy this look-back at the inaugural Australian X Games event.

Best Female Athlete – Mariah Duran (Skate)

Mariah Duran had an awesome year in 2018, and it’s been a long time coming.  She showed that there was more than luck involved in her Minneapolis win by upping the ante and nailing all her tricks.

Best Male Athlete – Tom Pages (Moto-X)
Like Mariah, Tom Pages was out to prove that his victory in Minneapolis wasn’t a fluke.  He overcame a quickly deteriorating course and a crash in his first run to throw down his signature mind-blowing tricks, plus a no-handed double backflip, to get his second gold.

Newcomer to Watch – Dawid Godziek (BMX)
Another individual who conquered a muddy course was BMX Dirt’s Dawid Godziek.  While others put down a safety run to ensure a top spot, Dawid hucked it huge and became the first Polish athlete to medal and win at X Games.

X Games Minneapolis 2018 Saturday and Sunday recap

Saturday was jam-packed with events.  We wound up taking a break in the middle.  Unfortunately that led to missing a good portion of the BMX Dirt finals because there weren’t a lot of restaurants open on the side of town close to the stadium.

MOTO X STEP UP

• Bad luck for Bryce Hudson, getting eliminated first and dislocating his shoulder.  Then he proposed to his girlfriend and she said “yes” so he still won in the end.
• Colby Raha showed that you also need to remember to go forward, as well as up, to clear the bar.
  
• Jarryd McNeil could’ve gone a few feet higher, but he did what was necessary to get the gold.  Later I learned that he didn’t immediately go to the interview/waiting area because he threw up from nerves.  Hopefully next year will be more relaxing (as much as that is possible for Step Up).

WOMEN’S SKATEBOARD STREET

• Mariah Duran was on fire!  She’s really upped her game.
• Leticia Bufoni and Alexis Sablone were the most consistent in landing their runs.
• My parents opted to not watch the finals due to all the misses/falls in the qualifier.  They missed out on a great competition, and everyone was landing their tricks.
• I came with a mission to get Lacey Baker to sign her “Push with Pride” print.  At first, she didn’t notice me, but the guy next to me called out to her.  Thank you fellow fan!  She looked tired so we didn’t talk, but I appreciated that she did take the time to sign autographs.
  

BMX DIRT

X Games Minneapolis 2018 Friday recap

Friday was jam-packed with events, and I got Floor Access too.  Unfortunately, I had forgotten when access started, and the ticket didn’t say when.  One volunteer said I could go down in the morning so that’s what I did.  Then I got kicked out of one area, forbidden from another, and then invited in the media platform behind the photographers for a portion of the Women’s Skateboard Street Qualifier.

Women’s Skateboard Street Qualifier

• The skaters seemed really chill even if it was a tight competition for the final qualifying spots.
• Nanaka Fujisawa did really well for a newcomer (and a young’un).
• Mariah Duran was ON.  Both of her qualifying runs were among the highest scoring.
• Then there’s Alexis Sablone, whom you can count on for hitting some of the biggest tricks.
  

Being on the floor was too nerve-wracking so I decided to head back up for to join my parents to watch BMX Dirt Qualifiers.  Unfortunately, all the doors look the same, and I got lost, wound up where all the athletes were, and then finally found another elevator with some VIPs.  As a result, I missed a chunk of the BMX Dirt Qualifiers but I caught the second runs.

BMX Dirt Qualifiers

• Everybody was pulling out all the stops.  Who was going to enter the final kept changing up to the very end it seemed, and some  former gold medalists like Ryan Nyquist and Kevin Peraza didn’t make it.
  You can always count on Kevin for great extension.

• When did cash rolls and tailwhip backflips become staples?
• My mom knows nothing about action sports or how scoring works for any event, but she was very impressed with Brian Fox’s first run.
• Dawid Godziek was a name I wasn’t familiar with, but I’m gonna remember it how huge he went.

X Games Minneapolis 2018 Thursday recap

Since X Games Sydney is happening right now, I thought I would hustle and finally get around my X Games Minneapolis recaps.   It’s not going well, and I can make excuses, but I’m gonna hunker down (without missing the action from Sydney).  Minneapolis was so different from Austin, both the city and the Games.  Although everyone was stoked that we’d be indoors, the stadium format makes me feel more distant.  As a result, getting Floor Access was SO worth it.

Vert, however, was outside.  Thankfully the rain had stopped a couple hours before the first event started.  We were in the back at first since we got there kind of late, and with it being nighttime as well, I don’t have as many photos this time around.

Skateboard Vert

• Bucky Lasek was off his game and falling a lot.  Later we learned that he had a migraine.  Once I looked up to see if I had a migraine or just a severe headache, and knowing what the symptoms are, I have to give Bucky all the props.
• Sandro Dias… talk about a comeback!  He was so close to landing a 900.
• Somehow, my two photos that turned out okay were both of Marcelo Bastos, the number one qualifier from the previous night.
  
• It makes so much sense that Jimmy Wilkins’ mom is a ballet dancer.  He’s so graceful and has great extension.  Long legs help, but knowing your lines takes it to a new level.
• Moto Shibata had some of the sickest, most difficult tricks, but he didn’t get enough amplitude to take the lead.  I thought he was scored a bit low though.

X Games Austin 2016 Saturday recap

Obviously I wasn’t expecting to go on hiatus again since I was in the middle of X Games Austin posts. It was a big snowball of work, other hobbies, politics, and yes, lack of motivation that kept me away. I’m looking to reignite the spark for blogging, and I’m gonna try to plow through these X Games posts (I may be skipping the 2017 winter events).

Just to refresh your memory, here was my previous post about the first two days of X Games Austin 2016.  Saturday was a supposed to have been a busy day, but the weather had other plans. The rain kept coming and going so events got moved to later in day or postponed until Sunday. With how frustrated I felt as a spectator, I can only imagine how much worse it was for the athletes.

Women’s Skate Street

•  I didn’t get to catch much of women’s skate street because it started pouring shortly after the comp began.
• Also, due to the raised stage, I couldn’t get a good view of the rails without going onto the grass (which I’m allergic to).
  
• It was cool seeing some of the women, especially Mariah Duran, help clean up the course later on in the replay.  They at least were in good spirits.
• Later I learned that the spines on the fake cacti were actual screws.  Are they trying to make this more dangerous?!

The one upside to the rain was that while seeking shelter, I was able to meet Jamie Bestwick and get his autograph.  He really likes Austin so he was bummed that this was the last year (and he didn’t fault me for missing BMX Vert this year).

He’s so tall and I’m so short that I wasn’t sure we’d fit in the frame.

X Games Austin 2016 Thursday and Friday recap

Hello there, I’m back!  My hiatus was unplanned with some unexpected life changes and the problem with my old editing program.  However, I’ve got a new version of Paint Shop Pro, and I’m slowly trying to get back in the habit of blogging while handling increased work responsibilities.  X Games Austin has come and gone, but we still have the memories so let’s revisit them, shall we?

I didn’t head to Austin until Friday due to work and lack of events prior to Friday afternoon, but I did catch Step Up and Flat-track on TV.  So here were some of the things I noted.

Step Up

• I was bummed to miss out on Step Up again since this year was Matt Buyten’s last.  I’ve been following his career for more than 10 years, and he’s just an awesome guy.  Unfortunately he got knocked out pretty early.
• Bryce Hudson has “Soap Boy” on the back of his jersey, which was adorable.
• It was interesting to see who was close friends with whom.  The cameras kept showing Bryce and talking with Jarryd McNeil (and even giving him pointers) while Matt was chatting with Ronnie Renner a few times.
• Matt and Ronnie’s friendship must be like a trip through the history of Step Up.  Both guys have a ton of jumps under their belts.
• I could not believe this was Jarryd’s first X Games Step-Up competition.  He flew so high.
• I was not a fan of the shared gold medals.  While I understood the time limits with live TV, it felt SO anticlimactic.  It would have been awesome to see how high Jarryd and Libor Podmol could have gone.  I was stoked for both winners though.

Flat-track Racing

• I didn’t get the hype over it.  It’s just not as exciting as say, motocross.  Also I don’t know why they didn’t have women’s racing too.
• Tough luck for last year’s winner Bryan Smith.  He crashed around the first turn and took another guy out.  I thought he could gain some ground, but once you’re out, you’re out.  The 20 laps went by super fast.
• Redemption for Jared Mees was clearly the headline for the night.

After the weather (and my parents) threatened to make Austin a no-go, we made it and it was freakin’ hot and sunny.  The earlier rain had made Dallas cooler so I thought it would be the same.  Nope.  I got to COTA as Skateboard Vert under way, and the skaters were flying high despite the heat.

eXponential Awards – X Games Austin 2015 edition

We’ve reached the end. . . reluctantly. I have some great memories of being at the X Games, and I got to re-live some of it by watching all the replays.  In case you missed any of my recaps, here are the links: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Also, if you want to see more photos, mosey on over to my Flickr.

Best Female Athlete – Alexis Sablone (Skateboard)
Nobody was more on point in the Women’s Skateboard Street contest than Alexis Sablone. She took risks and it paid off with her solid skating.

Best Male Athlete – Daniel Sandoval (BMX)
What a weekend it was for Daniel Sandoval. First he blasted through the Park course to win gold, and then he came in Dirt as an alternate, overcoming nerves to lead the pack for a good portion of the finals.

Newcomer to Watch – Mykel Larrin (BMX)

Another BMXer who had a great time was Mykel Larrin. After a good performance in Vert, he came into Big Air as an alternate and walked away with silver, and this was his second X Games.

Most Dramatic Finals – tie between RallyCar Racing and Stadium Super Trucks
I couldn’t decide between all the events, but eventually I narrowed it down to one that was fantastic in person (despite the elements) and one that made me excited at home.  There’s the joke that “with age comes the cage”, but both Rally and Stadium Super Trucks have produced more carnage than any race I’ve seen.

Best Trick – Thomas Pages’ Bike Flip (Moto X)
Although this was another tough category, I had to give it Thomas Pages. He shouldn’t be doing that kind of stuff on a dirt bike, and yet he rode away in this debut event.

Picture Perfect Moment – Shaded view of BMX Vert
By Joshua Duplechian/ESPN. From xgames.espn.go.com
I thought it would be unfair to select one of my photos so I picked my favorite from another photographer. I’m still a little biased since this was my parasol. Nevertheless, it was quite an impressive shot to get from the middle of a crowd, and he was nice to not disturb me (red hat) and my parents (camo hat and tan hat).

My favorite from my own is the one of Bob Burnquist doing his one-footed switch ollie over the MegaRamp gap. You can see clearly the commitment, as well as the difficulty.

Best Moment Outside Competition – Travis Pastrana rides a mechanical bull
Getting to see Travis Pastrana take on the mechanical bull made standing in the sun totally worth it. He did it twice too since he didn’t want to be shown up by a couple of little kids.

Most Educational Moment – Burt Jenner teaches us about acceptance and pronouns
I was irked by the fact that X Games asked Burt Jenner about Caitlyn in the middle of the Stadium Super Trucks; that was probably the last thing on his mind. However, Burt demonstrated a lot of grace and showed that it’s okay to mess up pronouns as long as you apologize and try your best. I think the X Games commentators could have learned a lot from this instance.

Greatest Comeback – Maria Forsberg (Moto X)
Having a baby is a tough job. That’s not something I would have realized until I saw several of my peers juggle pregnancy and raising a kid with their daily lives. Therefore, I have to give http://player.espn.com/player.js?playerBrandingId=4ef8000cbaf34c1687a7d9a26fe0e89e&adSetCode=91cDU6NuXTGKz3OdjOxFdAgJVtQcKJnI&pcode=1kNG061cgaoolOncv54OAO1ceO-I&width=576&height=324&externalId=espn:12933675&thruParam_espn-ui%5BautoPlay%5D=false&thruParam_espn-ui%5BplayRelatedExternally%5D=true“>Maria Forsberg props for coming out of retirement and then placing 5th in Women’s Enduro X final.

Most Inspirational – Colton Satterfield lands the double flair and gives a moving speech in BMX Big Air
Watching Colton make history and land the double flair on his final attempt, the last run of the night, was such a magical moment. Then he took it a step further and talked about how last year’s gold made him realize that he had the power to inspire others, and that’s what he came out to do this year. His conversation with Jack Mitrani on X Games Extra was making me tear up because it exemplified what drew me into action sports.

Lifetime Achievement Award – Bob Burnquist (Skateboard)
How have I gone so long without giving the winningest X Games athlete this award? I guess it’s because Bob Burnquist is still going strong. He added too Big Air gold medals to his collection while dealing with a broken arm. Nothing has held him down and nothing can, and more than anyone, he truly deserves his honor.

Congratulations again to all the winners and really props to all the athletes! I have a new-found appreciation for how hard they work. Get well soon to everyone who got banged up. Thanks to everyone who signed autographs and stopped for photos; y’all truly made the experience even more special. That’s all for now. See you in Aspen (virtually— not sure I can brave the cold just yet… maybe one day).