The Summer X Games - by Anne Shier (a.k.a. "Annie")

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The Summer X Games:

·         1995: Extreme Games – Newport, Rhode Island & Mount Snow, Vermont

·         500,000 in Attendance

·         1996: X Games II – Providence & Newport, Rhode Island

·         200,000 in Attendance

·         1997: X Games III – San Diego, California (June 20–28, 1997)

·         221,200 in Attendance

·         1998: X Games IV – San Diego, California (June 1998)

·         233,000 in Attendance

·         1999: X Games V – Pier 30 & 32, San Francisco, California (June 25 – July 3, 1999)

·         275,000 in Attendance

·         First professional sporting event (full event) broadcast live on the internet.

·         After eleven failed attempts, the skateboarder Tony Hawk finally landed a 900-degree spin (the 900).

·         Travis Pastrana won the first ever motocross freestyle event at the X Games, after dislocating his spine the previous spring. He also scored the highest ever run of 99.00 points.

·         2000: X Games VI – Pier 30 & 32, San Francisco, California (August 17–22, 2000)

·         Dave Mirra won BMX Park, landing the first ever double backflip in competition.

·         Tommy Clowers won the first ever motocross step up event, at a record-breaking height of 35 feet.

·         Bucky Lasek scored a 98.50 in skateboard vert, the highest in X Games history.^[9]

·         2001: X Games VII – First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (August 17–22, 2001)

·         235,000 in attendance

·         Bob Burnquist managed an almost perfect skateboard vert run with a score of 98.00.

·         Taïg Khris won the inline vert event, with the first double backflip in X Games history.

·         Danny Harf landed a 900-degree spin in wakeboarding.

·         2002: X Games Eight – First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (August 15–19, 2002)

·         Mat Hoffman landed the no handed 900-degree spin on a BMX.

·         Mike Metzger landed the first back flip in motocross freestyle X Games history over an 80 foot gap. He also pulled off two consecutive flips in a competition run for the victory.

·         2003: X Games Nine – Staples Center & LA Coliseum, Los Angeles, California (August 14–17, 2003)

·         Brian Deegan landed the first ever 360 in freestyle motocross, earning him the bronze in FMX and gold in big air/best trick.

·         Ryan Sheckler became the youngest X Games gold medalist ever at the age of 13 in skateboard streetpark

·         2004: X Games 10 – Staples Center, Home Depot Center, Long Beach Marine Stadium, Los Angeles, California(August 5–8, 2004)

·         Nate Adams became the first person to defeat Travis Pastrana in the freestyle motocross event at the X Games.

·         Danny Way won the first ever skateboard big air event.

·         Jeremy McGrath made his first appearance at the X Games, winning gold in motocross step Up, and bronze in supermoto.

·         Chuck Carothers wins motocross best trick with the first body varial done at X Games

·         2005: X Games 11 – Staples Center, Los Angeles, California (August 4–7, 2005)

·         Removal of inline skating from competition.

·         Shaun White failed to land the 1080 in skate best trick after 29 attempts.

·         Jamie Bestwick landed the first ever double tailwhip flair in the BMX Vert Best Trick event.

·         Travis Pastrana won gold in motocross freestyle again and became the most decorated athlete in motocross

·         ESPN signed a contract to keep the X Games in Los Angeles through 2009.

·         2006: X Games 12 – Staples Center, Home Depot Center & Long Beach Marine Stadium, Los Angeles, California(August 3–6, 2006)

·         Travis Pastrana landed the world's first double backflip on a dirt bike, and won motocross best trick with a score of 98.60, the highest current score in best trick.

·         Kevin Robinson landed the double flair for the first time.

·         Travis Pastrana won the inaugural X Games rally, beating the former World Rally Champion, Colin McRae by .52 seconds after the latter rolled his car with two corners to go at the Home Depot Center.

·         Chad Kagy landed the first flatwhip double tailwhip 540.

·         Skateboarder Nyjah Huston became the youngest athlete to compete in X Games at 11 years old.

·         2007: X Games 13 – Staples Center, Home Depot Center & Long Beach Marine Stadium, Los Angeles, California(August 2–5, 2007)

·         Jake Brown was hurt after landing the first 720 in big air competition. He fell from 40'+ and landed on his backside and back on the flat. The force of the fall knocked his shoes off. After 8 minutes laying motionless, he walked away with help. He suffered a fractured wrist, bruised lung and liver, whiplash, ruptured spleen and a concussion.

·         Ricky Carmichael won the first ever motocross racing circuit.

·         Mat Hoffman returned to competition in BMX big air.

·         Simon Tabron made an X Games first, doing back-to-back 900s in BMX vert.

·         2008: X Games 14 – Los Angeles, California (July 31 – August 3, 2008)

·         Danny Way clipped his shins on the lip of the quarterpipe after a 20+ foot freefall during the big air competition, which the commentators refer to as the "second worst fall ever at the X Games" (the first being Jake Brown's the year before). After spending a few minutes with paramedics, Way limped back to the ramp and went on to nail the trick he had fallen on, coming in second place.

·         Ryan Sheckler won gold in street skateboarding, his second gold medal at the X games.

·         Kyle Loza won his second gold medal in the motocross best trick competition in two appearances by performing a never-before-seen move named the "electric doom."

·         Skateboarder Andy Macdonald won his 15th X Games medal, surpassing Tony Hawk as the all-time leader in skateboarding medals.

·         Rally racer Travis Pastrana reclaimed the gold medal by defeating Tanner Foust in the rally X final.

·         Jim DeChamp fell while attempting the first ever frontflip on a motocross bike

·         Tarah Gieger of Puerto Rico won the gold medal in the first-ever women's supercross race.

·         Jeremy Lusk won a gold medal in the freestyle motocross (FMX) event.

·         2009: X Games 15 – Los Angeles, California (July 30 – August 2, 2009)

·         Skateboarder Jake Brown won his first gold medal in the big air competition.

·         Danny Way won the inaugural big air rail jam, a contest which he created.

·         Paul Rodriguez won the skateboard street

·         Anthony Napolitan landed the first ever double front flip on a bicycle.

·         Kyle Loza became the first person to three-peat gold motocross best trick in controversial fashion by using the same trick he used to win in 2008, the "electric doom", especially after the judges had said that "innovation" would win the gold that year.

·         Ricky Carmichael fell and hurt himself on motocross step up. Due to the circumstances, dual gold medals were awarded to Carmichael and to Ronnie Renner.

·         Blake Williams became the first non-American rider to win FMX gold

·         Jamie Bestwick wins BMX vert for the third time

·         Pierre-Luc Gagnon won gold in skateboard vert for the second consecutive year.

·         In his first X Games appearance, the retired IndyCar champion Kenny Brack won rally X gold over the defending gold medalist Travis Pastrana. In a TV first, co-drivers Jen Horsey and Chrissie Beavis commentate live inside the racecars.

·         Ashley Fiolek, 18, won the women's motocross super X, becoming the Games' first deaf medalist.

·         2010: X Games 16 – Staples Center, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum & L.A. Live, Los Angeles, California (July 29 – August 1, 2010)

·         Travis Pastrana competed in four events after pulling out of best trick at the last minute. He came back to freestyle after a 3 year break and took gold, pulling yet another double backflip, the first in X Games freestyle competition. He had troubles in rally, costing him gold in rally racing and the chance to compete in super rally, but came back on the bike and won his first gold in motocross speed & style, beating Nate Adams

·         Ashley Fiolek won the women's motocross super X for the second year running, becoming the only rider to do so.

·         Matt Buyten won gold in motocross step up, beating the former champion, Ronnie Renner.

·         Jamie Bestwick became the first person to 4-peat with a win in BMX vert.

·         Pierre-Luc Gagnon became the first athlete to win in skateboard vert three times, beating the silver medalist,Shaun White.

·         Garrett Reynolds became the first athlete to win BMX street three times.

·         Cam Sinclair made what some call the greatest comeback in action sports history, winning his first X Games gold medal in best trick by pulling a double backflip, the trick that bit him hard in Red Bull X Fighters only 8 months before, leaving him in a coma for seven days, and having him retrain his body, learning how to walk and, eventually, to ride again.

·         Ryan Sheckler won the X games gold medal in skateboarding street seeking redemption after his X Games XV mishap.^[10]

·         2011: X Games 17 – Los Angeles, California (July 28–31, 2011)^[11]

·         Shaun White earned his second gold medal in skateboard vert, breaking Pierre Luc Gagnon's 3-year winning streak.

·         Liam Doran took gold on his debut in the rally car racing event after beating Marcus Gronholm in the final.^[12]

·         Nyjah Huston came first in the men's skateboarding street, his first X Games gold medal since his participation in the event at the X Games XIV.

·         Travis Pastrana fell while attempting a rodeo 720, or as he called it "the toilet paper roll", in Moto X best trick, breaking bones in his foot and ankle. Despite the injury, he competed in RallyCross three days later using hand controls mounted to the steering wheel.

·         2012: X Games 18 – Los Angeles, California (June 28 – July 1, 2012)

·         Bob Burnquist won his fourth Big Air gold medal, and his ninth total gold medals

·         Ronnie Renner won the gold medal in Moto X Step Up, breaking the previous record height of 37' by 10' making it the highest ever at the X Games with 47'.

·         Jamie Bestwick 6-peats with a win in BMX vert.

·         Garrett Reynolds 5-peats in BMX street, the only competitor to win BMX street in its 5 year history at X Games.

·         Sébastien Loeb (Citroën DS3), by then eight consecutive times World Rally Championship winner since 2004, claimed gold on his debut in the X Games’ RallyCross event. He dominated silver medalist and WRC rival Ken Block by about 10 seconds after Block (Ford Fiesta) was hampered by a tire puncture during the second half of the main final.

·         Jagger Eaton becomes the youngest person to compete in the X games

·         2013: X Games Foz do Iguacu, Brazil

·         Jake Brown lands the 1st ollie 720 in skateboard big air, earning the bronze.

·         Mitchie Brusco lands the 1st body varial 900 in skateboard big air.

·         Bob Burnquist wins his 3rd consecutive gold medal in skateboard big air, earning his 23rd X Games medal, and landing the 1st "Lien Air Rodeo Flip 720".^[13]

·         Jamie Bestwick wins his 7th consecutive gold medal in BMX vert.

·         Bryce Hudson wins moto x step up as an X Games rookie.

·         Laia Sanz wins women's moto x enduro x as a rookie, defeating 2-time defending gold medalist Maria Forsberg.

·         2013: X Games Barcelona, Spain

·         Mitchie Brusco lands the 1st 1080 in skateboard big air, earning the silver. He also became the youngest skateboard vert medalist (16), earning the bronze.

·         Bob Burnquist wins his 4th consecutive gold medal in skateboard big air, earning his 24th X Games medal.

·         Alana Smith wins silver in women's skateboard park, becoming the youngest X Games medalist (12).

·         Jamie Bestwick wins his 8th consecutive gold medal in BMX vert.

·         Chad Kagy lands the 1st front flip flair in BMX vert.

·         2013: X Games Munich, Germany

·         Bob Burnquist wins his 5th consecutive gold medal in skateboard big air, earning a record 25th medal, landing the 1st switch ollie 540.

·         2013: X Games Los Angeles 2013

·         Elliot Sloan wins his 1st gold medal in skateboard big air, defeating Bob Burnquist, who earned his 26th X Games medal (bronze).

·         Vicki Golden wins her 3rd consecutive gold medal in women's moto x racing, defeating Meghan Rutledge, after Rutledge crashed across the gap. She also became the 1st women to compete in a freestyle moto x competition, earning bronze in best whip.

·         Vince Byron lands the 1st 540 double tail whip in BMX big air, earning the silver.

copyright 2014, Anne Shier.  All rights reserved.