The streets of downtown Los Angeles will be packed with skateboards, bmx bikes, and motorcycles from today through Sunday with the kick-off of the Summer X Games, version 17.? Often referred to as the Olympics of action sports the event has grown with each year and always features tons of heart-pumping, death-defying feats.
From it?s humble beginnings in 1995, the X Games has grown into a valuable franchise with plans to expand to six global events by 2013. In Olympic fashion, countries around the world will bid to host the competition and the action sports athletes will definitely being racking up more frequent flier points.
Tomorrow (Friday) is Girls Day at X Games. Since it?s inception, female competitors have had a tough time with the X Games. It seems for every step forward, they take two steps back. At the opening night press conference, defending Moto X champion Ashley Fiolek was the lone female on the panel (joined by the likes of Shaun White, Carey Hart, Ryan Sheckler, Bob Burnquist, Travis Pastrana and others). After finally getting some recognition for women?s events organizers dropped women?s vert from the schedule and have been resistant to add women?s bmx. They have, however, added an additional moto event for women.
It wasn?t until 2003 that women?s skateboarding was even added to the X Games line-up.? A paltry purse ($2000) and limited exposure ignited Mimi Koop and other female riders to form the first professional female skateboarder?s advocacy group, Action Sports Alliance. The group worked to negotiate higher prize purses and more television coverage for women skateboarders.? In 2008, X Games organizers finally announced that equal prize money would be paid to male and female athletes at all X Games branded events.
We get that X Games targets men 18-34 so there?s no real incentive to provide time, space and prize money to the girls, but it becomes a bit of a chicken and egg equation. If there are no (or limited) contests for women, how will they progress to the point where they?ll be competitive with their male counterparts?
Though relatively young, the action sports scene for women boasts a lot of great talent and both veterans and newcomers will be on hand this weekend. Here are some of the athletes you should be watching for:
Skateboard Street
Elissa Steamer Considered one of the best female street skaters in history, Elissa has four X Games gold medals (2004-2006 and 2008) and six total medals .. She? was the first female to star in a Tony Hawk video game she?s made appearances in skate videos for more than 15 years. Elissa?s been pro since winning Slam City Jam in 1998. She turns 35 the day before her event at XG, and she describes her style as ?grandma chic.?
Alexis Sablone Alexis has a super smooth style and is one of the most consistent skaters on the scene. She kills it on the course but is incredibly shy and humble on the podium. She?took silver at XG in 2009 despite suffering broken ribs early in the competition and finished that season ranked third overall in the World Cup rankings. She started off hot in 2010 with a podium (3rd) at the Dew Tour in Boston (June 2010) and followed up with a gold medal at the Summer X Games. Alexis is a graduate of Columbia University (Barnard) where she studied architecture. Pretty Smart, too!
Vanessa Torres A California native, Vanessa has competed at every X Game since 2003 when women?s skateboarding was introduced. She won the inaugural women?s Park competition when she was just 17 and backed it up with? silver the following year. In 2009, she proved she was still a force to be reckoned with when she won the Dew Tour stop in Boston and grabbed silver in the Supergirl Jam.
Amy Caron and Marisa Dal Santo
@LeticiaBufoni? (one of the few skateboarders on Twitter but you need to speak Portuguese to follow her on Twitter)
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Motocross
Ashley Fiolek [67] ? @ashleyfiolek67 Defending Moto X Racing Women?s champion, Fiolek is looking to three-peat this year at X Games 17. A two time AMA/WMX champion, Fiolek was also nominated for Best Female Action Sport Athlete at the 2011 ESPYs. At just 20-years old, Fiolek has blazed a trail for women?s motocross by earning the first-ever female factory Honda Red Bull Racing sponsorship. In her first three seasons, she claimed the 2008 and 2009 AMA/WMX Championships and became the youngest champion ever. Though she finished in second for the overall title in 2010, she is back on track and leading the points standings for the 2011 season.? She is also the author of Kicking Up Dirt.
@SaraPriceMXcom
@JP_Money250
@ebash5
@VG214
@JIves76
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Related Posts:
Ashley Fiolek honored at 2010 Courage In Sports Awards
Fiolek wins gold at X Games
The X Games media guide features tidbits about the history of the event and all its different sports and athletes.? Here are some highlights:
By the Numbers: Fun Facts about X Games 17
1 ? X Games 17?marks the first time the event takes place in?a single location in L.A. It previously had events in Carson and at the Los Angeles Coliseum, but it?s now? centered just?in downtown Los Angeles.
17 ? Countries represented by athletes at X Games 17.
17 ?Years that skateboard and BMX have been in the X Games (though not all with women competing).
22 ? Number of disciplines at X Games 17.
42 ? Days that X Games staff will be on site building, constructing or tearing down.
70 ? Trucks of scaffolding.
300 ? Tuff Blocks used on the Moto X courses.
1,201 ? Overall number of medals that have been awarded in X Games competition through 2009.
3,100 ? The length, in feet, of the Rally course.
400,000 ? Pounds of concrete used to anchor the Big Air ramp.
4.5 million ? Pounds of concrete used to barricade the Rally course.
Source: http://www.prettytough.com/x-games-17-women-of-action/
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