X Games 12 Our Takes

This may be the only weekend of the year when my husband asks me to stop yelling at the TV. Of course, it’s okay for him to noisily cheer on soccer players, the Minnesota Vikings, Formula One racers, etc. with hoots that are more appropriate for an open air stadium than our family room. But we won’t talk about that now, will we?

For most of the weekend the boys, P.d. and Warren,  glued themselves to the biggest open screen in the house to kick back and comment on events like Moto X.  Yes, it was me making all the noise. Why?

Let’s go back to my first live extreme sporting event in a barn called WARP in Woodstock on July 3, 2002. Tony Hawk’s Gigantic Skateboard Tour rolled in with a star assortment of skaters and bikers. It was no surprise that the place was packed, but what shocked me was how hot it was inside. With no ventilation and all that body heat, people around me were literally dripping with sweat. I stuck it out for a few hours and then had to go chill with an Icee at the local Kmart. P.d. stayed behind to watch. I was nervous about leaving him, but it was either faint or take him home. When we got back, he had some excellent footage and a tour t-shirt that only went out to kids with video cameras.

Up until that point, I took P.d’s love of skateboarding as something for him, not for me. What impressed me (and converted me to an avid skateboarding fan) was the tenacity and courage these athletes showed. Apparently fearless and made of something much less fragile than most humans, these guys kept trying tricks over and over and over again. Now, watching a guy try to ride a skateboard and land on a ramp a dozen times could get boring. With the crowd cheering louder and louder with every retake, eventually the skater got the trick. I got to see all the pros live and up close. Being in a crowd of kids watching risky and artistic action was a rush.

That’s how it is for my son. He has a list of tricks in mind he’s working on. Try and try and try again is what it’s all about.

What do P.d. and Warren have to say about X Games 12? Warren remembers his first remote control Travis Pastrana motorcylce. "I can’t keep up with Travis!" was his lament as he chased the speedy toy. If you watched Friday night, you know Travis did a double back flip – a history-making feat that had us all up and off the couch as the announcer instructed.

P.d. will remember Remi’s story. Remi came into LA from France two days before without a bike. One of the riders loaned Remi his back up bike. He wiped out after attempting a trick that only the top guys would try. Travis yelled, "You’re my hero!" as Remi rode out on a gurney.

Other X Games comments: "I can’t wait to shave. It looks like the razors are really good now." – after watching commercial after commercial about razors.