keskiviikko 31. elokuuta 2011
sunnuntai 28. elokuuta 2011
maanantai 22. elokuuta 2011
sunnuntai 21. elokuuta 2011
"THE FLYING FINN" and WORLD STAR RUNNER from FINLAND - PEKKA VASALA -
Pekka Vasala
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men’s Athletics | ||
Competitor for  Finland | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Gold | 1972 Munich | 1500 metres |
Pekka Antero Vasala (born April 17, 1948 in Riihimäki) was a middle-distance athlete who won an Olympic gold medal in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.
At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City he came in 41st in the 1500 m, but would go onto improve his competitiveness considerably. Part of this was down to his legendary hill training of which he said "[it] is suicidal for other runners to copy my hill sessions without adequate background".
In Munich he won the 1500 m race in a time of 3 minutes 36.3 seconds, ahead of the legendary Kip Keino and Rod Dixon. This marked a memorable day for Finnish athletics because the great Lasse Virén won the 5,000 m at the same Games within half an hour.
His nephew, Samuli Vasala, also an athlete, won the 2003 Nordic Cross Country Championships. Vasala is the son-in-law of Martti Matilainen.
References
External links
- IAAF profile for Pekka Vasala
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
Preceded by
 Walter Adams | European Record Holder Men's 800m
20 August 1972 - 26 June 1973 | Succeeded by
 Marcello Fiasconaro |
"THE FLYING FINN" and WORLD STAR: LASSE VIREN from FINLAND
Lasse Virén
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Lasse Virén | ||
| Men's Athletics | ||
| Competitor for Finland | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Gold | 1972 Munich | 5,000 metres |
| Gold | 1972 Munich | 10,000 metres |
| Gold | 1976 Montreal | 5,000 metres |
| Gold | 1976 Montreal | 10,000 metres |
| European Championships | ||
| Bronze | 1974 Rome | 5,000 metres |
Lasse Artturi Virén (born July 22, 1949) is a former Finnish long-distance runner, winner of four gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics. Born in Myrskylä, Finland, Virén recaptured the image of the "Flying Finns" promoted by runners like Hannes Kolehmainen, Paavo Nurmi, and Ville Ritola in the 1920s.
Contents |
Early career
A police officer from Myrskylä, Virén debuted on the international scene in 1971. His performances at the 1971 European Championships in Helsinki were overshadowed by fellow Finn Juha Väätäinen, who captured gold medals in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meter events with Virén settling for modest 7th and 17th placings, respectively. According to Viren himself and his coach, Rolf Haikkola, Viren could have placed better in the 1971 European Athletics Championships, if he had done the "emptying exercise" of his system earlier - according to Haikkola, he followed the Finnish Athletics Federation's leaders' bad advice - and if he hadn't been pushed almost to the point of falling at the start of the last lap in the 5,000-metre final. The "emptying exercise" of top runners means that they push their bodies to a total exhaustion or lack of energy so that their bodies can again receive much energy, and so that they can repeat their top race performances. Shortly after those European Championships, he broke Väätäinen's fresh Finnish record at 5,000 metres.[1]
Buoyed by a brutal training regimen in Thomson's Falls, Kenya, and very impressive results, which included the smashing of the 2-mile world record and wins against Great Britain and Spain in a meet held in Helsinki in the summer of 1972, Lasse Virén entered the Munich Games as a dark horse.
Olympic career
1972
At the 1972 Summer Olympics at Munich, Virén won both the 5,000 and the 10,000 meter events. At the 10,000 meter final held on September 3, Virén broke Ron Clarke's 7-year old world record despite falling in the twelfth lap after getting tangled with Emiel Puttemans. Tunisia's Mohamed Gammoudi also fell after being tripped by Viren's legs. In less than 150 metres, Virén caught up with the leading pack after losing about 20 to 30 meters. With 600 meters to go, Virén dropped the hammer and started an unprecedented lap-and-a-half kick that only Belgium's Emiel Puttemans was able to respond to, but not outmatch. The Finn won the race in 27:38:40 (which is still the current record for the Olympiastadion). He became the fourth athlete to win both events in the same Olympics, joining fellow Finn Hannes Kolehmainen (1912), Czechoslovakia's Emil Zátopek (1952) and Russian Vladimir Kuts (1956). After them, Miruts Yifter (1980) and Kenenisa Bekele (2008), both from Ethiopia, accomplished the coveted "double". However, it must be stated that Kolehmainen, Virén (on both occasions) and Yifter were the only ones in this illustrious list that had to endure 10,000 meter heats to qualify for the 10,000 meter final, thus making winning the "double" more challenging. In the 5,000-metre final one week later, Viren could keep up with Steve Prefontaine of the United States, Gammoudi, Puttemans and Ian Stewart of Great Britain, in the race's quick final four laps. He sprinted past Gammoudi with around 110 to 120 metres to go, and won in 13:26.4, one second before Gammoudi. Four days later, despite the wet, chilly and windy weather in Helsinki's Olympic Stadium, he set a new world record at 5,000 metres by running 13:16.4. About one week later, Puttemans broke the record by roughly three seconds.[2]
1976
Virén ran at lower levels between the Olympics. At the 1976 Summer Olympics, Virén again won both events, coined later as the "double double", and became the only repeat winner of the 5,000 meter race in Olympic history. He won the 10,000-metre final comparatively easily, because even Great Britain's Brendan Foster dropped from the steadily accelerating pace of Portugal's Carlos Lopes at 8,000 metres, and because Lopes back then was unable to radically increase his pace in the last lap or so of track races. Virén passed Lopes at around 9,550 metres and defeated him by 4.79 seconds.[3] In the 5,000 meter final, he held off all-time greats Dick Quax, Rod Dixon, and Brendan Foster (all world-class at 1,500 m) with a devastating display of front-running over the last few laps. To those who watched him, the display was awesomely inspiring to the point that his last 1,500 meters in that final would have placed him 8th in the 1,500-meter final held at those Games.[4] The top four runners sprinted to the finish line inside six metres, a rare occurrence in major international championships (see, for example, "The Montreal Olympic Book" and "The Gilded Spikes"; the editor of this article has calculated this figure using Viren's estimated last 100-metre split time of 13.0 seconds and the difference between Viren and Rod Dixon at the finish line - 0.74 seconds). Remarkably, 18 hours after the 5,000-meter final, he competed in the men's marathon and finished fifth in 2:13:11.[5]
1980
Lasse Virén ended his career after the 1980 Summer Olympics, where he placed fifth in the 10,000 meters. Virén qualified for that final, placing fourth and having clocked a disappointing 28:45 in his heat. Only after Ireland's John Treacy collapsed during his heat, due to heat stroke, was Virén given an automatic place in the final. Otherwise, he would have qualified for the final as a fastest loser.[6] He pushed that final's leading pack until the last 300 meters, before succumbing to the lethal kick of Miruts Yifter, the eventual gold medalist. Some people claimed that Viren could have run better in the 1980 Olympics if he had not done so much marathon-like training. Viren himself believes that if he had not injured his leg shortly before the Olympics, he would have run clearly better.[7] Viren skipped the 5,000-metre race and chose to compete in the Olympic marathon, where he started quite well, running over 20 kilometres in the lead group. Stomach problems, however, caused him to drop out before 30 kilometres.[8] In the autumn of 1980, he announced his retirement from active competitive running.[9]
Training and rumors
Virén's wins were not without controversy. Firstly, following his 10,000 meter final win at the Montreal games, he took off his Onitsuka Tiger (ASICS) Runspark shoes and waved them to the crowd on his victory lap. The International Olympic Committee accused Virén of malicious intent, such as showing the tiger stripe logo on the shoes, but he claimed that he had a blister. Thus, the IOC suspended Virén from taking place in the 5,000-meter final after qualifying in his heat. An appeal followed and he was allowed to enter the race, two hours before gun time.
Virén, with his coach Rolf Haikkola, prepared with one focus in mind: coming to a peak for the Olympics. He accumulated thousands of kilometres of running in his local forests and in winter training destinations, running at gradually increasing intensities over intervening years to prepare a huge foundation from which to peak with his anaerobic work. All else was considered only as preparation: even European championships.
One factor in Virén's Olympic victories, especially at the 1972 Olympics 5,000 and 10,000 metres, has received little attention: his careful running of almost all the bends (curves) near the inner edge of the first lane, which spared him tens of metres compared to his chief rivals. More specifically, the United States' Steve Prefontaine gave Virén a handicap of over forty metres at the 1972 Olympics 5,000 metres, and Belgium's Emiel Puttemans gave Virén a handicap of about fifty metres at the 1972 Olympics 10,000 metres, by running many bends wide on the outer edge of the first lane or sometimes even on the second lane. This skillful practice of avoiding the running of extra metres in long-distance track races is called "bend (curve) mathematics" (see Mauno Saari, "Lasse Viren: The Secrets of Running" / Lasse Viren - Juoksemisen salaisuudet, Finland, 1979).
Critics say Virén did little of note between Olympics in competition, and was often suspected of blood doping; however, after difficult leg surgery early in 1974, and between his Olympic double victories, he won a bronze medal in 5,000m at the European championships behind the British athlete Brendan Foster with a time of 13:24.57. Only two days later, in Helsinki, Virén won a 5,000 m race in 13:26.0, defeating Anders Gärderud (Sweden), and Olympic finalist Steve Prefontaine (USA). Only three days after, Virén again encountered Foster in a 2-mile (3.2-km) race at the Coca-Cola international meeting in London (Crystal Palace). Foster was again victorious, with Virén finishing fourth, only 0.06 seconds behind, coming in second place. Virén recorded his fastest 10,000 m with a winning time of 28:22.6 at a Finland vs. Soviet Union international match on 21 September. Furthermore, Virén managed to break the world record in the 2-mile and the 5,000 meters outside the Olympics (though both were done in close proximity to the 1972 Olympics, his 8:14.0 for two miles being run on August 14, 1972 and his 13:16.4 for 5,000 meters on September 14, 1972).
It is noteworthy that Virén ran much closer to his Olympic years' best times (1972, 1976 and 1980) in the intermittent non-Olympic years (1973 to 1975 and 1977 to 1979) at 5,000 metres, always breaking 13:36 and sometimes breaking 13:30, than at 10,000 metres over which he only broke 28 minutes in those Olympic years.[10]
Years later, Virén competed in New Zealand in 1979 and ran the summer international series there while in the midst of his endurance base for the Moscow Olympics.
Established in 1977 by the Finnish sculptor Eino, the Lasse Viren Finnish Invitational, now the "Lasse Viren 20K," has become a popular, annual off-road running race in Sycamore Canyon, part of Point Mugu State Park near Malibu, California[11]
Since his career ended he has become a well-known figure in Finland, eventually holding a seat in the Finnish Parliament with the National Coalition Party from 1999 until 2007 and from 2010 to 2011. Virén did not seek for re-election in 2011. [12]
maanantai 15. elokuuta 2011
sunnuntai 14. elokuuta 2011
perjantai 12. elokuuta 2011
torstai 11. elokuuta 2011
keskiviikko 10. elokuuta 2011
keskiviikko 3. elokuuta 2011
tiistai 2. elokuuta 2011
maanantai 1. elokuuta 2011
X GAMES
|
|
It was time once again for spills, chills, and spectacular feats of daring as X Games 17 kicked off in downtown Los Angeles in late July 2011.
This year, all the action began on Thursday, July 28 continuing through the weekend until the big final on Sunday, July 31, 2011 as more than 200 athletes competed in venues including the STAPLES Center and Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE.
In July, a new event premiered at the 2011 games, combining motocross racing and traditional Enduro — that pits racers against sand, rocks, mud and other obstacles — along with a move to the streets of downtown LA for the Rally racing competitions.
Tickets for X Games 17 went on sale June 23, 2011 and were available for purchase at all Ticketmaster locations and the box office at the STAPLES Center. Fans had to act fast, as many are snatched up at lightening speed, so ticket resellers become the vendor of choice for many.
Meanwhile, armchair athletes could look forward to more than 30 hours of live television programming on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 during the four-day event (including 18 hours of 3D coverage this year) with additional broadcasting and/or live streaming on ESPN International, ESPN.com\action, ESPN Classic, ESPN3.com, and SportsCenter.
X Games 17 Winners
| Moto X | Event | Gold Medal Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Men's Moto X Enduro | Taddy Blazusiak (POL) | |
| Women's Moto X Enduro | Maria Forsberg (USA) | |
| Women's Moto X Racing | Vicki Golden (USA) | |
| Moto X Freestyle | Nate Adams (USA) | |
| Moto X Step Up | Matt Buyten (USA) | |
| Moto X Best Whip* | Jeremy Stenberg (USA) | |
| Moto X Best Trick | Jackson Strong (AUS) | |
| Moto X Speed & Style | Nate Adams (USA) | |
* Competition decided by fan text message voting. | ||
| Skateboarding | Event | Gold Medal Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Skateboard Big Air | Bob Burnquist(BRA) | |
| Skateboard Freestyle Vert | Shaun White(USA) | |
| Skateboard Street | Nyjah Huston(USA) | |
| Women's Skateboard Street | Marisa Dal Santo(USA) | |
| Skateboard Park | Raven Tershy(USA) | |
| Hometown Heroes Amateur Skateboard Street | Julian Christianson(USA) | |
| Skateboard Game of SK8 | Ryan DecenzoCAN) |
| BMX | Event | Gold Medal Winner |
|---|---|---|
| BMX Freestyle Vert | Jamie Bestwick (GBR) | |
| BMX Freestyle Park | Daniel Dhers (VEN) | |
| BMX Freestyle Big Air | Steve McCann (AUS) | |
| BMX Freestyle Street | Garrett Reynolds (USA) |
| Rallying | Event | Gold Medal Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Rally Car Racing | Liam Doran (GBR) | |
| RallyCross | Brian Deegan (USA) |
About the Summer X Games
Every year since 1995, athletes from around the world have arrived at the X Games to show off their latest moves and tricks as they compete for medals and prize money in such sports as skateboarding, rally car racing, motocross and BMX.
In addition to serious competition, X Game fans are also treated to the annual entertainment extravaganza known as X Fest — featuring a rockin' music festival, and in-your-face meetings with famous athletes, game demos, and other special events.
More about Summer X Games 17 around the Web:
X Games 17 - The official ESPN showcase including the complete schedule, winners and results, photos, video and recaps.
EXPN - The official site with the complete X Game schedule, athlete profiles, news headlines & feature stories, video, podcasts, photo galleries, history & fun facts.
Staples Center - The main venue for X Game night events, with the full schedule, ticket info, parking and seat finder.
X Games - The rundown from Wikipedia including information on summer and winter events, profiles of X Games athletes & winners, history & fun facts, related resources.
Top Moments in X Games History - Catch all the action with information and 'best of'' video archive of great X Game moments including Travis Pastrana's 3 golds in 2006, Dave Mirra's double backflip in 2000, and Tony Hawk's 900 on the vert ramp in 1999.
X GAMES
As temperatures drop in Aspen, the excitement heated up - as the Winter X Games returned to Aspen/Snowmass Colorado for its 10th anniversary year in 2011 from January 27 - 30 in Aspen.
Winter X Europe will be held March 16 - 18, 2011 in Tignes, France. from January 28 - 31.
One of the most x-treme winter sports events in the world, the winter games attract an international array of more than 200 gravity-defying athletes.
Prize money, medals and worldwide fame are up for grabs as each of them compete in such events as Moto X, skiing, snowboarding and snocross.
|
|
In addition to the extreme sporting scene in Colorado, party revelers also enjoyed live nightly concerts as part of the annual Winter X Games hoopla featuring live performances by favorite music artists at the annual Satellite Party at Wagner Park in downtown Aspen.
Live coverage on ESPN includedprimetime night games on the schedule - amounting to almost 20 hours of air time devoted to the Winter X Games in 2011.
Winter X Games Winners
| EVENT | WINNER |
| SKIING | |
| Men's Slopestyle | Sammy Carlson (USA) |
| Women's 's Slopestyle | Kaya Turski (CAN) |
| Men's SuperPipe | Kevin Rolland (FRA) |
| Women's SuperPipe | Sarah Burke (CAN) |
| Men's Big Air | Alex Schlopy (USA) |
| Men's Skier X | John Teller (USA) |
| Women's Skier X | Kelsey Serwa (CAN) |
| Men's Mono Skier X | Josh Deuck (CAN) |
| SNOWBOARDING | |
| Men's SuperPipe | Shaun White (USA) |
| Women's SuperPipe | Kelly Clark (USA) |
| Men's Snowboard X | Nick Baumgartner (USA) |
| Women's Snowboard X | Lindsey Jacobellis (USA) |
| Men's Big Air | Torstein Horgmo (NOR) |
| Men's Slopestyle | Sebastien Toutant (CAN) |
| Women's Slopestyle | Enni Rukajärvi (FIN) |
| Men's Snowboard Street | Nic Sauve (CAN) |
| Men's Best Method | Scotty Lago (USA) |
| MEN'S SNOWMOBILE | |
| Freestyle | Daniel Bodin (SWE) |
| Speed & Style | Joe Parsons (USA) |
| Best Trick | Daniel Bodin (SWE) |
| SnoCross | Tucker Hibbert (USA) |
| SnoCross Adaptive | Mike Schultz (USA) |
X GAMES
X Games
 | This article uses bare URLs or very simple external links in its references or external links section. Such references are threatened by link rot. Please use proper citations containing each referenced work's title, author, publisher, date, and source, so that the article remains verifiable in the future. Several templates and a tool are available to facilitate formatting. (August 2011) |
| Most recent season or competition: X Games XVII | |
 | |
| Sport | Extreme sports |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1995 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC ESPN ESPN2 ESPN3 ESPN 3D |
| Official website | XGames.com |
The X Games is a commercial annual sports event, controlled and arranged by US sports broadcaster ESPN, which focuses on action sports. The inaugural X Games was held in the summer of 1995 in Rhode Island.
The Winter X Games are held in January or February (usually in January) and the Summer X Games are usually held in August, both in the United States. Participants compete to win bronze, silver, and gold medals, and prize money. The competition often features new tricks such as Tony Hawk's 900 in skateboarding, Anthony Napolitan with the first double front flip on a bicycle, Travis Pastrana's double backflip in Freestyle Motocross, Levi Lavallee's double backflip in Freestyle Snocross, and Torstein Horgmo's first landed triple cork in a Snowboard competition. Concurrent with competition is the "X Fest" sports and music festival, which offers live music, athlete autograph sessions and interactive elements. The location of the Winter X Games is in Aspen, Colorado through 2012, while the location for the Summer X Games is in Los Angeles. The X Games also has international competitions and demos around the world that are held at varying times throughout the year. The games are shown live on television.
The Winter X Games is, as described by ESPN (2008), a competition compiled of the greatest winter action sport athletes from around the world competing on an annual basis. The competition contains day and evening events including skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling. The first Winter X Games took place at Mountain Resort in Big Bear Lake, California, in 1997. The following two years, the Games were held at Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado. The two years following that, the Games were held in Mount Snow, Vermont. And since 2002 the Winter X Games have been held at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colorado, and according to ESPN they will continue to be held there through 2012.
Contents |
Events
Summer X Games
- Moto
- Moto X Super X
- Moto X Speed & Style
- Moto X Best Whip
- Moto X Best Trick
- Moto X Freestyle
- Moto X Enduro X
- Moto X Step Up
- Moto X Adaptive
- Rally
- Skateboarding
- Skateboard Vert
- Skateboard Park
- Skateboard Street
- Skateboard Big Air
- Skateboard Best Trick
- BMX
- BMX Freestyle Vert
- BMX Freestyle Park
- BMX Freestyle Street
- BMX Freestyle Big Air
Winter X Games
- Skiing
- Ski Big Air
- Ski Slopestyle
- Ski SuperPipe
- Skier X
- Monoski
- Snowboarding
- Snowboard Big Air
- Snowboard Slopestyle
- Snowboard SuperPipe
- Snowboard X
- Snowboard Best Method
- Snowmobile
- Snowmobile Freestyle
- Snowmobile Speed & Style
- Snowmobile Best Trick
- SnoCross
Past Events
- Inline skating
- Inline Vert
- Inline Street
- Inline Speed Skating
- BMX
- BMX Freestyle Dirt
- BMX Freestyle Flatland
- BMX Downhill
- Other
- Climbing
- Street Luge
- Surfing
- Downhill Skateboarding
- Wakeboarding
- Skysurfing
- Bungee jumping
Economics
The X Games gained media exposure due to their big name sponsors, top-tier athletes and consistent fan attendance. As the Journal of Sport Management (2006) explains, Generation X and Generation Y are the two most highly valued by marketers. This creates a broad approach on marketing towards that certain demographic, which is why the X Games marketing and economic outlook is so “out of the box.” According to EXPN (2008); The Winter X Games inaugural year, 1997, was televised to 198 countries and 38,000 spectators attended the four day event. In 1998, the attendance dropped to 25,000 spectators. But just two years later, a record attendance of 83,500 people attended the Winter X Games' East Coast debut. The X Games and Winter X Games continue to grow with the popularity of action sports and the athletes who compete in them.
The Interactive X Fest Village
The Ior spectators, athlete demos, climbing walls, video game experiences, and the chance to try new and upcoming products that are presented by sponsors. This area exists at both the X Games and Winter X Games.
Snowskate Park
The Snowskate Park is an actual layout provided by the Winter X Games sponsors in order to provide real-life interaction for all spectators. The Snowskate Park posts a schedule so that fans can enter the park in order to “play” around or show off their skills. The schedule usually includes: Open Park for the Public, Invitational Practices, Special Kids Events, Experienced Snowskate Sessions, and Competitive Sledding.
Musical performances
Throughout the Winter X Games live music line-ups are prepared in order to give fans the non-stop action that they came to see. Some performing music acts are up-and-coming bands/artists that are looking for serious exposure, but well-known talents perform at the Games as well. DJs are a fixed piece of the X Games, you can find them spinning the tracks during each athlete's run.
Environmental impact
 | This section is written like an advertisement. Please help rewrite this section from a neutral point of view. (August 2010) |
X Games Environmentality (XGE), is an environmental green program that focuses on reducing waste through recycling and compositing greenhouse gas emissions through the use of alternative fuels. Disney (2008) explains that the X Games use biodiesel fuel, biofuel-powered RFTA shuttles, and 100% post-consumer recycled paper. In 2006, nearly 70% of event waste was diverted from Aspen-area landfills to be processed at specialized facilities. Each year improvements in waste reduction and recycling are met. Educational outreach for fans, staff and vendors are also conducted that will include opportunities to contribute to XGE’s efforts.[1][2]
Get Caught Recycling
Get Caught Recycling is a program created by the XGE in order to encourage recycling. Environmentality (2008) explains that the program works as follows: Fans who get caught recycling during the Games will be rewarded with tokens that they can redeem for valuable prizes at the TRASHed Recycling Store. The program produces solid results with voluntary recycling by fans in exchange for fun, environmentally-friendly prizes.[3]
Growth
| | This section is written like an advertisement. Please help rewrite this section from a neutral point of view. (August 2010) |
The Winter X Games are the leading winter action sports competition in the entire world and it has demonstrated extraordinary growth since it's beginning. ESPN has documented this growth since 2008 which includes ratings, attendance, and participation, since the early years.
In the Games’ first year, 1995, the actual attendance of the event was strong at 38,000 people. Just three years later in 1998 attendance dropped to 25,000 people (note these values are estimations) attributed to its move to Crested Butte. Crested Butte offered a unique ski environment where new sports events were introduced such as free skiing, SnoCross, and SkiBoarding. Women’s Free Skiing was introduced a year later and attendance showed an increase at its second stay at Crested Butte.
A year later, the Games moved 2000 miles east, to Mt. Snow, Vermont gaining a record attendance of 83,500. The Games added the Snowboard SuperPipe event. Once again, held in Vermont in 2001, the Games posted another great fan turnout along with the addition of the Moto X Big Air event.
Publication
Winter X Games VIII in 2004 marked the first time that an X Games event was televised live and also featured coverage by ESPN's flagship news program, SportsCenter. Viewership across the three networks that carried coverage of the event – ABC Sports, ESPN and ESPN2 – exceeded last year's household average by 30% according to Nielsen Media Research. The event also reached record highs in several demographic categories. To accommodate the first-time live coverage, nighttime competitions were added, resulting in record attendance for the Aspen/Snowmass venue.
Winter X Games 2002
The 2002 Winter X Games were a huge year for ESPN and the X Games. It was the first year that the games were held in Aspen Colorado at Buttermilk Mountain. The Games continued to add new events including the Ski Slopestyle event and the Ski SuperPipe event. The most memorable incident of the 2002 Games was when the entire 2002 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Snowboarding Team showed up to compete in the Winter X Snowboard SuperPipe event, just weeks prior to the Salt Lake City Olympics. Also in 2002, ESPN announced the establishment of the X Games Global Championship. The Global Championship featured two distinct venues hosting competitions in summer and winter action sports simultaneously. It consisted of six teams of the World’s top athletes, grouped together by their region of origin, to compete in the four day event. The winter sports were held in Whistler Blackcomb Resort in British Columbia, and the events included snowboarding and skiing.
History
Summarized from EXPN.com [4]
Summer X Games
- 1995: Extreme Games – Newport, Rhode Island & Mount Snow, Vermont
- 198,000 in Attendance
- 1996: X Games Two – Providence & Newport, Rhode Island
- 200,000 in Attendance
- 1997: X Games Three – San Diego, California (June 20–28, 1997)
- 221,200 in Attendance
- 1998: X Games Four – San Diego, California (June 1998)
- 233,000 in Attendance
- 1999: X Games Five – 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, skateboarder Tony Hawk finally lands a 900-degree spin (the 900).
- Travis Pastrana wins the first ever MotoX Freestyle event at the X Games, after dislocating his spine last spring. He also scored the highest ever run of 99.00 points.
- 2000: X Games Six – Pier 30 & 32, San Francisco, California (August 17–22, 2000)
- Dave Mirra wins BMX Park, landing the first ever Double Backflip in competition.
- Tommy Clowers wins the first ever Moto-X Step Up event, at a record-breaking height of 35 feet.
- Bucky Lasek scores a 98.50 in Skateboard Vert, the highest in X Games history.[5]
- 2001: X Games Seven – First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (August 17–22, 2001)
- 235,000 in Attendance
- Bob Burnquist nails an almost perfect skateboard vert run with a score of 98.00.
- Taïg Khris wins the Inline Vert event, with the first double backflip in X Games history.
- Danny Harf lands a 900-degree spin in wakeboarding.
- 2002: X Games Eight – First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (August 15–19, 2002)
- Mat Hoffman lands the no handed 900-degree spin on a BMX.
- Mike Metzger landed the first back flip in Moto-X 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 lands the first ever 360 in Freestyle Moto-X, 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 becomes the first person to defeat Travis Pastrana in the Freestyle Moto-X event at the X Games.
- Danny Way wins the first ever Skateboard Big Air event.
- Jeremy McGrath debuts at the X Games, winning gold in Moto-X Step Up, and bronze in Supermoto.
- Chuck Carothers wins Moto-X 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 pulled off the first ever double tailwhip flair in the BMX Vert Best Trick event.
- Travis Pastrana wins gold in Moto-X Freestyle again and becomes the most decorated athlete in Moto-X
- ESPN has 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 lands the world's first Double Backflip on a dirt bike, and wins Moto X Best Trick with a score of 98.60, the highest current score in Best Trick.
- Kevin Robinson lands the double flair for the first time.
- Travis Pastrana wins the inaugural X Games Rally beating former World Rally Champion, Colin McRae by .52 seconds after the latter rolls his car with 2 corners to go at the Home Depot Center.
- Chad Kagy lands the first flatwhip double tailwhip 540.
- Skateboarder Nyjah Huston becomes 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 gets hurt after landing the first 720 in Big Air competition. He fell from 40'+ in the air 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 walks away with help. Suffered a fractured wrist, bruised lung and liver, whiplash, ruptured spleen, and a concussion.
- Ricky Carmichael wins the first ever MotoX Racing Circuit.
- Mat Hoffman returns to competition in BMX Big Air.
- Simon Tabron does 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 clips his shins on the lip of the quarterpipe after a 20+ foot freefall during the Big Air comp, which the commentators refer to as the "second worst fall ever at the X Games" (the first being Jake Brown's the year prior). After spending a few minutes with paramedics, Way limps back to the ramp and goes on to nail the trick he'd fallen on, coming in second place.
- Ryan Sheckler Won Gold in Street Skateboarding, making it his second Gold medal at the X games.
- Kyle Loza won his second gold medal in the Moto X 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 falls while attempting first ever Frontflip on Moto-X bike
- Tarah Gieger of Puerto Rico won the gold medal in the first-ever women's supercross race.
- Jeremy Lusk Wins a Gold Medal in the Freestyle MotoCross (FMX) event.
- 2009: X Games 15 – Los Angeles, California (July 30 – August 2, 2009)
- Skateboarder Jake Brown wins his first gold medal in the Big Air competition.
- Danny Way wins the inaugural Big Air Rail Jam, a contest which he created.
- Paul Rodriguez wins the skateboard street
- Anthony Napolitan lands the first ever double front flip on a bicycle.
- Kyle Loza becomes the first person to three-peat gold Moto X Best Trick in controversial fashion by using the same trick he used to win in 2008, The Electric Doom, especially after the judges stating "innovation" will win the gold this year.
- Ricky Carmichael falls and hurts himself on Moto X Step Up. Due to the circumstances, dual gold medals were awarded to Carmichael and to Ronnie Renner.
- Travis Pastrana falls whilst attempting a Rodeo 720, or as he called it "The Toilet Paper Roll" in Moto X Best Trick.
- Blake Williams becomes the first non-American rider to win FMX Gold
- Jamie Bestwick 3-peats with win in BMX Vert.
- Pierre-Luc Gagnon wins gold in Skateboard Vert for the second consecutive year.
- In his first X Games appearance, retired IndyCar champion Kenny Brack wins Rally X gold over defending gold medalist Travis Pastrana.
- Ashley Fiolek, 18, wins the women's Moto X 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 competes in 4 events after pulling out of Best Trick at the last minute. He comes back to Freestyle after a 3 year hiatus, and takes gold, pulling yet another Double Backflip, the first one done in X Games Freestyle competition. He has troubles in Rally, costing him gold in Rally Racing and the chance to compete in Super Rally, but comes back on the bike and wins his first gold in Moto X Speed & Style, beating Nate Adams
- Ashley Fiolek wins the women's Moto X Super X for the second year in a row, becoming the only rider to do so.
- Matt Buyten wins gold in Moto X Step Up, beating former champion, Ronnie Renner.
- Jamie Bestwick becomes the first person to 4-peats with a win in BMX Vert.
- Pierre-Luc Gagnon becomes the first athlete to 3-peat in Skateboard Vert, beating silver medalist, Shaun White.
- Garrett Reynolds becomes the first athlete to 3-peat in BMX Street.
- Cam Sinclair did 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 ago, leaving him in a coma for 7 days, and having him retrain his body, learning how to walk and, eventually, to ride again.
- Ryan Sheckler wins the X games gold medal in Skateboarding Street seeking redemption after his X Games XV mishap.
- 2011: X Games 17 – Los Angeles, California (July 28–31, 2011) [7]
- Shaun White earns his second gold medal in Skateboard Vert, breaking Pierre Luc Gagnon's 3-year winning streak.
- Liam Doran takes gold on his debut in the Rally Car Racing event after beating Marcus Gronholm in the final.[8]
Winter X Games
- 1997: Winter X Games 1, Big Bear Lake, California (January 30 – February 2, 1997)
- 38,000 in Attendance
- 1998: Winter X Games 2, Crested Butte, Colorado
- 25,000 in Attendance
- 1999: Winter X Games 3, Crested Butte, Colorado
- 30,000+ in Attendance
- 2000: Winter X Games 4, Mount Snow, Vermont (February 3–6, 2000)
- 83,500 in Attendance
- 2001: Winter X Games 5, Mount Snow, Vermont
- 85,100 in Attendance
- 2002: Winter X Games 6, Aspen, Colorado (February 1–5, 2002)
- C.R. Johnson wins gold in ski big air
- 2003: Winter X Games 7, Aspen, Colorado (January 30 – February 5, 2003)
- C.R. Johnson wins bronze in ski superpipe
- 2004: Winter X Games 8, Aspen, Colorado (January 22–25, 2004)
- 2005: Winter X Games 9, Aspen, Colorado (January 29 – February 1, 2005)
- 2006: Winter X Games 10, Aspen, Colorado (January 28–31, 2006)
- Jeaux Hall lands the 1080 in half-pipe contest after 17 attempts
- ESPN has signed a contract with the Aspen Skiing Company to keep the Winter X Games in Colorado through 2012
- 2007: Winter X Games 11, Aspen, Colorado (January 25–28, 2007)
- Peter Olenick lands first double-flip (The Whiskey Flip) in halfpipe competition history, starting a revolution and setting a new standard in superpipe tricks.
- 2008: Winter X Games 12, Aspen, Colorado (January 24–27, 2008)'
- 2009: Winter X Games 13, Aspen, Colorado (January 22–25, 2009)
- Levi LaVallee attempts the first double backflip on a snowmobile
- Shaun White wins first back to back golds in Snowboard superpipe
- 2010: Winter X Games 14, Aspen, Colorado (January 28–31, 2010)
- Eero Ettala won the gold medal. He reached the finals with a staggering 93.33 points. Runner up Eric Willet reached only 86.33 points.
- 2011: Winter X Games 15, Aspen, Colorado (January 27 – 30, 2011)
- Kelly Clark lands first 1080 in competition, in Women's Superpipe .
- Torstein Horgmo lands first triple cork in competition, in Men's Snowboard Big Air
- Shaun White becomes first to win 4 peat in the Super Pipe in X games history
- Sebastian Toutant wins multiple gold as a rookie
- During Snowmobile Best Trick brothers, Colton and Caleb Moore, successfully landed a two-man backflip but were disqualified because judges ruled the event as an individual sport. Daniel Bodin would later go on to take gold for the event.
X Games Venues
| Year | Summer | Winter | Asia | Europe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 |  Newport &  Mount Snow | No held | No held | No held |
| 1996 | Providence & Newport | |||
| 1997 |  San Diego | Big Bear Lake | ||
| 1998 | San Diego |  Crested Butte |  Phuket | |
| 1999 | San Francisco | Crested Butte | Phuket | |
| 2000 | San Francisco | Mount Snow | Phuket | |
| 2001 |  Philadelphia | Mount Snow | Phuket | |
| 2002 | Philadelphia | Aspen |  Kuala Lumpur | |
| 2003 | Los Angeles | Aspen | Kuala Lumpur | |
| 2004 | Los Angeles | Aspen | Kuala Lumpur | |
| 2005 | Los Angeles | Aspen |  Seoul | |
| 2006 | Los Angeles | Aspen | Kuala Lumpur | |
| 2007 | Los Angeles | Aspen |  Shangai | |
| 2008 | Los Angeles | Aspen | Shangai | |
| 2009 | Los Angeles | Aspen | Shangai | |
| 2010 | Los Angeles | Aspen | Shangai |  Tignes |
| 2011 | Los Angeles | Aspen | Shangai | Tignes |
X Games Global Championships
From May 16 up until May 18, 2003, the X Games held a special event called the Global Championships, where 5 continents (2 countries in North America) competed in 11 disciplines. The event was held in two locations, the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas (where 7 of the events, including In-line skating, Skateboarding, BMX and Freestyle Motocross, were held), as well as in Whistler, British Columbia (where the Superpipe events for Snowboarding and skiing took place).
The final team results were:
| Position | Team/Continent | Overall Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA | 196 |
| 2 | Europe | 167 |
| 3 | Australia | 142 |
| 4 | Canada | 132 |
| 5 | Asia | 122 |
| 6 | South America | 70 |
- It was also here at the Global Championships where Jamie Bestwick performed the first ever Tailwhip Flair in the BMX Vert event.