X Games History Was Made in Salt Lake City

Ryan Williams soars through the air on a bike.

Ryan Williams pulling off a Double Front Flip.

Action Sports

The stomping of feet on the bleachers echoed while the crowd erupted in cheers after each trick. “Salt Lake City, let me hear you make some noise!” was heard all across the Utah State Fairpark while competitors from around the world competed to take home an X Games medal. The jam-packed three-day weekend was filled with competitions that included skateboarding, BMX and motocross, and I couldn’t help but feel that high energy in the crowd as people come to watch the best competitors in the world.

X Games History Was Made in Salt Lake City

The X Games are famous around the world, but it was a little more special this year when the Salt Lake community hosted it for the first time. Being from Utah myself, I felt a sense of pride walking into the park and seeing the excitement from all the other spectators. The crowd was filled with all different age groups, showing how everyone was welcome to be a part of the event — whether you were a fan of the sports or just needed something to do that weekend.

The weekend began with the Women’s Skateboard Park event and the crowd definitely showed up for those women. Girls really can do everything boys do, and Heili Sirviö proved that by scoring an 86 and taking home her first X Games gold medal. Sirviö is a Finnish skateboarder who is only 14 years old but she doesn’t let her age get in the way of absolutely crushing the skateboard park event. The crowd went crazy for her win and all of the other girls competing against her ran up to hug and celebrate with her. I could see all the love and genuine happiness for her from the other girls, and it gave me goosebumps to see that kind of support and sportsmanship from all the competitors.

Arisa Trew, a 15-year-old skateboarder from Australia, has won eight X Games gold medals and took home silver at the Skateboard Vert event this weekend. She says the girls are all friends who enjoy competing against each other while also celebrating their wins. “We’ve all been traveling the world together so I’ve gotten to know them really well and we’ve all become such good friends,” Trew says.

Having never been to an X Games event before, I didn’t know what to expect. Even though I didn’t know all the terms that were being called out by the announcers, I couldn’t help but cheer and jump up and down when someone nailed a trick. Tail grab 540, switch, full cab in the deep end, backside nose grind, kickflip — I’m not sure what all of that means but it sure sounded impressive, and to really see it in person was amazing. The time and effort these athletes put into their sport while making it look so easy is just another skill they all have in common.

In the Men’s Skateboard Park event, 18-year-old Gavin Bottger from California won gold and the bleachers erupted in cheers and whistles. The men in this event put it all out there doing the most amazing tricks and landing almost all of them. Even after a big fall, they got back up, hands in the air and a smile on their face, and headed back to the start to try it all again. I swear the cheers from the audience were louder during those falls than when they would actually land a trick. It just goes to show how everyone is there to support and cheer on some of their favorite athletes.

Every event was exciting and I was on the edge of my seat watching the most talented people compete against each other, but by far my favorite event of the weekend was the Moto X Quarterpipe High Air. From talking to other spectators, I learned that whoever gets the highest in the air wins, and people were really into it. While the men were competing there were gasps and cheers and I had to hold my breath while I watched because they honestly looked like they were flying up there. Colby Raha won the gold medal by getting 52 feet into the air on his dirt bike.

Another event that I just knew I couldn’t miss was the BMX Dirt Best Trick event, and it’s a good thing I didn’t because history was made. For the first time ever in an X Games competition, Ryan Williams successfully landed a triple backflip on the dirt. The crowd went crazy and it was amazing to be a part of something that felt so important to Williams and fans everywhere.

As the weekend came to an end, I couldn’t help but be a little sad that it was all over. I encountered some amazing people who were more than happy to talk to me and educate me about all things X Games. A highlight for me that weekend was seeing the reactions from the kids who attended. They were so excited to get shirts and hats signed by their favorite athletes and you could feel their buzz of excitement when they saw Tony Hawk walk by. I was on cloud nine the whole time, watching the events through their eyes.

While I didn’t know everything about the different events in the beginning, I do feel like I learned a lot from the X Games weekend and the energy of it all was contagious. If I have another opportunity to attend a future X Games, I would be there screaming and stomping my feet with the rest of the fans. I guess you could call me an X Games fan now, and I’m not mad one bit.