You don’t have to be an X-Games fan to love daredevils serving up their lives on a platter during the 12th edition of what I like to call, “The Crazy Things You Wish You Had the Guts To Do, But
You don’t have to be an X-Games fan to love daredevils serving up their lives on a platter during the 12th edition of what I like to call, “The Crazy Things You Wish You Had the Guts To Do, But I’d Rather Watch Games.”
You don’t even have to like letter X.
If you haven’t caught a glimpse of the action yet, don’t sweat, because today is the final day. And you can still see the Moto Cross Super Moto Race, the BMX Freestyle Big Air Finals or the Skateboard Big Air Finals this morning on either ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.
That’s exactly where you’ll find the showstoppers flying through the air with hopes of just landing on soft ground — which doesn’t always happen.
On Wednesday, the X-Games took a jolt to the ribs. BMX rider Dave Mirra, the most decorated athlete in X-Games history, lacerated his liver during practice and left the games altogether. I was unlucky enough to watch his big fall, live on TV.
It made my face prune up like a wrinkled 92-year-old.
And like always, ESPN replayed it over and over like Tiger Woods’ dramatic putt that catapulted him to the ‘05 Masters victory. It also gave me flashbacks from a few weeks ago. Mirra, 32, landed awkwardly after a jump at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. A frind and I aso landed awkwardly after getting thrown from my brother-in-law’s ATV (sorry Eug!) near ‘A‘akuku‘i Ranch.
Sound almost the same?
Somewhat, but it sure makes me feel as if I was in an X-Games event. Like Mirra, I’m definitely as relieved as a bird on a mongoose-less island to be alive. However, Mirra does this for a living. He’s won 20 X-Games medals, including 14 golds, and is the defending champion in BMX Park.
Mirra will miss the X-Games for the first time after competing in the first 11.
But I don’t think he’ll lose any Zs from not being in contention. And I won’t either. After being left with scars on my back and left leg and a nagging pain in my lower back, I still feel the need to jump back on the mechanical horse.
Mirra’s got the scars too. Probably a lot more than me.
But there’s a reason he keeps on doing the deed.
It’s a rush. It’s a feeling he gets from nothing else in his life.
He’s lucky he does it for a living. And Kaua‘i Moto Crossers enjoy the same type of feeling as Mirra. Chava Greenlee, a Kaua‘i surfer turned Moto Cross maniac, is just one of many Garden Isle racers who compete in the Kaua‘i Moto Cross Racing Association.
It’s a tight-knit community that makes the trek to the Wailua Moto Cross Track every few months. Catch their biggest race of the season, the Labor Day races, coming up very soon. Due to the height and popularity of the event, the track is closed this month for repairs. So if you sleep in this morning or opt to go surf, there’s still a chance for you to catch an eyeful of X-Games-like competition on the island. I’ll probably be there. But as a fan, not a participant. I’ve already had my X-Games on the island. And I’ll save my next rendezvous for another X-Games sport. Maybe BMX?
