Winter X Games X
OK, the Winter X Games do not have the same cachet as the Winter Olympics, and especially this year when so many Winter X athletes have skipped the tenth edition of these competitions in order to focus on next month’s Winter Olympics. Still, Janne Mayen’s accomplishment yesterday was something to behold. Not only did she become the first athlete to “four-peat” in a Winter X event, she did it by dominating the rest of the field in a way that is rarely seen in any competition. She didn’t simply win, she walked-over the rest of the field. Later in the day, Shaun White became the second athlete to “four-peat”, though his medal was up for grabs until the final snowboarder had competed. All-in-all, the X Games are great fun, especially for those who find most of the Olympic events to be rather stale. Can you imagine 6 snowmobiles racing down a ski run in an Olympic Games? Keep in mind it’s about as wide as the a run the Olympics would use for two skiers. There’s no curling at Winter X! Keep in mind that I really like curling, but not for its action packed displays of insane athleticism. I have high hopes for the Winter X Games as yesterday’s attendance of nearly 30,000 was the largest single-day attendance to date. Besides, how many chances do you get to see motocross bikes doing jumps and flips on snow? Not many. Coverage in the US is on ESPN and ESPN2 through Tuesday.