The Winter X-Games

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

I admit it. I watch too much professional sports on television. How do I know this? I spent Sunday night clicking back and forth between the final round of the Buick PGA event and the finals of the SuperPipe at the winter X-Games. I know. It read like jibberish didn't it? Super Pipe at the X-Games.

I watch because I can't believe what I'm seeing. These kids are spinning their brains out over jumps I would be afraid to go over normally. But then they pour salt into the wound by going down the slopes backwards and then doing their tricks. That's just not right. How bad about myself do they want me to feel? Hmm?

Well, then they have the paraplegics ski down the slopes. And they are going off the same big jumps. Earlier in the day, they had about six of the women crash going off these jumps. The last paraplegic went off just fine. Maybe it's time to get off the couch?

[url=http://expn.go.com/expn/story?pageName=WXG12Results]Winter X-games Videos[url]

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

First off, golf is not a sport - it is a game. If it were a sport, the players would have to carry their own clubs and there would be a time penalty if you did not complete the hole in the fastest time.

Second, the X-Games is what happens when you have too much medula and not enough frontal lobe. Great reflexes and no sense.

Bah, humbug!

-Old Man Yeti

[Drunk Monk]

When the X-Games were in S.F., Rock Med covered it. I worked the street luge. They held it out out by Sutro baths. It was great. Some of those guys had these totally tricked out high-performance custom street luges. Others were obviously put together by hobbyists in a garage - little more than some 2x4's nailed to skateboards. We thought about asking if we could enter using our gurney on its low setting, but then wised up after seeing some of the crashes. Fun stuff. I still have the shirt.

[thatguy]

Of all the "X" events, I like Street Luge best. In 2002 took my son to the last Red Bull Streets of San Francisco street luge event on Potrero Hill. It was really fun to watch. This was an invite only event and had the top lugers from all over. What struck me was that these guys were all my age (I didn't say old)...not a bunch of snot-nosed sk8rs.

No real accidents at this event as I recall, it was mostly a straight downhill track. They did switch from drag racing groups of 4 at a time to the "Big Air" contest where these guys would go off a jump. Seemed like a back breaker to me, one guy, a Canadian, lost his shoe in a crash.

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SJKF03KRu2w&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed>

All in all it was great fun. I wish they would do it again...

--tg