Competitors revel in the setting, perks of Minneapolis' staging of the X Games

For Nicole Hause, it's all about the royal treatment at the X Games in Minneapolis.

"We get food, we get concert tickets, we get everything," the skateboarder from Stillwater said. "Any other contest, they just give you some Skittles."

For skateboarder Elliot Sloan, the best part of competing at U.S. Bank Stadium is the luxurious indoor setting, where no one worries about wind or rain. BMX rider Kyle Baldock appreciates the courses, which he thinks are more challenging every year. And skateboarder Jagger Eaton prizes something a little less definable.

"Every single year, it gets better," Eaton said. "There are no bad vibes here, and I appreciate that a lot."

The four-day X Games wrapped up Sunday, ending their third consecutive staging in Minneapolis by awarding medals in five events. The festival of what used to be called extreme sports — the preferred term is now "action sports" — will return to U.S. Bank Stadium next July.

In the X Games' main disciplines of skateboarding, BMX and Moto X, athletes keep their sports fresh and exciting by chasing ever-more elaborate tricks. X Games Vice President Tim Reed said the event itself is no different. For its 25th edition, the X Games continued to evolve, with new contests, new sites and new formats.

Before long, Reed and his staff will begin considering more innovations for next year — and start the process of choosing a host city for 2021. Sunday, he paused just long enough to enjoy the successes of this one.

"I thought it was fantastic," Reed said. "There was great energy. The athletes seemed stoked all weekend. And the weather helped out; it was beautiful, and it got a lot of people out to the event.

"Minneapolis is a great city. The athletes love coming here. It's been awesome."

In 2018, it was announced that the X Games would stay at U.S. Bank Stadium through 2020. The announced attendance was 119,000 last year and 110,000 in 2017.

Many of this year's changes were well-received. The X Games expanded their reach by adding an adaptive skateboard event and a BMX race that teamed athletes from the X Games and Special Olympics. It also reintroduced an e-sports component, the EXP Invitational-Apex Legends.

Video gaming created some controversy when it was added to the X Games in 2014, as some athletes objected to medals being awarded in an event that didn't involve athletic ability or physical risk. This year, several hundred people gathered Friday and Saturday to watch 20 teams compete on a stage in the stadium's north end zone.

"When we did it in 2014, the reaction was totally different," Reed said. "There are more athletes who play [video] games than there were back then. It just shows maybe we were a little bit too early to the game. Now it seems like it fits a little better in the overall mix."

The BMX and Skateboard Vert contests were moved to the Armory this year, intertwined with the concerts held there to create a loud and lively atmosphere. Those were among a handful of events that were shifted to a timed format, with skaters and riders doing as many runs as possible during a 15- to 25-minute jam session.

Both of those changes were popular with athletes, who praised the venues, the city and the hospitality all weekend.

"I've been all over the world this summer, to Europe, to China," Eaton said. "All I look forward to is [coming to] Minneapolis with all my friends. I feel like every time I come here, it's family. It's a great overall experience."

Reed said the host cities for the X Games have been chosen with no formula for how long the event should stay in one particular place. The Winter X Games have been held in Aspen, Colo., for the past 18 years; the summer version has been more nomadic, with seven U.S. cities playing host over 25 years.

Next year's X Games will be July 16-19, the weekend before the Tokyo Olympics begin. With BMX freestyle, skateboarding street and skateboarding park joining the Olympic program, Reed said there is "only growth ahead" for X Games sports.

Baldock, the BMX rider, predicted one thing will stay the same.

"The X Games, even though we're in the Olympics, this is the pinnacle," Baldock said. "This is where we want to be."