Your Guide to X Games Minneapolis
Since 1995, the X Games have been a staple of summer events. Nearly 200 athletes from around the world attempt gravity-defying feats in extreme sports in pursuit of cash, medals and fame. They train and compete all year to to perform tricks you don't want to try at home.
By ANDREW KRAMMER, JAY ST. PIERRE, AARON REISS • Graphics by MARK BOSWELL and RAHUL MUKHERJEE • Star TribuneSKATEBOARDING
Event to watch Big Air
3:30 p.m. Saturday
Arguably the most exciting event at the X Games, Big Air requires skaters to drop in from approximately eight stories above the ground to their choice of takeoff points that are 50 and 65 feet away from the lip of a 27-foot quarterpipe, where they will execute a second trick. The oversized dimensions give way to the competition’s namesake — lots of time in the air for dazzling moves. The entire course is about 365 feet long.
1 The vertical drop: Burnquist rides an elevator to the top of the 88-foot MegaRamp, nearly nine stories above the ground. To begin this trick, “you’re starting goofy,” Burnquist says, referring to the ‘switch’ in the name. So he faces to his left, not his traditional right, on the drop.
2 The sweet spot: The right spin off the takeoff is critical to a smooth landing. “If you’re off axis just a little bit, you know you’re going to end up in a weird position,” Burnquist says. The MegaRamp has a gap long enough to allow for minor corrections midair. “I can turn my body forward or a little backward,” he says, “but it can’t be too much."
3 The kicker: Reaching speeds up to 40 miles per hour, Burnquist drops 65 feet to the takeoff ramp below. He’s looking backward as he approaches the 60-foot gap so his 540-degree rotation will land him forward. “So I don’t really see what’s going on all the way up until the last minute,” he says.
4 The vert ramp: “Contrary to belief, there are no Velcro [straps],” Burnquist jokes, so keeping a hold on his board and forcing the landing with strong feet is also a key heading right into a 27-foot quarterpipe. “You have to land full speed in order to take the quarterpipe,” he says.
1 The vertical drop: Burnquist rides an elevator to the top of the 88-foot MegaRamp, nearly nine stories above the ground. To begin this trick, “you’re starting goofy,” Burnquist says, referring to the ‘switch’ in the name. So he faces to his left, not his traditional right, on the drop.
2 The sweet spot: The right spin off the takeoff is critical to a smooth landing. “If you’re off axis just a little bit, you know you’re going to end up in a weird position,” Burnquist says. The MegaRamp has a gap long enough to allow for minor corrections midair. “I can turn my body forward or a little backward,” he says, “but it can’t be too much."
3 The kicker: Reaching speeds up to 40 miles per hour, Burnquist drops 65 feet to the takeoff ramp below. He’s looking backward as he approaches the 60-foot gap so his 540-degree rotation will land him forward. “So I don’t really see what’s going on all the way up until the last minute,” he says.
4 The vert ramp: “Contrary to belief, there are no Velcro [straps],” Burnquist jokes, so keeping a hold on his board and forcing the landing with strong feet is also a key heading right into a 27-foot quarterpipe. “You have to land full speed in order to take the quarterpipe,” he says.
Athletes to watch
Alec
Majerus
The 22-year-old Rochester native is one of only two Minnesotans at this year’s X Games. He is an up-and-comer in the sport whose only X Games medal is a bronze in the 2014 street event in Austin. He is also one of few skateboarders with a shoe deal (adidas).
Brighton
Zeuner
The California native turns 13 Friday and will be the youngest competitor at this year’s event. She just missed capturing a medal in last summer’s X Games, finishing fourth in the park event, but won the World Championship of Park Skateboarding in August.
Nyjah
Huston
The 22-year-old California native has dominated the street scene since 2009, winning 12 medals. He has won the Street League Skateboarding competition series six times since 2010 and is favored to capture his ninth street gold medal at this year’s X Games.
BMX
Event to watch Park Final
12 p.m. Saturday
BMX riders will freestyle through a large concrete bowl that features a Viking ship. Twelve riders will take three runs each through the course, and their best score will determine final rankings. Competitors are judged on execution, degree of difficult, variety, continuity of their run, originality, style, use of the course and height they reach in the air.
Athletes to watch
Kyle
Baldok
The Australian native is one of the few BMX riders to master both the dirt and park disciplines at the Summer X Games. This 26-year-old has won a total of six medals (two park golds, one park bronze and three dirt golds), including gold at last year’s park best trick event.
Jamie
Bestwick
The graying beard is not a trick. This 46-year-old UK native won a record nine straight golds in the vert event before a second-place finish in 2015. He turned things around and captured gold again in 2016. He holds 12 of the 22 total vert gold medals and has 17 total medals during his 20-year X Games career.
Morgan
Wade
The Texas native is set to return to the big air event now that the ramp has been moved inside U.S. Bank Stadium. The 33-year-old, seven-time medalist has the X Games record for highest air on the big air quarterpipe (23-feet, 3-inches in 2013) and says “it’s open season” on the record.
MOTOCROSS
Event to watch Best Trick Final
9 p.m Saturday
This event gives eight motocross riders two chances to land their best trick after they hit a thin ramp at high speed in order to get in the air. Riders’ scores are determined based on overall difficulty of their trick and execution. The greater score of their two jumps is their final score. Australian Jackson Strong is the defending gold medalist in the category.
Athletes to watch
Jackson
Strong
Nicknamed “Jacko,” for his wild style, this 27-year-old Australian was the first to land a frontflip in motocross competition when he did it in 2011. He has won best trick gold three times — including last year when he landed a frontflip, yet again, on his first attempt in the finals.
Jared
Mees
The 31-year-old Michigan native won gold in last year’s flat-track race and is the defending American Motorcyclist Association Pro Flat-Track champion. He nearly won gold in the 2015 flat-track race before mechanical issues dropped him from the lead to 11th place during the final lap.
Jarryd
McNeil
The Australian is a fan favorite in the best whip event. The 27-year-old can perform a whip (a trick where a rider jumps a ramp, attempts to whip his back tire 180 degrees away from the ramp and straighten it before landing) to both directions and has won gold in the event the past two years.