OH yeah, I forgot to title this “Vert is dead, not dead, dead, not dead, dead….” I’m losing track of where we’re at here. Dave Swift over at the Skateboard Mag has some pictures of the new setup for the Super Park event at the X Games. If you recall, Super Park was supposed to be the replacement for the vertical event until the talent mutinied and said they would prefer to compete on the halfpipe. So now we have Vert and Super Park. Without getting into the politics, the Super Park course certainly looks more interesting than a vert ramp, and is more in step with what people who aren’t training for the X Games are riding, if not in the street. Now, to get into the politics, or at least social responsibility, carting that thing around to different venues seems like it would be a gargantuan task. We all know what happens to these ramps when they got through a season or two, they get donated. It’s one thing to fix up up a vert ramp or some pyramids that have seen some abuse, it’s relatively straight forward. What’s going to happen when they discard these massively complex bowl constructions? Sure, it’s not as wasteful as something as ludicrous as building a concrete skatepark for one time use. (Don’t get me started on that, it’s something I had planned for a rant already…) I’ve said it before, and I’m saying it again, ESPN needs to give back to the sport (besides paying the salaries of the top pros) by advocating for and financially facilitating concrete skateboard facilities across the nation, if not world, in ways similar to other high profile entities that make bank from skateboarding. Right. Don’t forget to check out the Super Park. It looks fun as hell. – Thanks to JF for the tip.
9 comments
nweyesk8
yeah, the first extreme games had rock climbing, a cross country survival course, downhill skateboarding on your back, i know they have a fancy name for it that obscures the concept to something quasi-acceptable. Didn’t they even have some kinda white water events too? I think this whole mega ramp crap is getting out of hand too, it is less like skateboarding and more like snowboarding, but without the actual snow. but i guess you need some kinda gimmick when your target audience is to dumb to understand the difference between a frontside air and an Indy air
Concretin Nik
Does no one remember the X-games USED to be in a different city each year… plus there were “X-trials” qualifiers all over the country leading up to it… Those X-trials were the catalyst for the Louisville skatepark… but I digress.
Greg N
I have to agree with Conahan… in fact Im going to be quoting him to explain why they don’t do a build and leave.
enemy combatant
I’m sure they are doing Super Park because ratings are off. Those guys are real good and all that but after you watch a couple of ramp contests that stuff gets boring really fast.
They stay in LA because all the video production facilities are there. Costs go way up when you go on tour (as interesting as a skatepark competition circuit would be to watch.)
Ryan Heckler
la is one of th e few places kooky enough to care about that kinda crap
JF
totally agree Kilwag, they need to get out of LA for once and host the games in different cities and leave the parks behind.
conahan
Ex-games, currently businesses.
Tony D.
It would be super cool to have those guys build a super concrete park in a city and donate it for a public skatepark. That would be perfect. They already spend a ton of money to put the show on so it wouldn’t be much of a stretch. A bit more lead in time perhaps….
Concretin Nik
I’m watchin’ the MegaRamp elimination rounds on espn360 right now… hate on jocktv all ya want, I’m watchin’ gnarly skating… really looking forward to the SuperPark AND Vert comps.
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