Xgames

I just heard from someone that they are having a rail jam at the Home Depot center this year. it is not going to be a medaled event, but they will have some wakeboarding this year. I guess, it is better than nothing.

They need to build a HUGE pool/rail setup with a high risk factor to make everyone interested... IMO

They sold us out in my opinion.

They're in business to make money. Wakeboarding obviously wasnt bringing in the $$ that FMX and stuff does, so they dropped it. "sold out"? I think they probaby make the right 'business move' as much as it sucks for our sport.

-Steve

i would be shocked if the rail jam is televised. and if it is, it definitely won't be televised live

so is there no wakeboarding behind the boat likeprevious years?

they are not expecting many "big name riders" because none of the riders will be getting paid

no offense, but this is going to be a COMPLETE flop. to the non-wakeboarders (and even some die-hard wakeboarders), rail-jams are super boring. 3 second pull, wait 3 minutes, another 3 second pull, wait 3 more minutes, and repeat. it would be the equivalent of the skate vert best trick final, but you're only allowed to attempt one trick every 20 minutes, and you can't leave the coping

Jeff, if they make a setup like nokia fise, it will NOT be boring.

It still isn't wakeboarding, there is no wake. How many kids watching x-games will see a rail jam and say 'I want to do that'. Not many... kids want to see guys flying high and doing 900s. I know the wake event is expensive, but the rail event is dumb. I will probably be wakeboarding when they show it like I have been for the past 4 x-games.

from wakeskating.com

thats the nokia fise event...it has nothing to do with the x games and is over seas

(Message edited by kampus96 on July 21, 2006)

I have no inside information, but I can garuntee the set-up will look NOTHING like that. From all I've heard so far, it sounds like this rail jam is meant to be an untelevised exhibition to "entertain" X-Games spectators between events. And, seeing how the pools will be indoors, I'd be shocked if there were more than one or two sliders. Add that to the fact that big name guys won't be there and you've got a recipe for failure. I wouldn't be suprised if the fans boo after seeing their 56th backside boardslide. Even the OWC televised webcast was pretty boring other than Soven, Lariche, and Lyman's runs where they really charged the kickers.

Step Up productions is doing the event, they have a pool like 12' off the ground to a flat rail down and a loopy one right beside it down to a pool ground level. The riders put on a nice a show on both boards and skates.

Whoa wait...wakeboarding had been cut out of the X-Games!?!?!?!?!

not to hijack, but Jeff I couldn't disagree with you more about the "OWC webcast being boring" were your eyes closed when josh rice and rob mapp were doing double s-bends?

benjamin, i was just referring to the rail only (boat riders) portion of the webcast. to people who have never hit a slider on a wakeboard--which will include most in the x-games crowd--sliding can get kind of tedious. so, unless they build a "nessy"-type rail with a little pop to it, this rail jam will be nothing more than something to pass the time between FMX best trick and FMX freestyle (and who's not looking forward to seeing another 200 backflips?)

Jeff, you don't understand. 50 of those backflips will be without hands, another 50 will be without feet, 25 will be while doing a heel clicker, another 74 will be done regular, and 1 will lead to a 2 broken legs. That is fun to watch !!!!

and 1 will actually be 2

Im looking forward to the 200 backflips fo sho, If you ride or you rode M.X. then you appreciate the one handed, to no footed, to superman backfilps, to side saddle backfilps, to Travis Pastranas double back flip that I saw for the fist time the other night and it was on dirt, not in a foam pit. Sick sick riding cant wait.
Do i wish wakeboarding was still in the X games? yes I do, I enjoy all action sports, its in my blood and I could watch them 24/7.

i'm sure a backflip is insanely difficult, but a no-handed superman or a heart attack or whatever else those tricks are called just look so much more impressive. a little variety never killed anyone

I hear ya Jeff, I like to see them mix it up some, but nothing looked as good as Travises Superman Backfilp last week on the Dew Tour, it was WAY SICK, and career ending if he did not land it, or should I say life ending if he dident land it, no room for error whatsoever.

FMX is exciting and deadly if something goes wrong but Why is there no wakeboarding?!

Nate adams is doing some seriously insane backflip variations as well..its new and exciting plus major danger ..however wakeboarding is better then luge and down hill this and blah blah that so put the ••••••• Espn !

I agree with ya 100% Bill, the luge and the downhill skateboarding should have been the sports to go. NOT WAKEBOARDING. They never should have taken the X- Games out of Mission Bay in San Deigo, it was the perfect location for the X-Games. When I lived in Cali I went to X two years in a row at mission Bay and it was the perfect venue.

They kept luge and downhill skateboarding and cut WAKEBOARDING?! What the heck are these people smoking?!

The Wake Pool presented by Oakley



"Hosted by Parks Bonifay and Dallas Friday, pro wakeboard and wakeskate demos through each day of the event including a rail jam final not to be missed on Friday afternoon. Athletes include wakeboarders Keith Lyman, Danny Harf, Andrew Adkison, Chad Sharpe, Shane Bonifay, Rusty Malinoski, Daniel Watkins, Erik Ruck, Philip Soven, JD Webb and wakeskaters Brian Grubb, Brandon Thomas, George Daniels, Aaron Rathy and Aaron Reed."

this came from someone at ESPN. like I said before, it is better than nothing. and I dont think it will be inside.

Why would the riders go to the Xgames for NO PRIZE $. IMO this is stupid. This is like your boss telling you that you are being fired and you in return ask "Can I work tomorrow for FREE" this is retarted.

Maybe their sponsors want them to go?? I'd say sponsors are their real bosses. Just my thought

I would hope sponsors would be smart enough to see they are giving Xgames their product for free. Riders very very dumb. Xgames very very smart for tricking the riders into this.

nokia pokio! that's one sick set up!

While it is not a positive sign that wakeboarding was taken out of medaling and tv coverage, I can understand to a certain degree their decision for a dollars and cents standpoint.

I believe all the other venues have multiple events going on at them making it easier and more cost effective for them to share resources such as camera people, production trailers, security, scaffolding and infrastructure rental and the like. The costs can be spread out over the budgets of several competitions and you don't need to hire separate personnel for each contest.

For wakeboarding, they had venue rental fees for 6 days at the Marine stadium that was only coming from the wake budget. Then they had to pay for all the scaffolding and bleachers, 6 TV production trailers that were only used at the wake venue, a staff of 50+ people to work the venue for the TV, live venue announcing and security. From what I've understood, wakeboarding routinely reviewed for the "value" of keeping wakeboarding in the TV production schedule. It's a major bummer that they finally felt that the cost finally outweighed the value of keeping wakeboarding in the medaling round.

All this cost was a huge factor in the decision. Add that onto the fact that from a demographic standpoint wakeboarding probably had the lowest number of overall participants. Sure, there probably aren't as many freestyle motocross riders out there, but the total number of motocross riders is much, much greater than the total number of wakeboarders. And now they are trying to appeal to the growing number of car racing fans with their new cart racing they are introducing this year. Of course, it is sharing one of the common venues, an advantage wakeboarding hasn't had since the X Games in San Diego.

As for the athletes going and not getting paid medal money, I offer this: The X Games scene is pretty cool in general, getting to see this concentration of action sports all in one place. So there is an appeal there. Second, they probably are getting some assistance in their travel and lodging fees, so that's an another factor why they would go. Further, all of the riders listed above solely wakeboard for their professions. They don't have a conflicting event somewhere else that weekend, so there isn't that conflict either. And finally, I would assume that the athletes that are going are hopeful they can put on a cool show in front of tens of thousands of people who might not otherwise see wakeboarding. Just like Nate Adam's no handed back flip might not get tons of new people on the saddle of a dirt bike, at least people will recignize the level of talent and risk these guys bring to the table and will see these are great athletes trying to push and evolve the sport.

Finally, I am in agreement with the rest of you- it is not a good thing that wakeboarding has been taken out of medaling contention. Again, having seen the email that was sent from the X Games organizers, they did leave open an avenue for wakeboarding to be reestablished as a medaling sport. It is my opinion that this year's rail jam demo will weigh heavy in their future decision whether to bring wakeboarding back into medaling and TV coverage. If people on site dig it, it would be a positive sign. If it comes off as not cool, then wakeboarding's future is likely doomed with the X Games.

For many on this list, rail jams seem not to be the favored format to showcase wakeboarding. I hope we see continued progression in the rail jam's course that can make wakeboarding seem like a good fit again. I personally see this as the brightest hope for continuing wakeboarding at the X Games.