X Games 2021 DAILY UPDATE Friday, July 16, 2021 Issue #3

Contents Quotable ...... 1 Course Descriptions ...... 1 SKB Park ...... 1 SKB Vert ...... 1 Street ...... 2 Moto X ...... 2 Freestyle Final ...... 2 Best Trick Final ...... 5 Best Whip Final ...... 8 110s Final ...... 9 QuarterPipe High Air Final ...... 11 SKB/BMX ...... 13 CA|TF Venue Preview for Friday ...... 13

Quotable

--Mitchie Brusco, now 24, on his new approach to , life, the universe and everything else: “It’s important to actually grow up. I think a lot of people have seen me as they saw me, and not as I am now. That’s a bit my fault because I’ve grown more than I’ve shown.”

Course Descriptions

SKB Park

The California Training Facility (CA|TF) SKB Park course is set up for speed!

• The deep end is 9-ft. 8-in. in the larger corner and 8-ft. 9-in. in the small corner pocket with pool coping in the corners. • An 18-ft. wide layback bank separates those and a 4-ft. 6-in. center island jump box. • The shallow end is 8 feet deep with (red) steel coping and features a 5-ft. quarterpipe hip next to a 6-ft. single barrel bank/spine feature at its center. • The shallow end also has a small bank extension (extending to 8-ft. 10-in.) and a larger vert extension (with 2 feet of vert, extending to 11 feet).

SKB Vert

The Vert ramp is set up outside at CA|TF

• 50 feet wide and 14 feet tall, with 2 feet of vert. • The roll-in ramps are 20 feet tall from the flat bottom and set at 55-degree angles. • For the Vert Best Trick contest, builders from California Skateparks will add a setback extension, with coping set 3 feet, 6 inches above the Vert ramp coping. • Built to resemble a kitchen island countertop (or a bar), the new feature won’t be mandatory in Vert Best Trick but should add a new dimension.

Street

THE CA|TF SKB Street course is in a long rectangular layout.

• At one side of the upper elevation is a 3-ft. 6-in. quarterpipe that directs skaters into a Euro gap feature with ledge and wallride options • There’s a centered 8-stair handrail and a small out-ledge that leads into a set of two 6-stair handrails. • For the Street Best Trick contest, a modification will add a skateable 3-dimensional “X” logo protruding from the center of the 3 lower stairs and a new kicker ramp to help launch skaters onto either of the two 6-stair handrails.

• At the other side of the upper elevation is a 4-ft. quarterpipe that directs into options including a low kinked rail and two bump-to-rail features, then a Hubba ledge and a bump to long down rail (course builders will paint it green before the contest and are calling it the Monster rail). • The lower elevation has a 3-ft., 6-in. quarterpipe at one end, a 7-ft. bank extension on the other end, and a long 5-ft. quarterpipe between them.

Moto X

Freestyle Final Thursday, July 15, 2021 Researcher: Nicole Dreon

GOLD: Luc Ackermann (GER) SILVER: Josh Sheehan (AUS) BRONZE: Rob Adelberg (AUS)

Course Proves Challenging • The X Games 2021 Freestyle course was one of the biggest courses ever at XG (and nearly twice as big at the XG Minneapolis tracks) and the first one held outside since Austin 2016. • Riders said the course was really technical and that they needed more practice time. It showed in their riding. There were few runs finished without crashes or mistakes. Even Rob Adelberg, who won the most recent XG Freestyle comp at Minneapolis 2019, looked rough and off key…and he still took bronze! As TV analyst Mike Mason noted, the athletes haven’t had a proper freestyle contest since XG MPLS 2019, and returning after such a long break to face a very difficult course was a tough ask. • Much of the field flew in from Australia, and jetlag may have been an issue. Getting the permits to leave Australia during covid was challenging enough before adding on a long flight. • The heat was also a factor. It reached 90 degrees on both Wednesday and Thursday. Not the highest the West has seen this summer, certainly, but keep in mind riders are decked out in full moto outfits and sitting atop a 450cc engine, which emit a lot of heat.

Ackermann First German To Medal in Moto X • The second-youngest rider on the roster, Luc Ackermann, 23, claimed gold in his third X Games appearance and first Freestyle start. He’s competed in Best Trick twice: 7th, Minneapolis 2018; 5th, 2019. • He’s now the first German to medal in any Moto X discipline. • Ackermann entered XG 2021 as a longshot to medal at all. Luc has dominated Europe’s popular, long-running Night of the Jumps series, but those events typically are held at small arenas with tiny courses. But he adapted well to the giant Slayground setup. • Luc’s run was highlighted by a very smooth 360, two solid double backflips and a flair off the quarterpipe. • His score of 92.33 is the exact same tally Adelberg, Tom Pages and Levi Sherwood posted to win X Games Minneapolis 2019, 2018 and 2017.

Silver for Sheeny • Australian Josh Sheehan is solid as a rock on any course, and he used multiple double backflips for silver. Sheehan clearly had a plan; he rode aggressively and with purpose, squeezing in more tricks than others in the field. Like Ackermann, Josh did a flair and a 360, but his 360 wasn’t as flat and he had some bobbles in his runs. • Sheehan now has 12 total X Games medals between Freestyle, Best Trick and QuarterPipe. He’s also medaled in 5 of the past 6 X Games Freestyle comps since 2016.

Adelberg Claims Bronze • Rob Adelberg also added to his X Games medal count: Freestyle bronze brings his total up to 12, matching his Aussie countryman Sheehan. • Before the pandemic, Adelberg enjoyed an incredible stretch where he earned 9 X Games medals from Aspen 2018 through Norway 2019, the most in a 2-year span in X Games history. • While known for his frontflips (he threw three on his way to Freestyle gold at Minneapolis 2019), he only threw one at XG 2021.

Hey SportsCenter! • While everyone made it through the contest relatively unscathed, there were two pretty entertaining bloopers. • XG rookie Ben Richards came up short (while upside down!) on the very first jump of his first run and jabbed his front wheel into the top of the landing. There was a great super slo-mo shot of the crash. He recovered and took a second run. But he came up short again on several jumps. Jackson Strong waved him off the course to tell him he had a flat tire. • Harry Bink, riding shirtless so as to better show off the giant tattoo he has of his own brother’s face on his back (and, sure, because it was hot), underrotated a double backflip and flew into the puckerbrush on his first run. It took a few course crew workers to untangle his bike from the thorny desert bushes.

Format: (8 athletes, 2 runs each, best run counts. 75 seconds per run) Gold: Ackermann threw one of the best 360s ever (better than Josh Sheehan’s) and two double backflips to power him to gold. Luc Ackermann He was also one of two (with Josh Sheehan) to use the Run 1 quarterpipe, landing a flair. He was clean and completed an entire run without major mistakes, unlike most of his 92.33 peers. In the process, he became the first German to earn a Moto X medal. WATCH IT! Tricks: backflip seatgrab Indy, 360, Ruler backflip, double MEDAL RUNS backflip, flair (quarterpipe), double backflip nac nac, cliffhanger, holy grab on the 105-ft. ramp.

Silver: Josh Sheehan Sheehan’s run was highlighted by two double backflips and a 360 (Luc Ackermann’s 360 was better). He also Run 1 and 2 landed a flair on the quarterpipes. He stuffed his run with tricks, which might have worked against him: Judges 89.66 thought he used too many old and easy moves between his big tricks, which is what kept him from gold.

Tricks: Holy grab, 360, really good Ruler backflip, double backflip, flair (off quarterpipe) into whip, backflip Lazy Boy off the 105-ft. ramp, no-footed nac Indy, double backflip one-hander (rushed).

Bronze: Rob Adelberg Adelberg’s performance was highlighted by a no-footed frontflip. He’s the only rider who threw one. He pulled out Run 2 of his first run early. In his second, he messed up a backflip no-footer, otherwise he might have claimed gold. 89.33 Tricks (Run 1): 1-handed superman seat grab, body varial, frontflip no-footer, messed up a backflip no-footer, Ruler backflip, backflip Indy to heel-clicker off the 105-ft jump, frontflip no-hander (75-ft. comp ramp), backflip cliffhanger.

4. David Rinaldo Solid first run for the Frenchman. If he had done a cleaner backflip Rock Solid he might have medaled. He opted not Run 1 to take a second run.

88.33 Tricks: Superman to seatgrab 1-hander Indy, Cali Roll, backflip Indy air to heel-clicker, Rock Solid backflip (barely took hands off), Lazy Boy backflip, no-footed nac Indy air, 1-handed take-off to seatgrab flip. Didn’t use the 105-ft ramp.

5. Taka Higashino Taka rode solidly and was comfortable on the bigger course, but he didn’t have any of the money tricks like the Run 1 and 2 double backflip or frontflip. His best trick was his Rock Solid backflip off the 105-ft. ramp. 87.33 Tricks: backflip heel-clicker, Rock Solid backflip off 105- ft., Indy flip, Cali Roll, backflip Superman seatgrab Indy, no-hander backflip, Shaolin backflip, Cordova backflip.

6. Harry Bink Bink came out of the gates riding shirtless (he has a big tattoo of his brother on his back) and had a solid run until Run 1 he underrotated a double backflip and whiskey throttled on the landing and rocketed into the bushes. He didn’t 85.00 take a second run, citing lower back pain. 85 with a crash!

Tricks: 1-handed nac backflip, backflip can can to nac nac, double backflip can can, Ruler backflip, under rotated and landed sideways on a double backflip and flew into the puckerbrush.

7. Jackson Strong Strong looked entirely off his game. He mentioned to someone that he had heatstroke on Wednesday and that Run 2 his bike wasn’t running right. He never had a clean pass. He also looked completely lost on the course at times. 68.66 Tricks: Cliffhanger, backflip over the 105-ft. gap, Rock Solid, no-footed can can, seatgrab, backflip, switchblade

8. Ben Richards The only rookie and youngest on the roster at age 20, Richards crashed on the first jump of his first run. He Run 2 came up short on a flip variation and stabbed his front wheel into the landing. 56.00 His second run started the same exact way. He under- jumped his first three hits, but he didn’t crash. Jackson Strong flagged him off the course to tell him he had a flat tire.

Tricks: backflip Kiss of Death came up short, backflip Indy, backflip Cordova--almost crashed, seat grab, double grab, pulled out early.

Best Trick Final Thursday, July 15, 2021 Researcher: Nicole Dreon

GOLD: Rob Adelberg (AUS) SILVER: David Rinaldo (FRA) BRONZE: Harry Bink (AUS)

Adelberg Claims Gold • Australia’s Rob Adelberg landed a beautiful no-handed frontflip for gold, his second X Games victory in this discipline. • It was the 7th time a frontflip or frontflip variation has won X Games Best Trick. • Gold brought his total XG medal count to 13. • Pre-pandemic, Adelberg had a ridiculous hot streak, taking 9 X Games medals between Aspen 2018 and Norway 2019 -- that’s the most medals in a two-year span in XG history. He’s spent most of the pandemic recovering from left ankle surgery, but he picked up right where he left off.

Rinaldo Brings Something New • After winning Best Trick gold at X Games Minneapolis 2019 with a world’s-first backflip body varial, the Frenchman was determined to bring another new trick to XG 2021. • David attempted a body varial he calls the “Bobby spin” on both runs. On his first pass, he crashed hard when he couldn’t get back to his bars. He was one of four riders who crashed in Run 1 but the only one to get up and take a second pass. He stuck the Bobby spin for silver.

• What is the Bobby spin? It’s a body varial where Rinaldo grabs the rear fender. He then rotates his body counter-clockwise in a flatspin. For a split second his feet go in front of the handlebars. Rinaldo’s hands stay at the back of the bike the whole time. Think about a gymnast on the pommel horse or a break dancer. • See for yourself: Skip to 1:17 in this video clip to watch it.

First Medal for Bink • Australia’s Harry Bink earned his first medal in six X Games appearances with Best Trick bronze. He stuck an awesome double backflip one-handed nac. Taking both limbs off the bike slowed the rotation of the bike, increasing the difficulty of the trick. • Bink competed in Freestyle earlier in the day, where he took a bad crash on a double backflip and flew into the bushes.

Strong’s Streak Ends • Jackson Strong, a 6-time Best Trick gold medalist, had medaled in all 8 of his starts in the discipline before XG 2021. He was a favorite for gold again in 2021. But the Aussie had a rough day all around: he was off his game in the morning, finishing 7th in Freestyle. • During his first run of Best Trick, he went for the no-handed frontflip but landed sideways and rode into a bank. The momentum carried his body into the bushes. After a few moments, he emerged favoring his left wrist. He didn’t take a second run.

Attrition in the Field • What began as a field of 7 shrank as the comp progressed. • Jayo Archer went down hard in his first run on an over-rotated double backflip and withdrew. • Harry Bink landed a great first run but passed on his second. • Jackson Strong didn’t take a second run after crashing on his first. • Luc Ackermann, who won Freestyle gold in the morning, withdrew before the contest started.

Format: (6 athletes, 2 runs each, best run counts)

Gold: Adelberg’s no-handed frontflip was as good as it gets. It was the 7th time a frontflip or frontflip variation has won Best Trick. Rob Rob Adelberg finished ahead of David Rinaldo’s new body varial because the frontflip is still more dangerous and the consequences are greater. Best Run: 1 Adelberg used a no-handed frontflip to win gold at X Games (93.33) Sydney 2018, but that no-hander was quicker than in 2021, when he also shot his arms straight overhead. WATCH IT! Run 1. no-handed frontflip MEDAL RUNS 2. Frontflip

Silver: David He attempted a body varial he calls the “Bobby spin” on both runs. Rinaldo He crashed hard on his first attempt when he couldn’t get reconnected to the bike. He landed on top of his bike and took the Best Run:2 throttle to the face (thank goodness for full-face helmets).

(91.66) He shook it off and took another attempt, which he stuck for silver. His landing was sketchy, which kept him from scoring higher. The trick was a first for freestyle .

What is it? A body varial where Rinaldo grabs the rear fender. He then rotates his body counter-clockwise in a flatspin. For a split second his feet go in front of the handlebars. Rinaldo’s hands stay at the back of the bike the whole time. Think about a gymnast on the pommel horse or a break dancer. It’s close to a Cali roll but more of a flatspin.

Why didn’t it score higher if it’s new? While it’s different, there’s not as much risk as with a frontflip. It also looked similar to tricks that already have been landed. And while the frontflip has been around for 10 years now, virtually no one can do them.

Bronze: Hary Bink Bink earned his first medal in six appearances with Best Trick bronze. Best Run:1 1. double backflip one-handed nac nac (90.33) Taking two limbs off the bike slowed its rotation, increasing the difficulty of the trick.

2. Didn’t take 2nd run.

4. Josh Sheehan Sheehan has the double backflip on lock. Harry Bink’s variation was more difficult, though. Best Run: 1 1. No-handed double backflip (87.33) 2. Threw away 2nd run with a fist pump for the, um, crowd.

5. Jackson Strong Strong had a rough day. After finishing 7th in Freestyle on Thursday morning, he crashed on his first frontflip attempt in Best Best Run: 1 Trick and flew into the bushes. He didn’t take a second run.

(74.00) Well, he actually landed the frontflip, but he looked crooked in the air and had to dip his head off to the side to bring it around. He landed in a big lean and whiskey throttled right off course.

1. No-handed frontflip -- brief no hands thrown behind the back. 2. No second run

6. Jayo Archer The XG rookie was the first to drop and he over rotated a double backflip and crashed hard, landing on his tailbone/back. After Best Run: 1 writhing in pain for several minutes, he walked off on his own.

(47.33) 1. Double backflip. Over-rotated and crashed. 2. No second run

Best Whip Final Thursday, July 15, 2021 Researcher: Nicole Dreon

GOLD: Tom Parsons (USA) SILVER: Genki Watanabe (JPN) BRONZE: Tyler Bereman (USA)

Course: Riders hit two ramps back-to-back on each run. Judges considered both whips as part of the overall impression ranking.

Parsons Gets a Second Gold • Tom Parsons threw classic whips in both directions to earn his 4th X Games Best Whip medal and second gold. His first title came back at Austin 2014. • Parsons was genuinely shocked when gold was put around his neck. “It just keeps getting gnarlier and gnarlier in Best Whip,” he said. “Two years ago, I was riding with a thumb throttle because I couldn’t twist the throttle. Now I got [gold] again. I thought Wenki [Genki Watanabe] won! I was like, no way!” • X Games medal count: 2 gold, 2 silver in Best Whip. Austin 2014 and XG 2021 gold, Austin 2015 silver, Minneapolis 2019 silver. • Parsons became adept at whipping both left and right directions after injuring his right wrist in 2017. • Lives in Gainesville, FL, which isn’t really a Mecca. Jarryd McNeil let him practice for Best Whip at his home in California the week before XG 2021.

McNeil Misses Final • After winning XG Norway 2019 Best Whip gold (his 5th title in the discipline), McNeil was a favorite for another win in 2021. With another gold, he would’ve surpassed for most Moto X gold in X Games history. They both have 9. But McNeil didn’t even make the Final. • McNeil was one of the only riders on a 2-stroke.

Final Format: (4 athletes, 4-minute controlled jam session, based on overall impression GOLD: Does classic whips both ways, something he learned to do after breaking his right wrist in 2017. He also gets very upside down. The big whips in Tom Parsons both directions were what put him ahead of Genki Watanabe.

WATCH IT!

SILVER: Genki actually rode a little better in the Elimination, where he finished 1st. His whips were awesome in the Final, but he couldn’t put two great Genki Watanabe ones together in the same pass. He also didn’t get as extended as Parsons.

Genki now has 3 X Games medals: all Best Whip silver.

BRONZE: Tyler Bereman’s turndowns were really good and he did well off the 105-ft. Bereman ramp, but his turn-up whip wasn’t as big as normal.

It was Bereman’s 9th X Games medal. He added a 10th later in the day with bronze in QuarterPipe High Air. 4. Axell Hodges Hodges was smooth, but he didn’t bring his whips right to the edge like Parsons did for gold.

Elimination

Format: 8-minute jam session. Based on overall impression. Ranked 1-8. Bottom 3 are eliminated from further competition. Top 4 advance to Final

1. Genki Watanabe

2. Tom Parsons

3. Tyler Bereman 4. Axell Hodges

5. Jarryd McNeil McNeil wasn’t his normal self and couldn’t put two good whips together. He just missed the transfer spot.

6. Josh Sheehan Sheehan looked good, but he was too “in control.” Winning whips need to seem a little out of control and a bit wild. Dangerous, like folks at home are scared the bike won’t come around in time.

7. Colby Raha Was never really in the mix. Has never made the podium in Best Whip.

110s Final Thursday, July 15, 2021 Researcher: Nicole Dreon

GOLD: Axell Hodges (USA)

Introducing Moto X 110s • This new discipline was a fun, irreverent, low pressure combination of old school MTX Freestyle and BMX Dirt. Riders navigated a small-scale dirt course, pulling tricks but not taking themselves too seriously. • The discipline was pioneered in part by pals Axell Hodges and BMX athlete Pat Casey, who routinely pull out their 110s just for fun. • The gold-medal-only Final was a 20-minute jam session that was judged on overall impression. Riders ended up getting four runs each.

Hodges Takes Gold • Wearing a basketball-style tank top/shorts combo, skateboard shoes with white crew socks and a skateboard helmet, Axell Hodges rode like he owned the place. Wait a minute. Seriously, he flowed like a man who had ridden the course a lot. Probably because he has. • His standout tricks included a can-can backflip, a can-can on the quarterpipe and a manual over the rainbow arch. • It’s Hodges’ 8th X Games medal and 3rd gold.

Stylie Tricks • Colby Raha’s no-footed can-can one-hander had lots of BMX style. • Banks Hovey’s nac nac had a lot of flair to it. • Jarryd’s McNeil’s Cordova wasn’t very extended, but he didn’t have much airtime, either. • All but two riders, Tyler Bereman and Banks Hovey, landed backflips.

Rookie Story: Tim Ritson • Tim Ritson has a wild backstory: in 2016, he crashed in a freestyle show, fractured his L1 and L2 vertebrae, was paralyzed from the chest down and told he’d never walk again. • Miraculously, he bounced back after months of rehab. “I had to put the freestyle stuff behind me on the big bikes, but I still screw around on the pit bikes all the time, just for fun. It’s like a BMX bike with a motor. Everyone’s always got a smile on their face and having a good time on a pit bike.” • He finished 4th in 110s and even threw a backflip.

Format: (7 athletes, 20-minute controlled jam session, based on overall impression GOLD: Hodges pulled ahead of Colby Raha for the win on the final run because of his variety. On the little double jump in the center of Axell Hodges the course, Hodges threw in a cliffhanger, substituting the turndown whips he did the first 3 runs. He also did 2 backflips on his final run. Hodges also did a smooth manual across the rainbow WATCH IT! arch each pass. On the quarterpipe, he tried both a nac nac and a can can (twice).

Run 4 Tricks: Backflip, no-footed can, cliffhanger, suicide no- hander, can can, backflip, manual across the rainbow rail, can can on the quarterpipe.

2. Colby Raha Raha incorporated great BMX style and threw some fun backflips, but he didn’t have as much variety on the course as Axell Hodges.

3. Jarryd McNeil While 110s was supposed to be a fun, casual event, McNeil told reporter Jack Mitrani that he threw up before the contest because he was nervous. It was still X Games, McNeil said (throwing up at X Games is something the Aussie does). Unlike his competition, McNeil dressed in full moto gear and even had a flip lever on his throttle side. He forgot to use it on a Superman, however, and he crashed hard.

McNeil got points for the Cordova he threw on Run 4.

He tried to land an alley-oop on the quarterpipe in his final run but jumped off prematurely. The other riders urged him to give it another go. He got closer but still jumped off.

4. Tim Ritson Five years after breaking his back in two places (L1 and L2 vertebrae), Ritson got to make his X Games debut. He even landed a backflip.

5. Banks Hovey An XG rookie and the youngest Moto X athlete at XG 2021, Hovey, 19, also had the best crash of the comp when he missed the bars with his feet doing a Cliffhanger. While Hovey walked off the course, commentator Brandon Graham almost jumped out of his seat in the announce booth.

6. Pat Casey Pat Casey’s backyard, Dream Yard, served as the setting for 4 X Games BMX disciplines on Wednesday. And Pat collected gold and silver, too. He was right back on it on Thursday, becoming the first BMX rider to compete in an X Games Moto X discipline. Casey threw some cool backflips and looked really comfortable on the course.

7. Tyler Bereman If the event had been about speed Bereman probably would have won, as he’s the most accomplished racer of the bunch. He looked like he was mostly having fun on the course, but he doesn’t have the trick chops of Colby Raha and Axell Hodges.

QuarterPipe High Air Final Thursday, July 15, 2021 Researcher: Nicole Dreon

GOLD: Colby Raha, USA SILVER: Axell Hodges, USA BRONZE: Tyler Bereman, USA

Raha Sets X Games Record • Colby Raha boosted 40’9” on Run 2 to set a new X Games QuarterPipe High Air record. He bested the previous mark of 40’8” set by Corey Creed at Norway 2019. Gold was Raha’s 10th X Games medal (4 gold) and second QuarterPipe High Air title - - he won the inaugural comp at XG Minneapolis 2017. • Though Raha’s arch-rival Axell Hodges stayed within shouting distance, Colby dominated the contest: Raha had the 4 highest jumps of the evening. He also was incredibly consistent -- only 2’3” separated his lowest height of 38’6” from his record jump. • Raha was the only rider with a factory Husqvarna bike, and he said his crew put a lot of work into the bike in the leadup to X Games. He credited the bike with much of his success. • Gold was especially rewarding for Raha because he had to pull out of XG Norway 2019 -- the most recent XG QuarterPipe High Air contest -- with an equipment malfunction. • Raha is especially competitive with Axell Hodges. "I definitely want to beat him,” Raha stated after collecting his gold. “I’m definitely motivated to beat him."

Hodges Nets 2nd Medal of the Day • Axell Hodges boosted higher with almost every jump. His last jump of 39’2” was awesome but still 1’7” short of Colby Raha’s mark. It’s Axell’s second QP High Air silver medal and third podium in the discipline; he also owns Minneapolis 2018 gold. • Silver was Hodges second medal of the day. He won the inaugural Moto X 110s event earlier in the afternoon. • Hodges was busy in the leadup to X Games playing host for the Moto X comps. Instead of hitting the quarterpipe day after day, he spent a lot of time in his water truck making sure the courses were prepared for the event. That said, it was, as Raha noted in a video profile, “a literal home game for him.”

Format: 6 athletes, 15-minute controlled jam session. Score based on highest height landed.

GOLD: Colby Raha Raha was the man from start to finish. He bested 40’ on both his 2nd and 3rd passes. He had the 4 highest jumps of the entire contest. (40’9”) His first jump of 38’7” -- his second-lowest of the comp -- was better than Axell Hodges’ first four attempts. His highest pass of 40’9” was a new X Games record. SILVER: Axell Hodges got better with almost every attempt, and his last pass was Hodges his highest. There was a lot of anticipation before Hodges’ last attempt to see if he could best Raha’s 40’9” air. (39’2”) Even in the air, you could tell that Hodges didn’t quite match Colby Raha. There was something about clearing 40’ that made Raha look like he sent it to the moon.

Still a great showing for the host of the XG 2021 Moto X contests. BRONZE: Tyler Bereman steadily progressed throughout the contest. He’s the only Bereman person with medals from all 5 iterations of X Games QuarterPipe High Air: 2 silver, 3 bronze. (37’0”) 4. Kohl Denney The Ramona local got added to the roster two days before the event and was delighted to make his X Games debut. Riding in a sleeveless (34’6”) jean jacket that made him look like he just left the Warped Tour (to steal a line from Craig McMorris and Brandon Graham), Denney spent the whole contest battling back and forth with Bereman for bronze. For a day job, Kohl works full-time for his father’s tree cutting business. 5. Jarryd McNeil QuarterPipe High Air was McNeil’s third event of XG 2021. He was hoping to add one more gold medal to his arsenal so he could pass (28’5”) Travis Pastrana for the most gold medals of any Moto X competitor (they both currently have 9), but it wasn’t in the cards. McNeil was never really considered a contender for QuarterPipe High Air gold, but he was for Best Whip, where he missed the final earlier in the day and finished 5th.

6. Tom Parsons Still riding high off his Best Whip gold earlier in the day, Parsons didn’t clear 30’. Once Raha set the benchmark at 40’9” in Run 2, it (28’1”) seemed like the bottom couple in the field didn’t even try to contend.

SKB/BMX

CA|TF Venue Preview for Friday Thursday, July 15, 2021 Researcher: Colin Bane

Friday Preview! • The Events: Friday’s X Games 2021 finals include Men’s SKB Park at 10 a.m. PT, Women’s SKB Park at 12 p.m., Pacifico Skateboard Vert at 3 p.m., Pacifico Skateboard Vert Best Trick at 5 p.m. and Wendy’s BMX Street at 8:30 p.m. Phew!

• The Skateboard Street events (Men’s, Women’s and Street Best Trick) are on Saturday afternoon/evening.

• CA Training Facility (CA|TF) is a membership-based skateboard training facility in Vista, CA, owned and operated by the California Skateparks team that has been responsible for all X Games Skateboard course builds in recent years. Now, instead of traveling to build a course for X Games, they’ve swung the doors open and brought X Games to them.

• The Wall of Fame under the Park course includes emblems recognizing recent X Games gold medals for CA|TF Elite members like Alex Sorgente and Brighton Zeuner, among other medalists. CA|TF also has become the primary training center for the USA Skateboarding team and other international skate federations.

Men’s SKB Park, 10 a.m

Locals Only • Six of the 8 skaters in the Men’s Park field were at practice on Thursday. Clay Kreiner (also competing in Vert and Vert Best Trick on Friday) and Ishod Wair (also competing in Saturday’s SKB Street) were absent, both seeming to prioritize their other disciplines.

• Though Thursday’s mid-day practice felt like a much more casual, relaxed session than the Women’s SKB Park session that preceded it in morning, there were some standouts. “I saw the girls skating, and they seemed very hungry, all eight of them going at it, and then our practice felt like half of us were messing around,” said Tom Schaar. “But we’re a little bit like that: We just had some fun, feeling out some new lines and new tricks without giving too much away.”

• Schaar, Gavin Bottger, Liam Pace and Trey Wood all have skated extensively at CA|TF. It shows, especially since they’ve all been going hard for the two weeks leading up to XG 2021. It’s one of the biggest differences to watch for in this year’s contest: Instead of having a couple days to master an X Games Park course, most of the field has been here for an intense couple of weeks (in addition to riding the place regularly for several years).

• Pace already has his name on a gold emblem on the Wall of Fame at CA|TF for his XG Minneapolis 2018 Next X Park amateur contest performance, with Bottger’s emblem from the same contest directly below it. Both say they’re ready to upgrade to proper X Games medals.

• A Bottger victory -- at age 14 yrs., 6 mos. -- would make him the youngest Park medalist in 18 years, since Ryan Sheckler’s 2003 gold at 13 yrs., 7 mos.

• Tristan Rennie, another ripper during Thursday’s practice, isn’t as familiar with CA|TF. He just has a way of making everything he skates look like it’s his private spot. And the new daddy is freshly motivated, too: “It was kind of a strange blessing to welcome our daughter in the middle this crazy couple of years we’ve all been having, because I got to be there for everything, and I came to really appreciate that extra space away from contests. At the same time, now that X Games is back, I have a better appreciation for how much I missed it -- it just feels so good to be getting back to it.”

• Each of the riders seemed to be zoning in on specific sections of the course -- and working on 540 variations -- rather than putting full runs together. Suffice to say that the course is very fast, skaters were getting more than 6 feet above the coping, and you can expect to see some battles come contest time.

Women’s SKB Park, 12 p.m.

Progression Session • The three-hour Thursday morning practice was one of the most heated sessions in women’s skateboarding. Ever. • Mami Tezuka led the charge, launching a huge frontside stalefish transfer over the gap from the large vert extension to the bank extension early in practice, then worked it into runs. “Everyone was so hyped and pushing each other; that was so cool,” Tezuka said.

• Sky Brown followed Tezuka’s cue, sending some gap transfers and frontside stalefish airs of her own. Her frontside alley-oop in a line filmed by follow-cam master Chris Gregson was another practice highlight.

• Jordan Santana spent the first two of three hours fixated on her McTwist in the deep end. When she finally landed it, she rode through the rest of a full run like it was nothing. It’s a roll of the dice trick for her, but she says she’s planning on rolling: “Right now it’s all I want: to land a 540 at X Games,” Santana says. “I came here to do the most difficult thing I know how to do, not a run I know I can do.”

• Nora Vasconcellos was similarly fixated, spending nearly an hour’s worth of attempts on a kickflip Indy from the deep end to the large layback bank feature. Once she got it, she promptly moved on to a kickflip back lip on the bank extension. • Minna Stess, who won the USA Skateboarding Nationals at CA|TF in May, had a great line with a tailgrab transfer over the box, a Smith grind to lipslide combo, a kickflip Indy and a backside kickflip. Then, on a whim, she tried something she’d never attempted before and landed a straight Ollie no-grab over the box.

• Bryce Wettstein had some of the most creative tricks and lines in practice, including some weird ones like drop-in reverts. Highlights included a huge alley-oop Caballerial transfer in the deep end, a feeble to fakie grind and a noseblunt on the pool coping. • Even alternate Ruby Lilley was ripping like she was ready for the big show. “Even though I’m just an alternate, I’m very honored to be here,” Lilley said. “Seeing the girls skating the way everybody did today pushes me to want to skate better. It’s exactly why I wanted to come to X Games.”

Float Like a Monarch • Word has been slowly leaking out for weeks now: Sky Brown and Leticia Bufoni are joining up to launch their own skateboard brand, Monarch Project. Two of the most popular skateboarders in the world, both women, combining forces to start a new board brand in an industry that’s traditionally been dominated by dudes? How awesome is that? Both Brown and Bufoni soon will be skating in Tokyo. We’re not sure if the Olympics’ shifting, traditionally draconian rules regarding sponsorship prevent Brown and Bufoni from promoting their new endeavor. But whatever the exact rules are now, they don’t prevent us from doing so.

Pacifico SKB Vert, 3 p.m.; Pacifico Vert Best Trick, 5 p.m.

Singular Focus • With Big Air off the program for X Games 2021, watch for skaters like Elliot Sloan, Tom Schaar, Mitchie Brusco and Clay Kreiner to give back-to-back defending gold medalist Jimmy Wilkins a run for the Vert title. Ever think a 50-foot wide, 14- foot high halfpipe with 2 feet of vert felt too small? Everyone seemed to be running out of real estate on Thursday evening as the session warmed up.

• Brusco, who made history with a world-first 1260 in the Big Air comp at XG Minneapolis 2019, said he’s excited to have Vert as his top priority for the first time in his X Games career. He landed some 720s in practice and certainly seemed like he was winding up towards something bigger. But he wasn’t giving any hints. “I’ve always got something on my mind,” he said, when asked about his plans for the Best Trick comp. “I feel the adrenaline. I’ve missed this feeling so much. Any circumstance that we can have these contests, I’m super thankful for.”

• For those of us who still remember Brusco as “Little Tricky,” the now 24-year-old was waxing philosophical after practice. “It’s important to actually grow up,” he said of his new approach to skateboarding, life, the universe and everything else. “I think a lot of people have seen me as they saw me, and not as I am now. That’s a bit my fault, because I’ve grown more than I’ve shown.

Spin to Win? • We don’t want to overhype a 12-year-old, but let’s just say Gui Khury’s practice run included a huge air to fakie, a 900, an Ollie 540, a kickflip 540 and a 720. He landed that 900 on his first try, then made a few attempts at his 1080 later in practice (he’s the only person who ever has landed a 1080 on a traditional vert ramp). Don’t overlook him.

Practice winner • Our pick for gold, after paying close attention in practice: Elliot Sloan. He feels he’s overdue for it, and we agree. “It’s always been a dream of mine to get on the Vert podium at X Games. 2011 was the closest: I got 4th, but I was still super psyched because it was , Pierre-Luc Gagnon, Bucky Lasek, me. I’ve always been so close! After juggling Big Air and Vert for so long, it’s nice to be able to really focus on Vert this year.”

• While you won’t see a 1080 from Sloan, you can expect him to go much, much higher than Gui Khury -- and most of the rest of the field. And, while much has been made of Sloan’s enormous backyard big air setup, he has a lesser-known secret weapon: he says his private backyard vert ramp was built using the precise specs from the X Games Vert ramp.

Step to the Bar • Other than Gui Khury clearly having a 1080 on his mind, skaters in practice weren’t showing their hands for Best Trick. And there’s a twist: While skaters are welcome to use the entire Vert ramp in Best Trick, there’s also a new feature that looks like a bar being installed as a setback extension on the deck (it is the Pacifico Vert Best Trick, after all, even if Gui Khury is still 9 years shy of legal drinking age. Others likely to make the most of it include Sloan, Kreiner and Schaar.

BMX Street, 8:30 p.m.

Date with Destiny • Get ready, because Garrett Reynolds is poised to tie BMX legends Dave Mirra and Jamie Bestwick for most BMX gold. His Minneapolis 2019 Street gold and Real BMX 2020 title brought his total to 13; Mirra and Bestwick each own 14. Next stop after that? Shaun White’s all-time X Games record for most gold (15).

Matters of Course • On a BMX Street course, smaller skate-style features like the ones at CA|TF tend to favor more technical riders. No bones about it: Reynolds, the discipline dominator, is likely to win again. But after practice on Thursday, riders (including Reynolds) said the smaller features didn’t turn out to be as much of a factor as some had assumed.

“I wasn’t sure about the course when I first saw the photos of it, but now, riding it, everything’s perfect,” said XG Shanghai 2019 silver medalist Felix Prangenberg, whose double peg grind to hardway 540 up and off of the 8-stair handrail was a highlight of Thursday’s practice session (and whose entry for the Real BMX 2021 video contest might be a better measure of what he’s capable of). “But it’s going to be hard for anyone to keep up with Garrett, no matter what the course looks like. You can’t even keep up with everything he’s doing out there.”

Depth of Field • Though the hype is on Reynolds, as always, Reynolds himself would rather talk about everyone else. As always. • “Practice today was pretty much like watching a Best Trick contest,” Reynolds said. “Everyone was putting hammer after hammer down: Alex Donnachie did a switch crook 540, [alternate] Devon Smillie did the craziest pegs over to hard 180 backlash revert 360 off the drop… the majority of the dudes can get down with that tech stuff, and it always makes it fun.” • Reynolds has won 11 of 14 X Games BMX Street contests (and owns medals from all 14), but he’s not the only gold medalist in the field: Donnachie did it at XG Sydney 2018, and Chad Kerley (riding on recently injured ankles but doing his best not to show it) has done it twice, at XG Los Angeles 2013 and XG Minneapolis 2018.

The New Guy • After winning his second X Games BMX Park gold and taking 4th in BMX Dirt on Wednesday, Kevin Peraza will make his Street debut on Friday. “My interest in Street isn’t that I think I can win, but that I don’t think I can,” Peraza said after practice on Thursday, a little humbled by watching Reynolds and the rest of his new peers, but all smiles anyway. “It’s in my nature to want to always improve and face every challenge head-on. It’s fun to pursue a challenge!” • Despite his best efforts at keeping expectations in check, Peraza looked strong in practice. He has done well in recent street contests outside of X Games and could be the guy to keep one of our favorite trends rolling: there have been 12 unique silver medalists from 14 BMX Street events. He’s the only rider in the field who hasn’t earned silver or gold in the Street discipline. Yet.