Some of the world’s best extreme skateboarders are practicing their moves in a giant, custom built concrete bowl at the Ventura County fairgrounds.
It’s the size of four huge empty swimming pools. The skateboarders are doing jumps, riding up the sides of the bowl and flipping back into it, and doing other tricks. They are preparing for the X Games, which is sort of the Super Bowl of extreme sports.
"It definitely has it's own feel. Each skateboard park really is very different...we all have to take some time to learn the park. This one is very cool," said Jordyn Barratt,
who's been a professional skateboarder for seven years. The 24-year-old Oceanside woman says she’s excited about this weekend’s competition.
What does she think about in the middle of a run? "I don't think I think very much...I just kind of blank out...definitely a lot of instinct," she laughed.
A few hundred feet away, some BMX bicyclists are testing out a wild course. They start on a four story high tower, coming down a ramp, and then do extreme flips as they fly over a series of giant dirt hills.
Ryan Nyquist is the BMX Point organizer, overseeing the course for the X Games. He knows courses like this, winning 16 X games medals over the years as a BMX competitor.
"Every competition has a different setup. We try to make sure we give the riders plenty of practice time, so they can start laying out the amazing tricks you'll see."
Bryce Tryron is one of the BMX riders. He just finished a run on the course. "It is massive compared to other courses, but this one is super fun." What do you think about in the middle of a run? "Not dying, honestly" he joked. "We have tricks we want to do, and we just want to pull it."
The X Games California competition in Ventura also features the Moto X competition, with motorcycles going straight up a steep hill, with flips and other tricks before they come down.
Perhaps no one is as excited as X Games announcer Brad Jay. He’s done the X Games for years, as well as the last few Olympics. But, for once the Ventura County man doesn’t have to travel to work, because the event has come to him.
"I've had probably a hundred people ask me for tickets," Jay laughed. "But, I've always wanted to have the X Games in Ventura or Santa Barbara County.
The Games take places Friday through Sunday.
It’s the first time the games have come to the region, and it's drawing national attention. ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 are going to do more than 15 hours of television coverage from the Ventura County Fairgrounds over the three days.
