Aspen was yet again over run with an influx of action sports enthusiasts just a few weeks ago. After three weeks of clear sky and no precipitation, this year’s organizers and athletes of the X Games were more then challenged with some unique weather. Snow, rain, sleet, and everything else you could imagine plagued the events, but everything got off with a moist snap.
Despite the conditions there was some brilliant displays of athleticism and some new records etched in ‘X History.’ Most noteworthy, Levi LaVallee pulled a double back flip on a 500lb snowmobile, while at the same time others took the limits of their prospective sport to new levels. Surreptitiously motivated by the hype, cameras, college girls, or fame, the athletes of the X Games have tirelessly worked and trained to be apart of the most prestigious action sports events and apart of a select elite few competing at the highest level. However, despite the record books and tedious efforts of many to create a judging criteria for skiing that takes into account the difficulties of the sport, as well as the many variables only understood through experience or failed attempts; this years Big Air competition fell short of fair and deserves the condign loss of respect that will result from those who comprehend.
With all due respect to Simon Dumont, he pulled a double front flip over an 80ft gap with perfect precision, although in my personal opinion Jon Olsson’s trick was far more difficult and had more style. However, at this year’s event, the average clown on the couch watching from Boston, Dallas, or No-place-ville-USA had the opportunity to weigh in on the apparently democratic X Games. Just as the sport started to gain some luster and admiration among the unified ‘extreme’ sports world, some ESPN producers propounded the idea of ‘viewer interaction.’ This is a great idea for something like “American Idol,” where any buffoon with the ability to hear can judge; however to put the duty of judging in the hands of people who have a total lack of comprehension to what they are judging is a insensate decision.
For example, one of the legends in the sport, Mike Douglas, who was announcing the event live, said so himself after being asked by co-announcer Saul, “which trick was harder?”
Douglas responded, “Jon’s trick, hands down is harder… and Simon’s trick, always a crowd pleaser since it first got stomped in a ski big air contest back in the 60’s… ”
Given the average viewer has no idea what Jon did, they assume Simon’s trick was harder, or looked cooler, because they can relate to its simplicity and grace. Which is exactly my point. Would the organizers of NASCAR let the fans judge the race or operate the timing with the stopwatches on their cell phones? Needless to say, if you watch the video:
you will see that Jon performs a trick far harder and more difficult with the precision of a Samurai Warrior making Sushi. Simon’s trick, while difficult and fully spread out, is something that has been done before first of all, and is something he can do on any given day with the right jump. In fact Simon had a video part where he does three double fronts in a row down a jump line. Props to Simon again for being so inconceivably good that he can pull a trick like that on any given day, however lets not neglect that Jon visualized and created his trick and appropriately, however arrogantly, named it after himself.
Judging does not belong in the hands of a select few willing to pick up their cell phones. Judging belongs in the hands of judges, who are selected people trained and experienced in the respective criteria. Maybe next time they should blatantly scroll the announcers words across the screen.
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