Image by @jseemayerphoto
by Joe Seemeyer
X Games, the leading action sports competition and lifestyle brand, returned to the beaches of Ventura from Thursday, June 28, through Sunday, June 30. The festival featured three days of non-stop action sports and music.
In addition to watching some of the world’s best action sports athletes, X Games Ventura showcased musical guest performances, art installations, cultural activations, brand experiences, and a variety of California’s favorite food trucks. The music lineup included:
- Friday, June 28: Wiz Khalifa, AG Club, and Oxymorrons.
- Saturday, June 29: Kaskade, Devault, Mija, and Emo Nite with a special guest appearance by Machine Gun Kelly.
- Sunday, June 30: Fever 333, Blame My Youth, and Metalachi.
From world-class competitions to lifestyle and culture, X Games has been at the forefront of action sports for 30 years. X Games debuted in June 1995 in Rhode Island. Known that first year as the Extreme Games, the event was devised, owned, and operated by ESPN. The name was changed to X Games for the 1996 summer games.
The X Games are an international sporting competition featuring sports like skateboarding, snowboarding, BMX, and freestyle motocross. Competitors compete for bronze, silver, and gold medals. X Games California 2023 returned to Southern California after a 10-year absence from the region.
Jim White, a member of the Board of Directors for the Ventura Visitors and Convention Bureau, said, “X Games participants were outstanding! There was so much talent and dedication from everyone who competed. There were a lot of positive reactions from attendees, and it seemed even better overall than last year with the expanded space.”
Marlyss Auster, President & CEO of Visit Ventura, added, “Visit Ventura was thrilled to coordinate with X Games to donate tickets to our local nonprofit organizations, giving hundreds of children who wouldn’t have had the means to see a world-class event the opportunity to see X Games Ventura right here in their own hometown. You never know — maybe seeing athletes at the X Games inspired one of our local skateboarders or riders to become the next X Games gold medalist!”
As someone who attended his first X Games almost 20 years ago, I can say X Games Ventura was one of the best I have seen. The X Games are the “Olympics” of action sports, according to several of the families and athletes I spoke with. Each day, fans watched the world’s best action sports athletes competing for gold.
Here are some highlights from X Games Ventura:
Pacifico Men’s Skateboard Vert Final In a thrilling Skateboard Vert final on Friday, June 28, longtime X Games competitor Tom Schaar earned his first gold medal in Vert at the age of 24. With seven-time Vert gold medalist Jimmy Wilkins sitting in first place in the fourth and final runs, Schaar executed a flawless run in the last 10 seconds of the competition. Moto Shibata, who was just off the podium heading into his fourth run, landed a nearly perfect run to knock Wilkins into bronze.
Moto X Best Whip Final In the final competition of the day on Friday, June 28, American Patrick Evans earned gold in just his second X Games appearance, surpassing 2022 gold medalist Julien Vanstippen. Riding an electric Stark Future bike, Evans defied gravity with his corked-out whip.
Skateboard Park on the SONIC Park Course On Sunday, June 30, the world’s biggest stage featured a field of eight finalists, all under 18 years old. Among them was defending champion, 14-year-old Arisa Trew, aiming to uphold her title after a perfect rookie year where she clinched two gold medals in park and vert disciplines. Trew impressed from the start, unleashing a series of intricate combos, including a backside air on the extension, McTwist, and backside Smith, nosegrind to fakie. After a dominant first run, Trew outperformed the rest of the field with an 11-point lead and maintained her edge throughout, displaying a relentless drive to push the progression of what was possible. Even in her victory lap, she continued to challenge herself, highlighting her commitment to progression in her sport.
Monster Energy Men’s Skateboard Street Final In his 24th X Games appearance on Sunday, June 30, Nyjah Huston again reigned supreme in skateboard street, winning his second gold this weekend, his 23rd overall X Games medal, and his 15th gold medal, tying Shaun White in the Skateboard Street Final. With his win in Saturday’s Street Best Trick event, Huston earned his first on-site gold medal since X Games Minneapolis 2019 and surpassed Bob Burnquist’s record for the most skateboard golds at X Games.
Samsung Galaxy Moto X QuarterPipe High Air It was a showdown between the two favorites for this event on Sunday, June 30: Australian competitor Corey Creed and USA’s four-time X Games gold medalist Colby Raha. Raha, who won last year with a 56’3” jump and is a four-time MTX QuarterPipe High Air champ, was edged out by Creed by two feet at 53 feet and seven inches. Now, both rivals own four X Games gold medals apiece.
Monster Energy Men’s Skateboard Street Best Trick On Saturday, June 29, 22-time X Games champion and favorite Nyjah Huston matched legend Bob Burnquist’s record for the most skateboard gold medals of all time. Huston is the most decorated skateboard street medalist of all time and just one gold behind Shaun White and Garrett Reynolds for the most overall gold in history.
Pacifico Women’s & Men’s Skateboard Vert Best Trick In the debut of Pacifico Women’s Skateboard Vert Best Trick on Saturday, June 29, nine-year-old Mia Kretzer earned her first X Games gold. In a field where the oldest competitor was just 20 years old, Kretzer became the youngest athlete and medalist in X Games history, beating out Ema Kawakami, who held the record for one day. Kretzer landed a cab 720 on her second try.
In the men’s competition, Gui Khury added his ninth overall gold medal and third Vert Best Trick gold medal with a body varial 900 on his first try. On the 25th anniversary of Tony Hawk’s 900, both Khury and newcomer Kawakai landed 900s.
Highlight information provided by X Games.
