X games

Last weekend the Winter X games aired on ESPN and for the first time I actually sat down and watched it. I must say it was pretty entertaining. I'm not sure if it was because it got me excited for the Olympics which I love so much or it was due to the fact that I had nothing better to do on a Friday and Saturday night...

I've seen the X games before, but this time it felt different. It had a whole new type of feeling to it. A freshness that I haven't felt in years past. Maybe it was the outlook with which the athletes competed- attributing their performances to Sarah Burke, who had passed away earlier during a training run in Park City, Utah.

This isn't the first time an athlete has died while participating in their sport, and it won't be the last. The risks are understood when each player steps on to their respective field and performs their sport. Although these events are tragic, they help remind the rest of us what is really important and brings out only the best in athletes and competition.

Speaking of competition, there was plenty of it. Even though Shaun White dropped out of some of his earlier events due to an ankle injury- there was no lack of talent in the field. Eighteen year old Mark McMorris shocked the veterans and won the Slopestyle competition and the Big Air by landing the first ever Triple Cork.

I think one of the most exciting parts of these Xtreme sports is seeing history laid out before our eyes in these relatively new sports. Just like Heath Frisby's first ever front flip performed on a snowmobile during the Best Trick competition. Now that's just plain crazy...

Shaun White eventually did show up and only SCORED A PERFECT 100! That man is a beast. Once again he had already won the gold medal but decided to bust out his new awesome trick on the victory lap. He won gold for the fifth consecutive time in the Superpipe event, which is very impressive.

If you haven't seen the Winter X Games before, I suggest you do. If you have seen it before and don't like it, change your mind.