Staff photo by Brett Wilhelm for X Games

Quick post to share full video from each of the 11 skateboarding events I worked on at X Games California 2023, held at sites in Escondido, Vista, and Ventura.

This one was momentous, the first full-scale, open-to-the-public summer event we’d done since pre-pandemic 2019. And it was our biggest year ever for women’s skateboarding, at a time when women’s sports are on the rise everywhere, with new Women’s Skateboard Vert and Women’s Skateboard Street Best Trick disciplines.

Our first event this year was held at Rincon Middle School in Escondido, CA, an iconic schoolyard street plaza with a long history in skateboarding. I worked both the Skateboard Real Street Best Trick (with commentators Gary Rogers and Brandon Graham) and Real BMX Best Trick events (with Scott Cranmer and Brandon Graham). If you look closely, you can see me by the picnic table supporting the announcers and nerding out, as I do.

Next up was the return of MegaPark at Elliot Sloan’s backyard SloanYard in Vista, CA, the kind of fantasy place young skaters scrawl up in sketchbooks when trying to illustrate their dreams. Here, too, I worked both the Skateboard (with Jimmy Coleman and and Jason Ellis) and BMX (with Jimmy Coleman and Scotty Cranmer) disciplines. Trust me when I tell you that you will be shocked and awed by what goes down in both contests.

The rest of the events were held in Ventura, CA, a new beachside venue for X Games, featuring some of our best Street and Park courses ever, and the X Games Vert ramp. We also had BMX and Moto X events here, but my weekend was all skateboarding all the time, maybe my busiest week ever.

First up, Women’s Skateboard Street Elimination/Final/Best Trick:

I’m going to keep going with the women’s events. If you can watch just one of the videos in this post, make it Women’s Skateboard Vert, back at X Games for the first time since 2010: it’s a stunner, down to the dizzy last second, and just the dose of teen/tween girl power you need.

Men’s Street/Street Best Trick/Park/Vert/Vert Best Trick were all fire, too. Enjoy.

And, finally, with Tony Hawk himself jumping into the competition, Skateboard Vert Best Trick. Multiple NBD (Never Been Done) tricks for the highlight reel in this one. And it starts out with a banger!

Categories: Uncategorized