vert canceled by the X Games, or does Vert Cancel the X Games?

[skategeezer]

tough call..

you run a multi billion dollar entertainment enterprise - you don't mess with ratings...
so, EXPN decides to cancel.

I don't get EXPN...hell, I don't even have satellite or cable

From the EXPN website...



Vert's dead. Again. It's just that this time, it's the X Games that say so.

On April 3, ESPN announced the biggest event shakeup since the inception of the X Games. As of this summer, vert, the oldest discipline in the Games, is out, and a new "SuperPark"-type discipline is in for the 14th year of competition.

"It's time. It's been time. ESPN's always a little slow on the uptake. It's no secret that the vert field has stayed the same for the last decade. It's no secret that there aren't any vert ramps for kids to ride outside Southern California. If you want a vert career, you have to move there," says X Games General Manager Chris Stiepock.

Vert's TV ratings on ESPN have diminished every year for the last four years. Quiksilver, Red Bull USA and Vans have all moved away from pure vert to events favoring different kinds of transition skating (Mini Mania, Bowlriders Series, Pro-Tec Pool Party, to name a few).

The depth of the talent pool has diminished, too. 70 per cent of last year's field was 30 or older, and over a third of these skateboarders have been competing since '95.


Skateboarding has been steadily outgrowing vert—going Mega, Hollywood and boosting bigger than China since the early '00s—but to get to SuperPark, you have to know where vert's been.

Having survived two deaths already (mid-'60s, late-'80s), skateboarding seemed positioned for longevity in its third life. But as the popularity and profitability of ramp skating began to taper off after its zenith in the '80s, vert took a back seat to street—Powell lost Peralta, Vision was Blindsided by Gonz and megastar Mark "Gator" Rogowski murdered and raped his ex's best friend.

As street skating rose above ground and blossomed, the early '90s vert recession hit transition skaters hard. Tony Hawk, who bought his first house at 17, sold his second house at 23. Christian Hosoi, on the lam since '95, spent five years in prison after getting caught with a pound and a half of meth at the Honolulu airport.

At the same time, Big Brother Mag laid the groundwork for future Jackasses, pant legs were super-sized, Gonz kickflipped the Embarcadero gap and some of the best videos of all time were made.

But then, in '95, a few vert careers were given a new breath with the advent of the X Games. Vert standards like Tony Hawk and Steve Caballero not only competed against Ed Templeton and Geoff Rowley in the event's first park contest, but their then-forgotten vert skills were also broadcast into millions of homes.

Lance Dalgart
Tony Hawk invented more than 80 tricks. I'm not sure I can even count that high.


Vert had found a new home. A home that grew in '99 when Hawk, with 80-plus tricks and 100-plus contests under his belt since turning pro at age 16, nailed skateboarding's first 900—his holy grail—and threw in the competitive towel for good.

"It was another barrier smashed—something we thought we'd never see in skateboarding. Now Sandro Dias does them in contest runs. Danny Mayer does kickflip McTwists in his run. Vert progression is endless," says Andy Macdonald, who has competed at every X Games since the event's inception.

Despite the overnight success of the 900, wheels were still shrinking and things bigger than vert were on the horizon: Hawk formed the Loop Club in '96 (although Duane Peters was the first to flip gravity the bird), Danny Way bomb dropped out of a helicopter in '97 (and later, conceived the Mega Ramp and jumped over the Great Wall of China), Dreamland Skateparks built the first concrete cradle in 2001 and a snowboarder won the X Games—the world's highest paying vert contest—in 2007.



On paper, moving away from vert and embracing something new like Superpark makes sense. When you go session a spot with your boys, is it a loop? Is it a Megaramp? Is it the Great Friggin' Wall of China? Is it ... wait for it ... a vert ramp?

Your answer is probably no, but if you're lucky, rich or famous enough to have a vert ramp in your back yard, good for you. Can I come over?

Mike Ehrmann/EXPN.com
The Flying Animal hasn't stuck his 10 when the landing isn't white, but he still gets 14 medals for his efforts.


So where is vert still thriving? The Carlsbad Men's Club scene is off the hook: Bob Burnquist's backyard is ever-growing, DC has a private ramp, Vans Orange, Chula Vista and the Claremont and Encinitas Y's all have vert ramps. Planning a Cali road trip? You'll find them listed under private, private, pay, pay, pay, pay.

On the other side of the country, the Skatepark of Tampa is still "keeping the dream alive," says SPoT founder Brian Schaefer. "We started the park in '93 with a vert ramp and a pyramid, and it stimulated our whole park at the time. It's a necessity to have all elements of skateboarding be a part of our contest."

"Compared with parks, it's hard to find a vert ramp. With the creative park designs going on nowadays, the X Games and World Cup haven't really created ramps that are with the times," explains 6-time X Games vert competitor Omar Hassan. "I don't really rely on vert. I love to do it, but for me personally, there's so much other stuff out there. I can see why they're doing it—to reinvent the whole thing, which will be really good."

Good, indeed. It's 2008, and chances are that somewhere near Your Town, USA, there's a skatepark. There are more than 4,000 of them worldwide, after all. You might even skate there, since there are nearly 50 million skateboarders on the planet who classify themselves as street or park skaters (95% of all skateboarders). Your park may even have an oververt section, but it likely has no public vert ramp, since there are only a few dozen left standing.

"With the skating at skateparks all over the world not being true street or true vert, we want to honor the huge segment of that population that's being ignored. Kids will be able to watch the X Games skateboarding competition for SuperPark and see pros on the same obstacles that they might be able to ride at their local park," says Stiepock.

But the million-dollar question remains: What exactly is this "SuperPark?" One part Black Pearl, one part Shanghai, with an inflection of Burnside? The X Games dudes in charge are still working it out, but they know a few things for certain—this can't be just another park, and rider input on course design is paramount. "Essentially," says Stiepock, "we're going to have to build a killer concrete park out of Skatelite."





A killer concrete park doesn't sound half bad, considering the types of features that can be constructed. Take the volcanoes, spines, tombstones, cradles, capsules, full pipes that litter the Pacific Northwestern landscape. Or the "igloo" recently installed in Irrigon, Oregon. Project Manager James Kilnedinst explains the thinking involved with an industry innovator like Grindline Skateparks, "Really, the only limitations are those of skateboarders and physics, and we're pushing those as much as we can. In every park we do, there's something we haven't done before. A lot of the time, it's something that hasn't been done in a skatepark—or with concrete, period."

The problem with innovative skateparks at the X Games, however, is that they're not made for vert tricks. "There are tricks you can do on a vert ramp that you can't do anywhere else. I can promise you there will be no 900s going on on the Superpark course—guaranteed," says Macdonald.

For a straight up vert dog whose livelihood depends on vert, losing the U ramp has the potential to be bogus. Pierre Luc Gagnon, 6-time X Games medalist and winner of this year's Tampa Pro vert contest contends, "I'm not just going to let vert go. Adding park is good, but they shouldn't replace vert. They're two different events. Vert is a stepping-stone to the Megaramp. How will we secure a future for Megaramp?"

Keith Eric Davidson
Pat Duffy shows what can be done when you put concrete on an island like Bainbridge.


Macdonald contends that vert doesn't have to, and shouldn't be, nixed. "The solution is a format change. Change it to a jam format so there are guys skating for a half hour straight and it's not like a golf match. The execs at ESPN want to do away with the one discipline in all the sports that's been there since day one, stood the test of time and contained every big moment in X Games history. The 900, Mat Hoffman's no-handed 900 and Kevin Robinson's double flair were all on the vert ramp. They're blowing it, and we're going to miss out on those moments."

Ultimately, the X Games is about progression, or so ESPN says, and progression is a warm feeling of accomplishment that's unlike anything else.

But you know what? Skateboarding is still super fun when you don't learn anything new and suck at it. And you can do that anywhere, even in a superpark.

[bdoka]

i disagree on the whole "theres only vert in CA". Lets not forget MT. Trashmore right here on the east coast, the new massive vert is intense and intimidating.

[Rusty13]

This is a lot like the olympic games s thing. Skate drama is a high form of faggatry,and i'll have no part of it.

Who the #### watches the X games anyways,these days. That ####'s been gay since like '97

[Parallel Man]

Explain something to me.

When EXPN says "vert," are they referring strictly to wooden "U" shaped half-pipes?

And when they say "super parks" are they referring to some sort of configuration without transition to vertical riding terrain?

I mean, is it a bad thing to eliminate an event about as exciting as watching a ping pong ball go back and forth and instead have one where skaters actually RIDE and go from place to place executing different maneuvers?

I mean, God help us, could it be STYLE might matter again instead of just repeated tricks with nothing in between?

[Mile_High_Mark]

The X-Games is a business. If something doesn't test well for their particular demographic, they'll replace it with something that'll make them more money. If that means that eXtreme pogo-sticking is gonna pull a bigger market share, then that's what they'll feed the masses.

[Wells]

Even if you want to skate vert, it's nearly impossible. The closest vert ramp to my house is 3 hours away, costs $15 to skate for 3 hours, and is mostly used for flat-ground sessions.

[IGSA-1]

"The depth of the talent pool has diminished, too. 70 per cent of last year's field was 30 or older, and over a third of these skateboarders have been competing since '95."

This sentence is the key to everything! As the Sport Organizer of Street Luge for the X Games I had to endure our sport being canceled for the exact same reason. A major reason that Downhill Skateboarding is finally taking off is that the top competitors are all in their late teens or early to mid 20's. This is the demographic that the action sports sponsors are marketing towards. No matter how good a skater in his 30's or 40's is, if he's as old as his dad, he will never be totally cool to a 12 year old. That's the reality...

[Wells]

Explain something to me.

When EXPN says "vert," are they referring strictly to wooden "U" shaped half-pipes?

And when they say "super parks" are they referring to some sort of configuration without transition to vertical riding terrain?

I mean, is it a bad thing to eliminate an event about as exciting as watching a ping pong ball go back and forth and instead have one where skaters actually RIDE and go from place to place executing different maneuvers?

I mean, God help us, could it be STYLE might matter again instead of just repeated tricks with nothing in between?

If you can't recognize vert style, don't know that concrete skateparks generally have plenty of vertical and over-vertical ("we're going to have to build a killer concrete park out of Skatelite"), and can't fathom the difference between vert, pool, and park skating, then you should probably refrain from speaking here.

And yeah, the X games are a business; but vert's been on its way out for a while. The only young vert riders are snowboarders and concrete skateparks are enjoying a renaissance. Street absorbed most of the non-retarded parts of freestyle. Parks will absorb the good parts of vert.

Nobody ever really rode street luge; so that's no big loss.

[Civ]

Explain something to me.

When EXPN says "vert," are they referring strictly to wooden "U" shaped half-pipes?

And when they say "super parks" are they referring to some sort of configuration without transition to vertical riding terrain?

I mean, is it a bad thing to eliminate an event about as exciting as watching a ping pong ball go back and forth and instead have one where skaters actually RIDE and go from place to place executing different maneuvers?

I mean, God help us, could it be STYLE might matter again instead of just repeated tricks with nothing in between?

if watching vert is like watching a ping pong ball, then how painful do you think watching you slalom is? Like watching a fish out of water? something like that....man, Wes, you are out of touch.

[K-Rimes]

Yep... Current popular skateboarding is dying.

[bucksaw87]

hmm, i've actually skated (read: piddled around the bottom of) the x-games size vert ramp near my house, at the modern skatepark.

the 2 modern skateparks in michigan have vert ramps (one in grand rapids, the other in ann arbor), so again, the whole "socal" thing is a misnomer

[Kobes]

i disagree on the whole "theres only vert in CA". Lets not forget MT. Trashmore right here on the east coast, the new massive vert is intense and intimidating.

Yes...That ramp is crap your pants high!

[Speedo]

There is also a topnotch vert ramp at the Kona Sk8park, in Jacksonville.
Tony Hawk, Mike McGill, and Sergie Ventura lit it up last summer.
But that part of the park gets little use by the general public.
Few can put on a show at that level ......or are willing to take the risks.
And I think that "the show of thrills and spills" is what the X-Games is about.
For whatever reason, many spectators love to see the daredevil take a crash.
Gives them something to talk about.

Maybe the vert scene has run it's course, and the viewers want to see something....unusual.
Time for slalom and downhill to get some of the spotlight.
Just an opinion.

[skategeezer]

slalom and downhill, from what I have seen are:

1. measurable
2. fast
3. interesting to watch - especially tight races
4. have a few spectacular near misses and crashes (which is shades of Nascar)
5. are becoming more popular with younger folks

Therefore,

I will continue to send the head office of ESPN the magazine.

[Xgecko]

So the Olympics wants to have a Vert Ramp competition but the Xgames is dumping it??? I'd rather see vert turn into bowl personally. That's more fitting to the direction that trick skating is going it

[bpz]

That's a shame... vert is/was one of the few reasons I'd actually bother to turn the X-Games on to watch. Guys like Sandro Dias can boost soooo high, it's amazing. I think it's pretty weak that they just dropped it.

[breamo]

I'm surprised that the comments aren't more positive. I think this is a good thing for the sport. Vert is boring compared to the new Super Parks out there.... Anyone been to Oregon or Montana lately???

Good riddance on going back and forth, and cheers for Flow, Style, Speed, Originality, Terrain, etc....

The only reason Vert really took off is because you could have one in your back yard when there were no running parks in the US. Still good for demos, but not contests.

Just look at last years Volcom contest in Mammoth! That's where the sport is going. EXPN is actually late to make the change.

[mc99david]

i agree with sofa.. bummer to have it go... on the other side though, the ramp they have built the past few years has been getting more and more like a bowl anyway... i do believe that we will see the same caliber of tricks in this new format, and more flow, it will just take a few years for the riders to really figure out the new format...

i just wish that skateboarding in general as well as the xgames would have more nastalga mixed with the search for more progression..

vert is what made the xgames big when they atarted and this was not a time when vert was popular.. to be honest i dont think vert has been a popular disapline since the 80s but its fun to watch and thats why the xgames was successful..

there whould at least be a vert jam sesh just for nastalga sake and to give props to the guys that made xgames what it is today..

AND GET THE F'N MOTOR SPORTS OUT!!!!!


then again we are expecting ESPN to know something about us and our culture, thats just not going to happen... i emailed them once to see if i could buy old xgames on dvd or something and they refered me to the NBA web site..... clueless jocks.... we are paying the very guys that mike vallely would beat the crap out of by watching it...

that being said, ill still watch

[Momona Boe]

I'm with Breamo - I'd rather see some carves or something. I'm kinda bored watchin' the old back and forth.

[Xgecko]

No I don't have any issues that they are dropping Vert, I prefer roundwall to vert, I carve much more than I air and I actually sit at the park plotting lines. I get more out of watching someone skate a good line (Bob Durnquist for instance) than an seeing someone pull a perfect routine (PLG). Halfpipes have to continue...they are still where tricks are learned and perfected but doing something on roundwall to me shows that you have made a trick your own