ESPN's X Games Celebrates 15 Years

In an anniversary year for X Games, ESPN will celebrate with 200 athletes – some who have been with X Games since the beginning – and welcome the biggest names in action sports as well as debut two new disciplines at X Games 15 – Skateboard Big Air Rail Jam and Skateboard Park Legends.  The 15th annual action sports competition will be held in Los Angeles July 30 – Aug. 2, 2009, and will feature the world’s best athletes competing in: BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard and Rally Car Racing. Tickets for X Games 15 will be available for purchase beginning June 25 at the STAPLES Center and Nokia Theater box offices as well as online at Ticketmaster.com.

The competition schedule for X Games 15 and the full list of first wave of athletes invited to compete are available at www.xgames.com *PLEASE NOTE: The invited athlete list and competition schedule is constantly being updated and is subject to change.

Among the first wave of invited athletes includes: 

• Bob Burnquist (Skateboard Big Air, Big Air Rail Jam, Park, Vert) – Four-time X Games Skateboard Vert gold medalist and the current two-time defending Big Air gold medalist; one of only three X Games athletes who will have competed in all 15 X Games events
• Daniel Dhers (BMX Freestyle Park) – Two-time defending X Games BMX Freestyle Park gold medalist
• Rune Glifberg (Skateboard Park, Vert) – Nine-time X Games medalist and defending Skateboard Park gold medalist; one of only three X Games athletes who will have competed in all 15 X Games events
• Kyle Loza (Moto X Best Trick) – Two-time defending X Games Moto X Best Trick gold medalist and Moto X World Championships Best Trick champion
• Travis Pastrana (Rally Car Racing) – Two-time and current Rally Car Racing defending gold medalist
• Ryan Sheckler (Skateboard Street) – Two-time X Games Skateboard Street gold medalist and current defending X Games Street champion
• Elissa Steamer (Skateboard Street Women’s) – Four-time and current defending X Games Skateboard Street gold medalist
• James Stewart (Super X) – In 2008, Stewart was the AMA Motocross Champion with a “perfect season” – winning 24 of 24 races – only the second rider in the history of the sport to do so. Stewart also won the 2009 AMA Supercross Championship. This will be the first X Games appearance for Stewart. 

For X Games 15, ESPN will debut two new disciplines at X Games 15 – Skateboard Big Air Rail Jam and Skateboard Park Legends. Skateboard Park Legends is jam-style competition on a fast-flowing course modeled after some of the best concrete skateparks in the world. The Legends field will feature an all-star line up of skateboard icons, from Christian Hosoi to Lance Mountain to Steve Caballero - all skateboarders who continue to push the progression of skateboarding. Skateboard Big Air Rail Jam features a gap to rail element that will be added to the Big Air Ramp. Skaters will gap off the 50-foot Big Air kicker to a 20-foot long rainbow rail. Skaters will be judged on their best rail trick landed.

In addition to the two new disciplines, two events have been renamed for 2009. Moto X Racing will be renamed Super X where you will see the debut of racing icon, James Stewart, compete in his first X Games. Skateboard and BMX Freestyle SuperPark will be renamed to Skateboard Park and BMX Freestyle Park where you will see Rune Glifberg and Daniel Dhers defend their titles, respectively. Glifberg is one of the few athletes who will celebrate his 15th X Games having competed in every X Games since its inception in 1995. Moto X Freestyle keeps its same name, but will assume a new jam style format that will result in quicker scoring and face-paced freestyle competition.