A day before the competition kicks off at X Games 2024, some of the biggest names in skateboarding, BMX and Moto X head to the Ventura County Fairgrounds Thursday.
As athletes practice on the courses, industry leaders are meeting to talk about the culture and competition surrounding action sports. Star reporters and photographers will be at the X Games on Thursday and throughout the weekend.
- Complaints spark changes: Designers doubled the footprint this year for the three days of skateboarding, BMX aerobatics and high flying Moto X dirt bikes.
- No parking at the X Games: Headed to the fairgrounds? You won't find any on-site parking this year, but free shuttles will take people to the games from these spots in Ventura and Oxnard. Or, people can skip traffic and take the train , bus or ride a bike.
- Athletes to watch: Taking place a month before the Paris Olympics, the Games will feature some of the brightest young stars in action sports. Here's why all eyes will be trained on Tony Hawk when he returns as part of the broadcast team for the men’s skateboard vert and park competitions.
- Here's the music lineup: The games will also feature some top names in music, including hip-hop artist Wiz Khalifa and electronic performer Kaskade. On Sunday, Fever 333 will headline .
Refresh for the latest news and photos.
At the intersection of California and Main in downtown Ventura, workers made some last minute adjustments to the ramps and obstacles set up for Thursday night's downtown skate jam, hosted by Black Hole Skate Shop. The all-ages jam runs until 8 p.m.
- Isaiah Murtaugh
Paul Rodriguez, 39, who grew up in the San Fernando Valley, previously won eight medals at the X Games, four of them gold.
“As long as my body is working and as long as the passion is burning, I'm gonna be trying to push myself to whatever that I can," the pro street skateboarder and actor said Thursday.
Rodriguez will be skating a demo on Saturday called the Skateboard Street Legends along with pro skateboarder Ryan Sheckler, 34. Sheckler started skating at 2, competing at 6, and turned pro at 13. He has seven X Games medals, three of them are gold.
"I'm just excited to see these athletes in their element," he said of the X Games. "I love it."
- Dua Anjum
Thousand Oaks City Councilmember Mikey Taylor, a former pro skateboarder, said he is excited to see his friends compete tomorrow.
"It’s like a high school reunion, just like seeing everybody," Taylor said Thursday. "Probably ran into about 15 people that I used to see on a weekly basis for over a decade, everybody from skateboarding, in LA and at contests, and just the whole community. So now I'm seeing them in my hometown."
- Dua Anjum
Skateboard legend Tony Hawk took some practice runs on the vert ramp at the X Games on Thursday.
Last year, on the final day of the games, the crowd learned at the last moment Hawk was going to be a surprise competitor in the vert best trick event. He finished ninth out of 10 but drew a crowd of thousands. Hawk, 56, is back this year as part of the broadcast team for the men’s skateboard vert and park competitions.
Visit Ventura President and CEO Marlyss Auster and Thousand Oaks Councilmember Mikey Taylor, a former pro skateboarder, are part of a four-person panel Thursday on the how the X Games impacts local communities.
Taylor said the county has changed a lot in recent years, and he feels it’s gotten younger.
“There’s a new lifeblood in this area,” Taylor said. “It feels perfectly timed with the X Games coming here.”
- Isaiah Murtaugh
Get information or buy tickets online at xgames.com/events/x-games-ventura-2024/tickets . General admission tickets start at $61. Children under 6 get in for free. Tickets also can be purchased at the fairgrounds. But same-day tickets are expected to sell out quickly.
A heat wave baked parts of Southern California last weekend, but expect cooler temperatures and some fog at the X Games in Ventura. Highs are expected to stay in the mid-70s or a little bit cooler Friday, the first day of competition at the seaside Ventura County Fairgrounds.
Temperatures could inch up a couple of more degrees on the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. By Sunday, highs elsewhere in the region could reach close to triple digits but are expected to stay around the high 70s near the Ventura coast.
Just how changes could affect Ventura is yet to be known. But X Games officials announced future plans for a radical change in format earlier this month.
They introduced the “X Games League,” expected to roll out in 2026. Modeled after Formula 1-style auto racing, the new “XGL” format will introduce a team-based structure and prizes, as well as a year-round calendar. X Games chief operating officer Scott Guglielmino spoke about the changes during a panel Thursday in Ventura.
“X Games will no longer be twice a year,” he said.
Also on Thursday, a new winter sports strategic partnership was unveiled with US Ski & Snowboard, creating the “X Games Winter Series.” Concerning the future of X Games in Ventura, Guglielmino said to expect the location for the summer series in a few weeks.
- Joe Curley
Bryce Wettstein certainly made plenty of friends locally with her heartfelt style and friendly manner last July. On Thursday, the 20-year-old skateboarder from Encinitas was among those practicing at the park venue.
Count her among the athletes who are pleased for the repeat trip to Ventura.
“I’d say it’s extra, extra magical,” she said.
Wettstein just qualified for her second Olympics last week by finishing seventh in the qualifying competition in Budapest. And yes, the avid surfer — who memorably took to the waves between competitions last summer — brought her surf board this weekend.
- Joe Curley
As workers buzzed around the grounds Thursday, the stars of women’s skateboarding got to know the new park and street venues via practice sessions.
Among them, Arisa Trew, the 14-year-old Australian who broke out last summer , winning both the Women’s Skateboarding Park and Vert events. Trew, who landed a 720 at the X Games last summer, became the first female to land a 900 last month.
- Joe Curley
It’s back! Welcome to X Games: Ventura 2024 weekend. The summer action sports spectacle opens its doors to the public Friday morning. That means today is the final day for athletes, and the organizers, to make adjustments before the curtain goes up.
A first glance, the organizers have seriously increased the footprint of the grounds. If you're coming out to the fairgrounds this weekend, prepare to get your steps in.
- Joe Curley
What changes to expect at 2024 X Games
X Games leaders say they listened to last year's attendees , who paid $55 for general admission and complained they couldn’t see some of the events because their tickets didn’t include bleacher access. This year, stages and courses sprawl not only inside the fairgrounds but also across the large main parking lot bordered by Figueroa Street.
General admission, now $61, still doesn’t bring bleacher access. But the event’s courses are surrounded by empty space to expand the views. Read more about the changes here .
How to get a free shuttle to the X Games
Shuttles are expected to run from 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday from park and ride locations in Ventura and Oxnard.
- De Anza Middle School, 2060 Cameron St., Ventura.
- Pacific View Mall, 3350 Telegraph Road, Ventura.
- Ventura County Government Center, 800 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura.
- Oxnard High School, 3400 W. Gonzales Road, Oxnard.
Park at San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St. in Ventura, for $10 and ride a free shuttle to the fairgrounds. The gates at the state beach parking lock at 11 p.m.
Catch a train or bus to Ventura County Fairgrounds
- Amtrak Pacific Surfliner has a stop steps from the fairgrounds. X Games passengers can receive 15% discounts. More information: amtrak.com/pacific-surfliner-x-games .
- The Metrolink commuter service will take people to the fairgrounds stop Saturday and Sunday. Day passes on Saturday and Sunday cost $10. Children 17 and younger with a fare-paying adult can ride for free on the weekend.
The Ventura County Transportation Commission also will extend its bus routes and anyone 18 and under rides for free. More information is available at goventura.org/xgames .
- Routes 101 and 126 will be extended to Thompson Boulevard and Figueroa Street in Ventura. The Coastal Express route will stop at Thompson and Figueroa instead of Santa Clara and Oak streets.
- Route 101, which normally operates Monday to Saturday, will be extended to Sunday for the X Games.
Ride a bike or skateboard to Ventura County Fairgrounds
Bike Ventura will run a free bike and skateboard valet , located at the entrance to the games. People who drop off their bike or board will be given a claim ticket.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260 .
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: X Games live updates: Tony Hawk takes some practice runs on the vert ramp
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