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Do What You Gotta Do
Date: 22/03/05
By: Jon
I knew it. I just knew it. It was only a matter of time before the x-games were cut down to the minimum. Not much left these days. If I recall all there is now in the summer x-games is Skateboarding, Biking, Wakeboarding (I think this is still in), and Moto-X(motor sports? what's up with that?). What's next? Should we allow Nascar into the x-games? How about we introduce football, or some other sport that doesn't attract the fringe but rather enough eyes to support the sponsors. Whatever happened to all the street luge, plane hurling, snow biking craziness of yesteryear? Since when did the word alternative take on the meaning of “anything that is mainstream and will draw the masses”? Does someone think that somewhere along the lines the core group of people over at ESPN may have sold their souls to satan in exchange for a shot at some extra cash from all the sponsorships that twist and tweak the young minds of america into buying crap they don’t need. I wish I could say that none of any of this is true. As they say though, the show must go on.
What it all comes down to is what you want to do and how you want to do it. It’s not whether or not you can look talk and walk like the people on the tv and what they preach. It’s not about whether or not skis under 100 cm are allowed in comps. Its about you and you only. Its about what YOU can do to further what it is you like to do. It’s about how you can improve on what you do and about how you feel about your accomplishments. If you enjoy what it is that you do then ( and I have said this before) teach someone else and show them that they too can have fun doing whet THEY feel like doing. No amount of TV or media will keep any one of us from doing what we want to do.
To let all of you know, I am not an Inline Skater at all. But the recent news outrages me as much as anyone else because the true “alternative sports” are being shut out. If all it was about was having events on TV then each and every one of these fringe sports would have never made it to where they are right now. All of the sports, whether it be skiboarding, inlining, modified shovel racing, streetboarding, jump roping, whatever have only made it to the point they are at because of the fact that there are people like you and I out there to make them exist. We are the true athletes. We are the ones that ensue smiles upon our own faces and we are also the ones that make others peer in wonder. I say let them peer and in doing that you can make them understand that you are here to stay. Impressive as we are, what's more impressive is in the matter that we come together to celebrate our small but powerful niche of the sports world.
The reason I write is because I know there are people out there like you the reader. There are people like you that care. And as long as there are people that are true to the sport and are ready support the cause I will always be there to stand by all of you. All you need to do is ride. Ride harder and faster and make your time, YOUR time. Enjoy what you do no matter what.
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