Jodi Gallegos's Blog

Posted by Jodi Gallegos

I don’t know about everyone else, but I wasn’t terribly surprised by the results of the 2008 Espy awards. Well, there wasn’t much surprise anyway since the ceremony had already happened and the results were posted before it ever aired.

So, who were the winners for Best Action Sports Athlete?

First, for Best Female Action Sports Athlete the winner was Gretchen Bleiler. Bleiler is a four-time Winter X Games medalist and a 2006 Olympic silver medalist. Bleiler was also nominated in 2006 but lost out to teammate Hannah Teeter.

OK, here’s where the surprise ends. The Best Male Action Sports award went to…Shaun White. Now, I’m not saying that Shaun White isn’t an amazing athlete. He is. He’s in the upper echelon of riders in two sports: skateboarding and snowboarding. He has won an Olympic medal and helped snowboarding be accepted as a legitimate sport. It’s just that when Shaun White is a nominee, no matter how awesome the other competitors are the award will most likely go to White.

To be fair, someone should just enact the annual Shaun White Award. Every year, no matter who is nominated, the winner will always be Shaun White.

Maybe, I’ll start an annual award for action sports. The Suite101.com BASA Awards (for Best Action Sports Athletes). I don't really have anything to offer than the prestige of being recognized by the readers and a writer of Suite101.com. I can’t afford Shwag, much less the bag to put it in. But, of course, we’ll have the annual Shaun White Award!

So, whom do you want to nominate for the first annual Suite101.com awards for action sports?

E-mail me with your picks (or they’ll all be mine!)

Posted by Jodi Gallegos

The AST Dew Tour is getting down to the wire in Cleveland. Sunday is the last day and in case you haven’t heard, the schedule has changed. The BMX Park comp is going to be at 2:00 pm, which is three hours earlier than it was originally scheduled to happen. So, if you’re going to be there, or know someone who is, make sure to plan your time accordingly so that you don’t miss anything!

There are some very tight races going on with the points in the AST Dew Tour and there’s been some crazy action going on. P-Rod, Shaun White and Jamie Bestwick have already claimed their wins in the Right Guard Open.

The strong overall leaders in skateboard so far (yeah, I know, we’re only two stops into this tour!) are Paul Rodriguez (park) and Bucky Lasek (vert). Jamie Bestwick has a 30-point lead in Vert and, in Dirt, Cameron White and Ryan Nyquist are battling for 1st, both with 175 points.

FMX and BMX Park are scheduled for tomorrow. Again, there was a schedule change and BMX was moved ahead to 2:00 pm followed by FMX.

If you’re in Cleveland and want to get in on the action, gates open at noon. You can also check out the coverage on NBC Sports from 4-6 pm EST.

Posted by Jodi Gallegos

The Beijing Olympics are coming and this summer nine new events will debut. I’m not excited about some of them (table tennis?!?), but others, like marathon swimming and BMX racing seem long overdue. OK, I know, this site is dedicated to BMX, Motocross and skateboarding but you have to admire the kind of conditioning it takes to swim 10 kilometers (6.21 miles)!

Having BMX in the Olympics is exciting for the sport. The world is finally recognizing that BMX riders aren't just a bunch of kids popping wheelies in the street. I think the future of BMX is huge once the world sees what it’s all about. Remember, snowboarders were just a bunch of pain-in-the-butt kids in weird clothes until snowboarding became an Olympic sport. Now it's considered “legitimate” and is a mainstream activity.

I think it's also a great year for BMX to debut. This year’s Olympics are bound to be remembered for the controversies and disasters that have shrouded them since the location was announced. Even though the number 8 (as in ’08) is supposed to be lucky China has had a most unlucky time of it. Protestors have demonstrated against the selection of China as the venue, even going so far as trying to douse the Olympic flame as it made it’s way across the world. Then there were the riots, train crash and the earthquake. Now a blue-green algae is creeping across the sailing venue. What's next for this "lucky" year?

I just have the feeling that this year’s Olympics are going to be a monumental event for BMX and will be remembered for years to come. BMX will finally have its place in history. One day, we’ll look back and say, “I remember when BMX debuted in the Olympics. Look how far it’s come since then.”

Posted by Jodi Gallegos

I'll admit it. I've watched more than one episode of Life of Ryan. Okay, I've watched more than one season. Now the Mtv reality show is late in its second season and I'm wondering if I can take any more.

I know there is lots of disagreement about Ryan Sheckler. But, love him or hate him, you have to admit the kid can skate. Not only that, he can market himself like no other (well, he's still no Tony Hawk!). I think what's so intriguing is that Ryan is really just a kid and yet he has a huge career, and a huge image to live up to.

Watching Life of Ryan proves that being a pro skater isn't just about showing up, skating and claiming the gold. Part of the "business" end of skating can be BORING.

I also have to admit that Ryan isn't my favorite person on the show. What does Kane have to do to get more airtime?? He is funnier than any of Ryan's crew, and he probably skates better than most of them!

Now as the new episodes are rolling in I guess I should recap season 2 for those who've forgotten. Taylor and Casey broke up which caused problems between Mitch, Casey and Ryan; Tony is feeling like the odd man out; Ryan bought a house; Ryan had a girlfriend for...umm...a week?; Shane finally convinced Ryan that he doesn't want to compete; Gretchen and Randy are both single again; Ryan and Casey are moving in together...Tony may or may not get an invite later.

So, what's the verdict? Anyone else watching Life of Ryan? Anyone give up on it already? Anyone else think that the voice-over sounds just a little too scripted??

Posted by Jodi Gallegos

Finally there is a television show that even I can't watch. That show is Mtv's Scarred, a half-hour program that shows some of the most gruesome, bone shattering injuries in amateur action sports.

Now, I'm not typically a wimp about blood, broken bones and nasty injuries. I've spent plenty of time working in Emergency Rooms, where I've seen some awesome injuries. The thing that gets to me about Scarred is watching as the injuries actually happen.

There are a lot of the videos that I have no problem with (I'm actually oddly drawn to them). I have no problem watching as someone falls, or runs into someone or something and ends up with an injury. What makes me shudder is being able to actually watch as the bones break. And, as with any good home video show, those moments are shown over and over, including the frame by frame play that assures you catch every moment of the injury. The first episode I caught had a skateboarder who hit the back of his head on the pavement hard enough to cause a traumatic brain injury. Each time they showed the impact my head throbbed.

I don't know how they come up with the videos. They were obviously taken by kids of all ages from all over. But, the show does have a disclaimer that says that Mtv does not accept video submissions so I don't know how they get them. I guess the important thing is that they have the videos and they aren't afraid to run them.

If you haven't caught Scarred yet, and think you have the stomach for it, be sure to check it out on Mtv, Tuesday nights at 9:30 EST. You can also catch some clips on Mtv.com