This past weekend was another example of living in a little mountain town where extreme things happen.
It all started on Thursday when I took the boys out of school to see the competitions at the X Games. Being that it was during the day, when most kids were still in school, it all went so smoothly. We had no problem parking at the Intercept lot, there were no lines and the crowds were manageable, making it easier to fill the bag with schwag.
As much as I understand the value of bringing the X Games to Aspen, as a parent, I question the necessity to encourage young kids to push their limits, especially when many end up with serious injuries. Is it all worth it? For Aspen I have to question whether it is all about the money, as I don’t see any effort to accommodate the local parents with small children whose older children want to stay at the venue 24/7.
Having experienced VIP service, I can attest that it is an entirely different ballgame. Not only is there water and a place to sit but a warm, dry, uncrowded venue to watch from and a place to fuel up the boys with delicious food and something to drink other than Red Bull.
From the standpoint of an older kid, it is as much about the schwag as it is about watching the outrageous tricks and getting as close as possible to the athletes. Trying to sound as enthusiastic as I could I exclaimed to Hootie-Hoo, “Wasn’t that fun?” Meaning, didn’t we do all that we needed to do so we don’t have to go back but can watch from the comfort of our living room? He agreed. That is until his brothers came home and dumped out their schwag bag that consisted of spin art, hats and discarded goggles from the athletes (a coveted possession) and declared that we needed to go back.

I was relieved to hear from other local moms that the X Games fever diminishes by the time the kids reach 17, and they prefer to watch at home rather than being there from start to finish, which usually means coming home at midnight.
In attempt to figure out why they don’t have a water sponsor that provides water stations and reusable bottles, I tried to do some research on what it entails to become a sponsor and I found this article. I’m glad to see that there were no warheads that are like acid to the tongue, but I can’t for the life of me understand why they don’t bring in a cool candy company as a sponsor or even Aspen vendors? I really want to know.