Field Trip Report from LG Action Sports

For some people, gravity seems an arbitrary thing. I’m not one of these people so if I gawked open mouthed at the skateboarders during the LG Action Sports events, that’s why. To see these guys – and it was the guys we were watching, though women compete too – clear the ground and rest for a brief moment in the air as though it’s completely natural to stop in space… it’s a fascinating thing to watch.

For about the first, oh, ten or fifteen times.

Thing is, as a complete novice to the sport, I was immune to the allure of what might have been big name athletes. As someone who knows nothing about what the guys were trying to achieve, I couldn’t appreciate the execution of certain moves. And after about 45 minutes of watching some undeniably impressive half pipe action, I was kind of bored. As were our fellow field trippers.

We changed locations and watched the BMX bikers spin warm up loops around the ramps, popping up on to some bleachers, casually clearing the ground, turning into blurry action figures and reappearing on the other side of the floor. That was also jaw dropping. And insufficiently engaging to keep us there.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like we did not enjoy ourselves. The noise, the cheering, the wanton disregard of gravity combined with some skillful harnessing of momentum, that was worth seeing. It just wasn’t engaging enough to keep us there for the long haul.

We walked the concourse at Key Arena through the onslaught of marketing – cell phones and skateboards and video games and, yup, the US Marines. We spun the wheel for prizes and recieved headphones and  CDs. We watched the unintended fashion show, spent too much money on snacks, and skipped out in to what was left of the afternoon.

And hey, here’s some advice for those of you invited by PR to spectator events. Ask for a press pass. J. took these pics with his Lumix, and they’re pretty cool, but I wasn’t allowed to bring my semi-pro kit in the door and had to hoof it back to the car. Bummer.