What a perfect day for the first official day of Winter X Games!
A packed venue under sunny skies, music and competition greeted fans who came to Buttermilk to soak it all in – from getting hooked up with goodies at X Fest, to watching their favorite athletes soar in the air, to those who were hopeful that if they hung out long enough, that they could catch a glimpse of their heroes walking around in between events to sneak in a photo or autograph.
B4BC was stationed in the Team ESPN booth and throughout the day, athletes and friends of all ages stopped for a quick demo on breast self-examination and spun the wheel for a chance to win fun prizes.
Most importantly, today was a celebration of the life of sweet Sarah Burke, and as a pioneer who fought for the beginning of many things in the women’s ski movement, today’s level of competition was just a small reflection of how her accomplishments were carried out. Skiing Slopestyle medalists Kaya Turski, Devin Logan and Anna Segal publicly dedicated their performances to Sarah and vowed to continue pushing the limits of skiing to honor her legacy.
At 7 p.m. MT tonight, a tribute to Sarah took place at the SuperPipe, where she would have likely taken home her fifth medal on Sunday. The venue that has been so brightly lit for a week went dim while her friends and fellow competitors made their way down the pipe on their boards and skis with candlelight in silence. Appropriately, it began to snow just an hour before the tribute. Sarah’s husband Rory, parents, sister and her entire family at the X Games joined together to commemorate the memory of her sweet smile and fierce competitor’s spirit. All who were there could feel just how much the world adored her for not just her accomplishments as a skier, but for who she was as a person.
In true B4BC fashion, we were there to pay tribute to our friend. Tina Basich came out to support as she returns to X this weekend after six years to rendezvous with fellow riders and friends.
