Westbound Boarder

Last month, this little thing called the “X Games” (oh, you’ve heard of it?) was the big talk around town here in LA.  That’s right around the time I heard about Group Y.  Working in the Marketing and Action Sports industries myself, I always love it when the two come together, so I decided to take a deeper look into the premise of this organization.

This past week, I caught up with Elizabeth Randall, one of the co-founders of Group Y, to chat about the group she started and what it’s all about.  Developed as a group “where action sports and youth marketing come to meet,” Group Y hosts frequent panels, conferences and events for action sports industry professionals and hopefuls in the SoCal area.  Past speakers John Stouffer, Director of PR and Endemic Relations at Fuel TV, Rob Campbell, Publisher at Transworld Business, and Shana Frahm, Global PR Director at Burton Snowboards.  The short: Some pretty big names in action sports.  Simply put, Group Y is pretty rad.

For Liz, the Group Y journey began three years ago.  Though action sports is a fairly small, close-knit industry, she still felt that there was a need for more networking opportunities.  One day, she was having breakfast with an industry friend and together they thought, “hey, why don’t we start a group for action sports industry professionals.”  Not a bad idea.  The first meeting, held in the corner of a local bar, had about eight people in attendance, and the number slowly grew from there.  Now, meetings typically average 100 – 150 attendees, including CEOs and VPs from top brands in the action sports industry, and are held at all kinds of locations up and down the Southern West Coast of SoCal.  Topics tend to focus on marketing and entertainment, but also span into sales, branding, online, and music.  And its not just the men who attend; there are plenty of women, too!  Nearly a 50/50 split on average, notes Liz.

Group Y does some pretty cool things on their Web site too, such as “Twitter Thursdays,” interviews with top action sports execs via Twitter. Are you following Westbound Boarder on Twitter? If not, you should be! Hey, no harm in a little shameless self promotion. For example, last week’s Twitter Thursday interview featured Nikki Scoggins, New Media/Online Consumer Communications for Vans.

Group Y’s mot recent success was hosting the first annual Action Sports Conference, held in tandem with the ESPN X Games.  Hosted at the Home Depot Center in LA on Day One of the Games, the day-long industry conference featured keynote speakers and panel sessions focusing on action sports and youth marketing topics.  Though this was an industry first and Liz was initially unsure if ESPN would even accept their proposal, ESPN loved the idea from the start, and from there the Action Sports Conference was born.  Later, the conference proved to be a smashing success, completely selling out with more than 250 people in attendance.  Liz said the coolest part was being right in the center of the action – the conference was held on site during the 2009 X-games, BMX pros practicing their tricks right across the way.

With the first annual Action Sports Conference behind them, what’s next for Group Y?  Well, if you’re reading this and you’re interested in finding out, you’re in luck!  The next Group Y networking mixer is coming up this Wednesday, August 26, from 6:30 to 10:30 at Spit Studio in Hermosa Beach (details here).  I think I may just have to go check this one out, so be sure to find me and say ‘What’s Up’!  Don’t live in SoCal?  No problem!  Group Y posts recaps to their Web site and sends out frequent Twitter updates so people who aren’t able to make it to the meetings can still know what’s going on.

This Friday, “X-Games 3D: The Movie” will debut in theaters nationwide (on the big screen for one week only), and the film sounds pretty rad.  Here’s a full synopsis:

“X Games 3D: The Movie” captures the drama and spectacle that play out every year at the X Games events, highlighting the behind-the-scenes stories of the featured athletes and the sacrifices they make in pursuit of glory and the advancement of their sports on the biggest stage in action sports. The full-length feature film uses groundbreaking digital 3D techniques to provide an unprecedented all-access pass to the X Games, and it contains more than 90 percent native 3D content which vividly documents the dedication of these athletes as they pursue glory and progression on the ultimate stage in action sports.”

Advance tickets can be purchased here.

The ladies of the 2009 Summer X Games raised the bar in Skate Vert, Skate Street and Moto X this year with stellar performances in all areas. Here are some of the highlights:

The X Games Street victory goes to Marisa Dal Santo, now 2 time X Game gold medalist – although the triumph did not come easily for her. Santo was up against her friend, skateboard legend and four time gold medalist, Elissa Steamer (who took Bronze this time around). Alexis Sablone (recent comeback skater after taking time off of the sport to complete her college degree, go Alexis!), was there to give Marisa a run for her $$$ too. Lucky for Marisa – who entered the final round with her work cut out for her -nailed a frontside boardslide down the 12-stair bringing her into third and sealed the deal (and the gold baby) with a frontside lipslide down the rail. Congrats to Marisa Dal Santo!

The Women’s Vert contest was just as exciting as Street, as competition history was made for the ladies. As of a couple of years ago, no one had ever pulled off a kickflip indy in a women’s vert comp – and during the Women’s X-games vert contest, just that was done. Three out of the eight ladies competing in the vert comp, pulled off the trick in their run, resulting in podium spots for each of them.  Despite the solidity of last year’s gold medalist, Karen Jonz’ runs this year, gold went to Lynz Adams Hawkins for her commitment to raising the bar even higher and higher with her multiple McTwist attempts.  Lynz was surprised when she received the first place gold medal this year, but no one else was. Silver went to Karen Jonz and bronze to Gaby Ponce. Cheers to these ladies, keep on raising that bar!

Motocross took place on Saturday night of the weekend comp and the motocross teen sensation, Ashley Fiolek, did not disappoint anybody. Fiolek, who has been deaf since birth, was excited to come to the x games and do this well – and for good reason. The 18-year-old was forced to withdrawal from last year’s X Games due to an injury, but made up for lost time this year for sure. Fiolek did not get out of the gate very well and struggled against competitor Jessica Patterson for the remainder of the race. It was during the final lap that Fiolek took the lead and raced herself to the gold standing that she had been waiting for since last year’s X Games. And to top it off? The Moto X Games led to the highest billing a women’s X Games event has ever received on ESPN. Go Moto X Ladies!

So here is a shout out to all of the ladies who participated in raising the bar at the Summer X Games this year. Keep on shreddin’!

X Games start today, and I’m proud to say they’re in my home town!  Taking place at the Staples Center in Downtown LA, this year’s games should be as exciting as ever.  Check them out!