For the past sixteen years, the summer X Games has been hailed as the pinnacle for action sports athletes and fans across the world.

Disciplines including BMX (bicycle motocross), skateboarding and FMX (freestyle motocross) primarily make up the event.

Since the birth of X Games, their record books have been shattered every year. New and creative stunts, higher jumps and more flips are seen annually.

The most innovative and record-breaking action sport of them all is BMX.

BMX at the X Games is generally broken down into dirt, park and vert.

Riders in these events blast jumps at death- defying heights.

Riders to watch for in this year’s X Games are Jamie Bestwick, Scotty Cranmer and Anthony Napolitan.

Bestwick hails from England and is by far one of the best riders in the BMX vert community.

Winning a gold medal in last year’s X Games, Bestwick shows no sign of letting up. Bestwick has shown utter dominance by flying the highest and pulling together the most innovative and unpredictable performances.

Despite being a 20-year-old, Cranmer has been one of the most talked about names in the BMX park for the past three years.

Cranmer literally grew up in a skate park.

His parents own and operate Incline Club Skatepark in Lakewood, N.J.

Cranmers’ blend of creativity, lung bursting endurance and calculated executions leave fans and riders alike at the edge of their seats.

In 2005, Napolitan finished in last place in BMX Dew Tour standings, driven to be the best he moved to Camp Woodward (a facility devoted to the progression of action sports) where he began pushing himself harder than ever as a rider.

Making history with tricks like the “Triple Tailwhip Backflip,” I find that this year’s dirt contest to be more than entertaining.

Bestwick, Cranmer and Napolitan are at the for-front of progression in action sports as we know it.

To find out for yourself tune into ESPN and ESPN2 to follow live coverage from the Staples Center on July 29 through Aug. 31.

Charles LeGrand can be reached at 581-7942 or at crlegrand@eiu.edu.