Ventura officials want to see X Games return

By most measures, the X Games in Ventura succeeded.

The three-day event at the Ventura County Fairgrounds, which featured the return of skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, was sold out on Saturday, the first time the event reached the milestone.

Although the X Games drew record attendance, it did not create the same traffic problems as the recent Strawberry Festival that some had feared.

"A lot of people before the event took place were already complaining about traffic," said Ventura Mayor Joe Schroeder. "I don't think that held water."

But many disgruntled general admission ticket holders expressed frustration they could not see many of the events.

That's because attendance numbers were high. X Games officials said the event drew 50,000 people from Friday through Sunday.

And city leaders are working to make sure the event returns to Ventura next summer. X Games officials are already considering the next location.

"We love Ventura. I'll start with that," said Valerie Ryan, vice president of fan experience and hospitality for the X Games. "We are in communication now and having conversations about what the future for X Games is whether it's in California or elsewhere."

She described the partnership with the city and other organizing groups as "great."

There is no timeline for a decision, Ryan said. Organizers are busy planning for the winter X Games Aspen in January, which could also impact how quickly an announcement is made, she said.

The X Games sold out tickets in a single day ― Saturday's crowd had 23,151 people ― and the event sold out of merchandise, a first for both, Ryan said.

"In my opinion, it was a huge success," she said.

X Games part II?

Marlyss Auster, president and CEO of the Ventura Visitors and Convention Bureau, first began talking to X Games officials in 2019 about Ventura hosting the event and was instrumental in it becoming a reality. Auster has told X Games officials Ventura should host the event for multiple years.

"One and done was never on my radar as the ultimate goal," Auster said. "I'm still keeping my focus on being able to continue this partnership in one way or another. We're already having conversations on what that looks like."

Australia's Arisa Trew, a 13-year-old who became the youngest athlete in X Games history to earn two gold medals at the same event, was on board with the event returning.

“I think it would be really cool if it came back here, because it’s right next to the ocean, which is a really cool setting,” Trew said. “It’s a big space so there’s a lot of crowd. The noise is amazing when they scream.”

Schroeder said the event provided a boost to local businesses, restaurants, the hotel industry and the city.

“It helps our economy out,” he said. “I know it sounds simple, but we can do more in the city when we get more revenue in.”

Brad Jay, who lives in La Conchita, said he enjoyed his 43rd X Games as the event’s in-house announcer. He expects X Games to take a page from its past when cities played host in two-year cycles.

“My thoughts right now — and I’m not talking with anyone from X Games about this — but, if I’m a betting man, X Games is coming back to Ventura,” Jay said. “Because Ventura is not going to let this go.”

Less access than expected

Not everything was sunshine.

Some X Games attendees with general assignment tickets were not pleased there was no guaranteed bleacher seating to watch events. When the seats were filled for some competitions on Saturday and Sunday, attendees who signed up for X Games text messages were encouraged to watch on large screens inside the fairgrounds.

Angel Leon, 22, of Oxnard, said he was not aware of the text messaging service. He recommended spacing the individual events within the fairgrounds farther apart or trying to raise the event courses like a concert stage so people who were not allowed seating could watch from the outside.

“It’s a great venue. It’s just hard to see,” said Leon, who had general assignment tickets for all three days. “I’d like to see a more fair viewing for everybody. I thought it was unfair.”

Ryan said there was "a little bit of a hiccup" with the communication about general assignment access.

"We learn from athletes, we learn from our vendors, we learn from our community and then we find ways to make those adjustments to move forward," she said.

Joe Curley contributed to this report. Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura officials want to see X Games return