Manny Santiago, Photo by Jason Douglas Lewis 

Manny Santiago (left) from Puerto Rico flies through the air on the street course.  In his first career appearance in the street finals he placed sixth.  The gold medal went to Paul Rodriguez.  Photo by Jason Lewis

Nyjah Huston, Photo by Jason Douglas Lewis 

Nyjah Huston has been the biggest name in skateboarding over the past year after winning the gold medal at last year’s X Games street competition.  He made another great run at the top spot, but he fell just short, finishing with the bronze medal.  Photo by Jason Lewis

Chad Kerley, Photo by Jason Douglas Lewis 

Earlier this year Chad Kerley won the gold medal in the BMX street competition at X Games Asia, and he nearly pulled off that feat at X Games Los Angeles as he took the silver medal, just behind Garrett Reynolds.  Photo by Jason Lewis

Austin Coleman, photo by Jason Douglas Lewis

Austin Coleman, photo by Jason Douglas Lewis 

Austin Coleman, who is from South Los Angeles and graduated from USC, performs a trick way above the vert ramp inside the Nokia Theatre. Afterwards he had to take a break before his competition.  He took sixth place in the finals.  Photos by Jason Lewis

Ishod Wair, photo by Jason Douglas Lewis 

Ishod Wair finished in second place in the Game of Sk8, which is a “H-O-R-S-E” type of competition.  He just missed the finals for the street event.  Photo by Jason Lewis

Andrew Arnold, photo by Jason Douglas Lewis 

Andrew Arnold is not a professional, he just showed up to the X Games as a fan, but he was still able to show off his skateboarding skills at X Fest.  Arnold, who is from Los Angeles, has competed in the past, and he perfects his tricks at skate parks in Westchester and Long Beach.  Photo by Jason Lewis

Tshaka Armstrong 

Tshaka Armstrong of Fox 11 News interviews a BMX biker after the vert practice.  Photo by Jason Lewis

X Games Big Air

X Games Big Air

 Within seconds the backdrop drastically changed for the BMX riders in the Big Air competition.  They flew through the air, over 70 feet about the ground, as they performed acrobatic tricks.  Photos by Jason Lewis

X Games rally car hot wheels loop 

At the X Games they do not just drive racecars around an oval track, they send them through Hot Wheels loops!  Photo by Jason Lewis

X Games skateboard vert

X Games BMX park competition

 X Game athletes attempt to defy the laws of gravity, as flying through the air is one requirement of them.  Sticking the landing is the other one.  Photos by Jason Lewis

X Games Moto X best trick  

Flying through the air while being upside down garners extra points, especially in the Moto X best trick competition.  Photo by Jason Lewis

Jason Lewis Sentinel Sports Editor, Jason Douglas Lewis 

 After seeing the action up close, Sentinel Sports Editor Jason Lewis, as athletic as he thinks he is, came to the realization that he cannot perform any of the feats that the X Games athletes can perform.