This weekend, for the third year in a row, the world’s best skateboarders and BMX bikers will compete at Boise’s Rhodes Skatepark for the X Games Qualifiers. The winners of the “Road to X Games” event this weekend will move on to the Minneapolis X Games next month.
Spectator turnout doubled last year from the year prior, raising the event's profile in the eyes of the city. Boise Parks and Recreation is putting on the event, but department Director Doug Holloway says it’s by no means a solo effort.
“It really shows how the community can come together and form a collaborative partnership among business and government to be able to pull an event off like this,” Holloway says.
After three consecutive years, is this Qualifier now a standing Boise tradition? Holloway says that it’ll be a year-to-year decision for the city, as well as for the X Games organizers. He wants to make sure that this partnership will continue to work for the Boise community.
“If we’re going to get involved in managing the event, it really does need to have a true public benefit," Holloway says.
The X-Games Qualifiers are free to the public over its three days of demonstrations and competition. The schedule is available online. It’s expected to bring 12,000 spectators to Boise, and the streets around Rhodes skatepark will be closed starting Thursday evening, so spectators are encouraged to walk, bike and yes— skate to the event.
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