Participants in the X Games live extreme lives—they skateboard off ramps the size of the Taj Mahal, they take more flips on a BMX bike than an overly enthusiastic pancake, and they motocross (I don’t even have to say anything extra about that one…everything about that experience sounds terrifying). The X Games take place over the course of several days, during which athletes compete in their respective events that would make most people wet their pants for bronze, silver, and gold medals. We watch these events because there’s something wonderful about seeing someone effortlessly completing death-defying stunts while you are eating potato chips sprawled out on your couch.
But this year, the X Games had a problem. The Games have been held in Los Angeles for the last 11 years, but they decided to look for a change in location for the 2014 Games. The challenge then came in finding a city extreme enough to keep up with them. They searched and searched, but then—in a revelation or possibly an act of fate—they heard about our NuGuard KX Case, made to offer X-treme protection for iPhones. They saw that the KX threw itself from 10 feet onto concrete and lived. Then they saw it turn it up a notch and throw itself 20 feet down on to concrete. They even saw it throw itself off a wind turbine! Then it was clear—the X Games realized that wherever the KX went, it would be a smart idea to follow. (Okay, that’s not exactly true…but it’s no coincidence that two of the four finalist cities are near the homes of OWC and the Newer Technology KX case). The X Games considered Charlotte, Detroit, and Chicago before deciding to reside in Austin for the next four years.
The inaugural games will be from May 15-18, 2014. They have selected Circuit of the Americas, a new sports and entertainment venue 20 minutes southeast of downtown Austin, to host the games. In our opinion, following the KX was an extremely smart move for the X Games, and not just because of all Austin has to offer. There are a lot of ways the KX could benefit the athletes themselves! For example—the athletes already know to protect themselves with helmets, pads, and other safety formalities. If they add the KX to their uniforms, they can rest easy when they realize their phone was still in their pocket and they’re already on motocross flip number three.
Yes, rumor has it that because they had been so inspired by the KX, they even thought about renaming them the ‘KX Games’ in honor of the x-treme case. (Okay, that’s not exactly true either…but it would’ve been cool). As relatively new residents of Austin ourselves, we at OWC are very excited to welcome the X Games to Austin and can’t wait to see what kinds of “X-cellent” entertainment it will bring.
