Are they athletes or aren't they? The debate is over.

As you may have imagined, when I first got to the X Games and saw all the "athletes this way" or "athlete registration" and "athlete only" signs, I laughed. How could I not. I'm trained to think of athletes as people who jump, run and/or catch.

I don't even consider golfers, NASCAR drivers or hot-dog eating competitors athletes, so how was I going to look at these guys as athletes?

Well, I should have. These guys are athletes. And the fact that an Olympic athlete (in snowboarding, but an Olympic athlete nonetheless), just won gold medal at the X Games proves it. I'm sorry for ever doubting them.

I talked to members of the media, fans, X Games athletes and non X Games athletes. Here is a small sampling of some of the best responses I got.

Skateboarder Chris Cole, who is consistently training when on tour and practices three or four days of the week when he is not, probably had the best answer: "Yeah, we're athletes. I don't think a fat person could do what we do, so yeah, we're athletes."

Sacha Kljestan, soccer player on Chivas USA, said: "To do skating or biking or stuff like that you have to be pretty athletic, so I think they are athletes. I don't think they are far below, but they are not up high like basketball athletes or football players."

Scott Bair, action sports columnist for the North County Times (daily newspaper in San Diego County): "It's not just the level of risk, it's just anytime that you get thrown up 30 feet in the air and then pull a motorcycle back under you ... probably takes some strength and flexibility and athleticism to get all that stuff done. So athletes, no doubt."

Tony Hawk, skateboarding legend: "I don’t really care. They can call us artists, athletes, outcasts, whatever, I’ve heard it all. As long we get to do this for a living, it doesn’t matter to me what you call us.”

-- Jaime Cárdenas