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

Throwin' out the welcome mat

It's 12:45 a.m. on Saturday and one of the X Games roundups is No. 2 on the list of "most hits'' for latimes.com. The update Pete Thomas wrote on Jake Brown's injuries is included in that roundup and the stand-alone version was No. 1 on our web site since yesterday afternoon. It even generated more hits than Elton Brand's Achilles' injury.

Last time I checked, Brand was a star player on one of L.A.'s professional basketball teams (though there's no way Jake would have been No. 1 if Kobe had blown out his Achilles' tendon).

Now, if some of those visitors would let us know what they think of this blog......

-- Dan Arritt

Are they athletes or aren't they?

I posed the question in my first post, and I'm putting it out there again: Are X Games competitors athletes or not?

I'll get to the bottom of this before this weekend is over. I don't want to tip my hand and let you guys know what I'm thinking, but I'll ask fans, other media, the "athletes" themselves and I'll formulate an answer.

The reason this came up again was because as I walked about X-Fest I saw a couple of signs that got me thinking again.

One was for "athlete registration" and another was for "VIP and athlete area only."

Let me know what you think, do you think they are athletes or not?

-- Jaime Cárdenas

Free lunch and more

   Media Day was at Home Depot Center this afternoon and I was impressed with the turnout.

   Ryan Sheckler was the first athlete to arrive and he immediately walked over to a railing and showed a lot of interest in the freestyle motocross course, even though he's a skateboarder. He's shooting a reality series for MTV and cameras were following his every move. I liked it better when they just showed videos. Sheckler has never seemed like a real Type B personality and he seemed a little uncomfortable with the attention, but he's definitely a big draw among the media.

   And then there's Travis Pastrana.

   He arrived shortly after Sheckler and also headed over to take a peak at the freestyle course. Pastrana isn't competing in freestyle or best trick this year, limiting himself to the Moto X and Rally Car Racing. I asked Pastrana's longtime agent whether he would be competing in the best trick, an event in which he completed his infamous double back flip inside Staples Center last year, and he ran his finger across his throat like a bartender cutting off the drunk at the end stool.

   Sheckler left the gathering pretty quick, but Pastrana stayed around longer than a lot of the journalists. He was his usual original self, describing how 15-year-old kids will be doing double back flips in a couple years and one of the perks of the X Games is hanging out at the Playboy Mansion.

   Shaun White also showed up, albeit a little late and with his brownish, orangish, red hair matted with sweat from riding the halfpipe that's been moved outside Home Depot Center for the first time. Don't these guys have hair and makeup artists? White seemed in good spirits as he joked about his recent haircut and how he thought hotel hospitality baskets were ridiculous until he stopped getting them.

   Defending BMX big air champion Kevin Robinson was also there, as was former women's world surfing champion Lisa Anderson and former X Games freestyle motocross gold medalist Brian Deegan.

   All in all, they got me pumped. Let the Games begin!

-- Dan Arritt