When it comes to alternative sports, "X" definitely marks the spot.

The 2000 Summer X Games officially kicks off Aug. 17 in San Francisco, Calif., and nearly 30 teenage athletes are slated to compete in what have become the Olympics of alternative sports.

"I believe that with events like the X Games, these sports have become more tangible and accessible to people," says Moniqua Plante, assistant director of marketing and communications for the X Games, explaining the rise in teen competitors over the years. "It is easier to get involved in skateboarding and snowboarding at a young or old age."

Perhaps the most popular X Games event for teenagers is wakeboarding, in which 13 of the 25 competitors are teens, including last year's men's winner, Parks Bonifay, and last year's women's winner, Maeghan Major.

"The sport is growing for women by leaps and bounds," says Major's mother, Gayle. Maeghan was unavailable for comment because she was returning from a competition in Japan, where she took first place. "This is her second year on the pro tour, and you can already tell a difference."

In the six years since the event began - as the Extreme Games, held in Rhode Island - the X Games have evolved from a novel, quirky idea into a major sporting event. Last year's Games, also held in San Francisco, drew nearly 275,000 fans, up from 233,000 in 1998. By contrast, the inaugural event attracted 198,000 spectators.

"Five years is a pretty long time to be around, and I think that over the last few years the X Games has grown up a lot," says Plante. "We have learned from our mistakes, developed strong relationships and communication with many of our athletes, and have worked hard to make this event the one that the athletes look forward to."

But the story isn't just in the numbers. The growth of the alternative sports craze, which can be directly related to the emergence of the X Games as a bona fide sporting event, can also be seen on the Internet. Because of the popularity of the X Games, ESPN.com has created a sister Web site called EXPN.com, where fans can find athlete bios, schedules and results from the X Games. No word yet on whether Web surfing will become the next official sport at the Games.

The X Games' popularity can also been seen in expanded television coverage. In 1995, the event was televised exclusively on ESPN2, itself a new entity at the time. This year, ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC will combine forces to bring viewers 28 hours of coverage.

"Right before the X Games, skateboarding was kind of dead," says 15-year-old street skateboarding competitor Kyle Berard, who will begin his junior year at Tallwood High (Virginia Beach, Va.) in a few weeks. "But then they started having all these big competitions, and now it's really huge again. It's amazing. The interest is so big right now in skateboarding. It's because of TV, definitely because of that."

And then there are the athletes. Because of skateboarding pioneers like Tony Hawk - he landed the first 900 (two-and-a-half rotations) during last year's X Games - a whole new generation of teenagers want to emulate him rather than "Be Like Mike." Hawk even appears on a current "SportsCenter" commercial, cementing his place as a 21st-century sports icon.

There is perhaps no better example of this X Generation - not to be confused with Generation X - than Berard, who at age 15 is the youngest competitor in the skateboarding events. Berard began skateboarding in 1995, the year the inaugural X Games took place. In the five years since, Berard has grown up along with the sport.

"I didn't really know about [the X Games] when I started," says Berard, who qualified for the X Games with a second-place finish at the X Trials in St. Petersburg, Fla. "When I started, I had no idea that you could get paid and get sponsors and all that.

"I want to do good, get some money," adds Berard, who has already earned $15,000 since turning pro in April. "That's the best way I know to get money. But I just want to have fun. I don't want to get stressed out, just go out there and have fun."