Active Action Sports

Nigel Sylvester Mission G Video

mvalenti — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:00:46 GMT

Take a look inside an action sports shoot with photographer Mark Losey and BMX rider Nigel Sylvester.

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Powersliding Competition

guest — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 21:21:44 GMT

I got this press release and immediately wondered -- is powersliding a sport? If you're wondering the same thing, you should check out the competition on April 15.

27th Annual Burton US Open

mvalenti — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:33:19 GMT

In 1982 a small group of snurfers and snowboarders held the first National Snowboard Championships at a mountain called Suicide Six in Vermont. Jake Burton was at the first event and now he brings the US Open to Stratton Mountain in Vermont on March 16 to 22 for its 27th year of competition and celebration.

The US Open is the final stop on the Burton Open Global Series and the final stop on the TTR World Snowboard Tour so all the best snowboarders in the world will be there.

All events are free to the public but after watching the tricks that the world's top riders pull off, you're gonna want to buy a lift ticket and hit the slopes yourself.

For more information go to opensnowboarding.com/

And to help get you pumped, check out these clips from last year:

Oceanside Pier Invaded by Surfers

guest — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:13:40 GMT

Oceanside, Calif., about 30 minutes north of San Diego, was invaded by surfers of all ages last weekend as the Monster Energy/Sun Diego 2009 Pro-Am Surf Tour had its latest stop in the water just south of the famous Oceanside Pier.

The two-day event, which featured professionals and amatuers competing for cash prizes, had waves of all sizes and good crowds watching the surfers from both the beach and the pier. The first day of action went clear until sunset, and the beautiful weather made the tournament a perfect way to spend the weekend.

Here are some great snapshots from the second day of the event:

The Tour continues on through May at beaches all over San Diego County. For more information, click here.

Roll Into the X Games

mvalenti — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:37:41 GMT

Totino's Pizza Rolls is giving away an all expense paid trip to the 2010 Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado. All you have to do is create a 60 second video that shows how you bring the energy of the X Games into your favorite sport. The Grand Prize winner gets to take three friends to Aspen in 2010, the first finalist will win $5,000 and the second finalists gets a year supply of Totino's Pizza Rolls.

Danny Cass shows you how to enter:

Submit your video.

BMX Olympic Debut Recap

mvalenti — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:41:48 GMT

BMX made its Olympic debut in Beijing with lots of crashes and plenty of action. Although gold eluded the U.S. team, they still walked away with three medals.

Mike Day, who won all of his qualifying races, crossed the line behind Maris Strombergs of Latvia in the final event on Sunday August 22 to win Silver, while Donny Robinson took Bronze.

Kyle Bennett dislocated his shoulder in a quarterfinal heat and went on to race in the semifinals but did not qualify for the finals.

On the woman's side, Jill Kintner hung on in her final heat, with riders going down left and right, to win silver.

To see the full results go to: http://www.nbcolympics.com/cycling/resultsandschedules/index.html

To read up on the athletes : http://www.nbcolympics.com/cycling/index.html

Catch the crashes with NBC's cycling videos here: http://www.nbcolympics.com/cycling/video/index.html

(AP photo: Christophe Ena)

Richest Action Sports Event in the World

Active Sara — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:08:26 GMT

Well, I’ve heard of Dubai and I vaguely remember hearing something about ESPN somewhere (please laugh), but now the two have united to form a five-year collaboration to host the richest action sports event in the world. So if you’ve been thinking about getting serious about action sports now would be a good time to kick it in gear for a chance to not only compete in one of the coolest cities in the world, but also for a chance to win a 2.5 million dollar prize purse, a record for X Games and the action sports industry.

In an article on ESPN, Richard Attias, CEO, DEMC said, "DEMC prides itself on bringing the biggest and best events to the Middle East. Last year we brought sports fans in the region to the Dubai World Cup—the richest horse race in the world and the Dubai Tiger Woods Golf Classic. This year, we are pleased to work with ESPN to bring the richest action sports event to the Middle East."

The competition will be held December 11-13, 2008 in Dubai, UAE. Action filled events at the competition will include Skateboard and BMX street, Skateboard and BMX SuperPark, Moto X Racing, Freestyle and SuperMoto, and (drum roll please) a brand new X Games event that I know very little about, but is well-known in Dubai – ATV Enduro.

Here is a video from the ATVEnduro.com site:

It looks like a lot of fun and I’m interested to learn more about it. If it is in the X Games, I trust that it is just as legitimate and action packed as the rest of the event line-up they have for the Dubai X Games. I’m looking forward to tuning in and check it out.

5 Minutes With Adam Jones

mvalenti — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:53:47 GMT

!http://www.active.com/Assets/Action+Sports/AdamJonesAP.jpg!

AP Photo/Robert E. Klein

How did you get into motocross?

I saw it on TV and I was like, 'man that looks fun, I wanna do that!' My parents have always been really supportive so they bought me a little piece of junk bike. I enjoyed it right off the bat and one thing led to another.

How did you break into the pro scene?

I did local pro class races for about 7 years and then when I was about 17 I got an opportunity to do a professional freestyle event. That's when I totally changed paths, started doing freestyle and turned pro.

What do you have against foam pits?

It's become everybody's easy way out. I agree that really knarly stuff like 360s have to be learned in foam pits but I've heard of people learning flip, one-handers and flip knack-knacks in those pits which are totally baby-step-able tricks. If you don't have the guts to put the time in and learn, then don't do it.

How do you train for flips without using a pit?

You take it one step at a time and don't rush yourself. The main thing about learning on dirt is you progress as you get comfortable. You can usually tell if you will be able to do something after the first time you try it. Even if you're not anywhere close to it, you can tell if you'll get it eventually.

Do you feel more pressure to do well since you captured a gold medal at X Games last summer?

A little bit, but I don't think anybody expects me to get gold. I just think now more people are gonna be watching. I try not to think about it and I try not to put more pressure on myself but I don't wanna let these people down. I don't want people to see me and say, 'Oh man, I thought he was better than that.'

U.S. Open of Surfing Underway

mvalenti — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:26:36 GMT

Association of Surfing Professionals

Huntington Beach, California--The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) North America is gearing up for its biggest event of the year, the GO211 LIVE featuring the Honda U.S. Open presented by O'Neill. This ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star men's and women's event held at the famed Huntington Beach Pier will run from July 18 through 27, 2008.

The U.S. Open of Surfing draws some of the best surfers from around the globe to a festival that brings multiple surf tours to one location. It is event No. 5 on the 2008 ASP North America World Qualifying Series (Men), event No. 2 on the 2008 ASP North America World Qualifying Series (Women), event No. 6 on the 2008 ASP North America Pro Junior Series (Men), event No. 2 on the 2008 ASP North America Pro Junior Series (Women) and event No. 1 on the 2008 ASP North America Longboarding Tour (Men).

Accompanying the ASP WQS 6-Star events will be the ASP Grade-2 O'Neill U.S. Open Pro Junior, the ASP 2-Star O'Neill U.S. Open of Longboarding and the recently-added ASP Grade-2 S3 Supergirl Pro Junior.

This ASP WQS 6-Star event always draws a multitude of international competitors to Huntington's shore for their piece of the $195,000 available in prize money, and ever-valuable ratings points towards qualification for the ASP World Tour and ASP Women's World Tour.

After 15 years of consecutive competition, the U.S. Open has crowned a bevy of marquee surfing talents including eight-time ASP World Tour Champion and current ratings leader on the ASP World Tour, Kelly Slater (Cocoa Beach, FL), Andy Irons (Hanalei, Kauai), C.J. Hobgood (Melbourne, FL), Layne Beachley (Queenscliff, NSW), Lisa Andersen (Ormond Beach, FL) and Stephanie Gilmore (Tweed Heads, NSW)--all of whom are former U.S. Open as well as ASP World Champions, proving the pedigree of U.S. Open Champions to be among surfing's finest.

The GO211 LIVE featuring the Honda U.S. Open presented by O'Neill will open competition with Honda men's U.S. Open of Surfing presented by O'Neill ASP WQS Trials, followed by the O'Neill U.S. Open Junior Pro presented by Honda and the O'Neill U.S. Open of Longboarding. Colin McPhillips (San Clemente, CA), who is a two-time U.S. Open Longboard Champion, will be back to defend last year's title and is focused on a repeat victory at this year's O'Neill U.S. Open of Longboarding.

"Defending my title this year is top priority for me," McPhillips said. "Competing in what is the Super Bowl of surfing is an unreal thing to win and I will do my best to bring that title home another year."

With the O'Neill U.S. Open of Longboarding as McPhillips' main focus, the veteran longboarder has been spending as much time in the water as possible to prepare for the upcoming event.

"My training throughout my entire career is surfing as much as possible." McPhillips said. "The best thing for your surfing is surfing. The only thing different is I have been stand-up paddle surfing a bunch, and really enjoying it."

The defending 2007 U.S. Open Longboarding champ will look to pocket his third U.S. Open title, the event that kicked off his professional career 14 years ago, as the U.S. Open was his first professional victory.

"The U.S. Open is a special event for me because it was my first pro win back in 1994," McPhillps said. "It is also great, because since the event is at home I get to bring my wife and kids with me."

Also running the opening weekend of competition will be the O'Neill U.S. Open Pro Junior and the recently-added S3 Supergirl Pro Junior. The ASP Grade-2 O'Neill U.S. Open Pro Junior will be stop No. 6 on the 2008 ASP North America Pro Junior Series, and will play a crucial role in the qualifying campaigns of the junior men for the prestigious Billabong ASP World Junior Championships.

The ASP Grade-2 S3 Supergirl Pro Junior will be the second women's event of the 2008 ASP North America Pro Junior Series; however, its late addition to this season's series will have the results count towards next year's qualification campaigns.

To GO211 LIVE featuring the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing presented by O'Neill will begin competition of Friday, July 18, 2008 at 8am with the ASP WQS Men's trials Round of 96.

For all of the LIVE action at this year's GO211 LIVE featuring the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing presented by O'Neill log onto www.usopenofsurfing.com. For information about the event, log on to www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org.

About ASP:

The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the governing body of professional surfing. Crowning surfing's undisputed world champions since 1976, the ASP sanctions the following tours: the ASP Men's World Tour, the ASP Women's World Tour, the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and the World Longboarding, Junior and Masters Championships. The ASP is dedicated to showcasing the world's best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and has revolutionized the way the world watches surfing via their webcasts. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America and South America. These regions manage all their respective domestic affairs under the guidance of ASP International, which is located on the Gold Coast of Australia. ASP International and ASP North America are committed to the progression of surfing and are dedicated to continuing excellent relationships with their surfers, event operators, sponsors and media. For more information log onto www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org.

BMX Olympic Trials

mvalenti — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:43:28 GMT

Mike Day dominated the Olympic Trials held in Chula Vista June 14. Day won three out of four events and secured a nomination to the first U.S. Olympic BMX team.

Kyle Bennett and Jill Kintner automatically qualified when they ended the 2008 season as the top-ranked athletes in USA Cycling's BMX Rankings.

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Mike Day practices at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista.

AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi

Final Scores From the Olympic Trials

1. Mike Day (Santa Clarita, Calif.) 32

2. Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.) 21

3. David Herman (Wheat Ridge, Colo.) 13

4. Kristopher Fox (Phelan, Calif.) 7

5. Steven Cisar (Altadena, Calif.) 6

6. Danny Caluag (Chino, Calif.) 5

7.Tyler Brown (San Clemente, Calif.) 0

Navy Moto X World Championships

mvalenti — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:47:37 GMT

I never considered myself the type to get excited about motocross. A lot of things associated with the sport actually turn me off, including the "my truck is bigger, louder and better than your truck" mentality. But none of that bothered me this weekend as I found myself cheering right along with the crowd and getting revved up at the sound of the motors. I couldn't believe the things these guys can do while suspended in the air with a motorcycle. Although the crowd was sparse, the energy generated by the riders was infectious. As this was the inaugural event, I am hoping future years draw bigger crowds.

Here's a recap of some exciting moments from Sunday's final events:

Step Up Final Part II

In his first appearance in a Step Up competition~~although hardly a rookie~~Ricky Carmichael impressed the crowd with his ability to clear the bar every time, and with lots of room to spare. As one of three remaining competitors he easily cleared 35 feet, however, when he landed, he hit his chin on his handlebars and fell. Judges disqualified the jump, which drew loud shouts of disapproval from the crowd.

Carmichael pulled out of the competition and it took several failed attempts by Matt Buyten and Ronnie Renner until officials pushed back the start gate, giving them more space and speed for the start. Matt Buyten cleared 35 feet on his first try, winning gold and sending Renner on a rampage that included pulling down his pants and rubbing his butt on a field marker with the EXPN logo.

Speed / Racing

It's no wonder Travis Patstrana won the ESPY award for best male action sports athlete in 2007. He is impressive to watch. In his semifinal Moto X Racing heat he crashed in the 1st lap but was able to take over 3rd place by the 3rd lap and claim 2nd place by the final lap, earning himself a spot in the finals. Fellow rider Scott Murray commented: "That's why they call him motor boy."

Even though Pastrana placed 5th in the final race, it was evident all eyes were on him with sighs of disappointment seeping from the crowd every time he got passed. Broc Helper~~who held onto his lead throughout the race~~took home the gold.

Most Outstanding Rider

At the conclusion of the event, fans named Nate Adams 'Evil Knievel Most Outstanding rider' of the weekend. Adams took home a custom Knievel Harley-Davidson motorcycle after impressing fans by winning gold in both the speed and style, and freestyle competitions. Adams was up against Scott Murray~~who landed a double-back flip in Saturday's best trick competition~~-for the prize.

Burton U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships

Active Sara — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:38:39 GMT

The 26th annual Burton U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships were held March 17-23 at Stratton Mountain Resort. The US Open is the final stop on the Burton Global Series and the spot where the best male and female riders are crowned, as determined by their best 5 results in the previous stops. This year Peetu Piiroinen of Finland and Torah Bright of Australia each took home the crown along with a cash purse of $100,000.

In case you didn’t catch the worlds best riders compete for the largest single payout in pro snowboarding last week, ESPN put together a highlight video for you with interviews and footage. Check out the video below and the results from the 2008 U.S. Open.

Men’s Slopestyle Results

1st Place: Shaun White

2nd Place: Tim Humphreys

3rd Place: Charles Reid

Women’s Slopestyle Results

1st Place: Kjersti Oestgaard Buaas

2nd Place: Jamie Anderson

3rd Place: Jenny Jones

Men’s Halfpipe Results

1st Place: Shaun White

2nd Place: Mason Aguirre

3rd Place: Kevin Pearce

Women’s Halfpipe Results

1st Place: Torah Bright

2nd Place: Kelly Clark

3rd Place: Gretchen Bleiler

Men’s Big Air Results

1st Place: Tim Humphreys

Women’s Big Air Results

1st Place: Cheryl Maas

2008 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards

Active Sara — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:21:00 GMT

The 2008 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards are quickly approaching and will take place April 11 in Anaheim, California. There was an enormous amount of big wave rides this year so the competition will be tough. Check out the video below to see the nominees and let us know how you would rank them.

This is the order of nominees in the video:

2008 BIGGEST WAVE NOMINEES

Grant Baker (South Africa)

Cortes Bank (off California)

January 5, 2008

Tyler Fox (California)

Ghost Tree, California

December 4, 2007

Brad Gerlach (California)

Ghost Tree, California

December 4, 2007

Vincent Lartizen (France)

Belharra Reef, France

January 4, 2008

Mike Parsons (California)

Cortes Bank (off California)

January 5, 2008

RIDE OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

Michael Brennan (Australia)

Shipstern Bluff, Tasmania

January 14, 2008

Carlos Burle (Brazil)

Ghost Tree, California

December 4, 2007

Shane Dorian (Hawaii)

Teahupoo, Tahiti

November 1, 2007

Manoa Drollet (French Polynesia)

Teahupoo, Tahiti

November 1, 2007

Ian Walsh (Hawaii)

Teahupoo, Tahiti

November 1, 2007

What do you think? How would you rank the nominees?

To see the nominees for other awards go to 2008 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards.

Vonn's Road to History

Active Sara — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:24:43 GMT

At age three, Lindsey Vonn put on a pair of skis at a local mountain in Minnesota for the first time and she has been making a name for herself ever since as an elite member of the U.S. Ski Team.

She began racing at age seven and by nine she was competiting in international events. At the age of 14 she became the only American female to win the Trofeo Topolino contest in Italy. In her first year of top-level competition, 15-year-old Vonn placed in numerous NorAm events. At the age of 18, Vonn raced in both slalom and combined in her Olympic debut, with her best result placing her sixth in slalom.

Vonn climbed up onto the World Cup podium for the first time in her career at the age of 20. A year later she attended the World Championships in Italy, taking fourth place finishes in both downhill and combined and a ninth place finish in Super G. She finished the season ranked sixth overall in the world.

At age 22, Vonn was set to compete in her second Olympic Games as a top hopeful for the Women’s U.S. Ski Team. Unfortunately, this would not be her year. During a training session, Vonn crashed and was evacuated by helicopter to a local hospital. Vonn returned to the Games, despite a bruised hip, and finished eighth in Downhill, seventh in Super G, and fourteenth in Slalom.

Later that year, Vonn won silver in both downhill and Super G at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Are, Sweden. She also finished third in the women’s 2007 World Cup Downhill and Super G before a knee injury ended her season early.

This past season, 23-year-old Vonn returned to the slopes ready to make history and that is exactly what she did. Her latest Downhill win in Crans-Montana, Switzerland last Saturday, made her the most succesful American in Downhill history and set a new record for World Cup Downhill victories by a U.S. skier with ten. The previous record was held by Picabo Street in 1996 and Daron Rahives in 2006.

Furthermore, Vonn just recently captured the overall World Cup title in Bormio, Italy. Fellow American, Bode Miller, took the title for the men. The last time American’s won both the men’s and women’s overall titles in the same year was in 1983.

It was a very successful season for Vonn and we should expect to see many more victories and possibly some more historical moments as she continues to represent the U.S. Ski Team.

For more information about Lindsay Vonn check out the Official Lindsay Vonn Website.

BMX Olympic Hopefuls Have New Playground

mvalenti — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:19:17 GMT

BMX is getting a lot of attention lately as the sport readies itself to make an Olympic debut in Beijing this year. In preparation for the Games, a new USA Cycling BMX training facility was unveiled at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California on January 21. The track, designed around the Beijing course, was built by Tom Ritzenthaler who also built the Beijing track. The course replicates the Supercross-style course that athletes will see in China and it is the only permanent Supercross course in the U.S.

Olympic hopeful, Mike Day tests the new BMX course at the Olympic Training facility in Souhtern California. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

With sights set on the 2008 games, the 2008 USA Cycling National Championships will take place on March 29 in Desoto, Texas. Riders will not only be competing for a national championship, but along with last year's UCI BMX World Challenge in Victoria, B.C this is the only direct automatic qualifier for Challenge Class riders to earn a spot on the U.S. National Team for the 2008 UCI BMX World Challenge in Tiayuan, China, May 27-June 1.