Blog Posts From Active Action Sports Tagged With 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.

!http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bTxJmxPTEyNDU5NTA3NDEzMzQmcHQ9MTINTk1MDc3NzM2NiZwPTUxMDU1MSZkPU1pc3Npb25HLmNvbSZnPTImdDmbz*YmE2YzliNDgxYzgZWZmOThhYjJhYTY4ZTdmZGFlZCZvZjw.gif|style=visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;|src=http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bTxJmxPTEyNDU5NTA3NDEzMzQmcHQ9MTINTk1MDc3NzM2NiZwPTUxMDU1MSZkPU1pc3Npb25HLmNvbSZnPTImdDmbzYmE2YzliNDgxYzgZWZmOThhYjJhYTY4ZTdmZGFlZCZvZj*w.gif|border=0 width=0 height=0 /!

Oceanside Pier Invaded by Surfers

RyanActive — 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.'

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

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.

Heikki Sorsa's One Footed Frontside 360

Active Sara — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:15:07 GMT

As it turns out for Heikki Sorsa, he will return to Finland with only street credit for the one footed frontside 360 he threw over the 65 footer on the last hit in the Winter X Games 12 Slopestyle competition. According to the judges, the rest of his run simply wasn't clean enough to score him the points he deserved for throwing such a creative trick. Sorsa will go down in Winter X history despite the fact that he only finished 5th overall.

Did you see Heikki Sorsa's one footed frontside 360 in the Winter X Games Slopestyle competition? What'd you think? Check it out below. Do you think he should have scored higher and finished above 5th place?

Men's Slopestyle Finals

1. Andreas Wiig, 92.00

2. Kevin Pearce, 88.33

3. Shaun White, 83.33

4. Eero Ettala, 82.66

5. Heikki Sorsa, 77.00

6. CHas Guldemond, 76.33

7. Mikkel Bang, 68.66

8. Mason Aguirre, 63.66

9. Mathieu Crepel, 43.00

10. Jussi Oksanen, 42.00

White Dominates SuperPipe in Winter X Games 12

Active Sara — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 01:17:39 GMT

World-class athlete, Shaun White, put on a world-class performance in last night’s Snowboard SuperPipe Men’s Final to close out Winter X Games 12 in true X style. Despite the snow storm that moved into Aspen during the competition which slowed down riders and lessened their visibility, White still found a way to throw down one of the best runs in X Games history to win the gold with a score of 96.66.

White’s final run included a huge Lean Air, a flawless McTwist, a clean Frontside 1080 into a Fakey to Forward 1080, Front and Backside 900s, and – to finish it off – a Frontside 1260 at the bottom of the pipe. In true X games fashion, White went bigger than ever before by ending his run with an improbable 1260. White admitted later that he had been practicing the four spins since last season and knew he was ready to throw it down for the fans.

White’s gold medal in last night’s SuperPipe tied him up with Tanner Hall, one of the most influential skiers of his generation from Kalispell, Montana, with seven first place finishes at the X games.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Snowboard SuperPipe Men's Final

Winter X Games 12

Aspen/Snowmass, Colo. - Jan. 27, 2008

Name / Bib # / Hometown / Score

1. Shaun White / 347 / Carlsbad, Calif. / 96.66

2. Ryo Aono / 324 / Matsuyama City, Japan / 88.00

3. Kevin Pearce / 343 / Norwich, Vt. / 85.66

4. Mason Aguirre / 300 / Mammoth, Calif. / 84.33

5. Kazuhiro Kokubo / 377 / Sapporo, Japan / 83.00

6. Antti Autti / 329 / Rovaniemi, Finland / 82.00

7. Danny Kass / 337 / Portland, Ore. / 81.00

8. Iouri Podladtchikov / 384 / Zurich, Switzerland / 73.66

9. Gary Zebrowski / 388 / Papeete, Tahiti / 65.00

10. Elijah Teter / 385 / Belmont, Vt. / 52.33

Volcom - Pushing the Limits

Active Sara — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:02:00 GMT

Have you ever wanted to make history? Have you ever wanted to be the first to do something? Well, here is your chance. It’s been over a month since Volcom announced it would give away $10,000 to the first surfer to successfully execute and document a ‘kick flip’ and the contest will continue to run until a winner is crowned. Although there are numerous videos floating around the internet of documented attempts, there has still been no sign of a surfer landing a “proper, above-the-lip” kickflip, as Volcom describes it.

In order for the kickflip to count, the surfer must launch in the air, flip the board with their front foot, and cleanly land and ride out of the wave. There is to be no towing, grabs, wakeboards, boogie boards, trays, shoes or dolphin-assistance. Yes, you read that correctly–no dolphin assistance.

It is only a matter of time before Volcom hands over a big check to some lucky surfer who’s been stomping waves, not for the money, but for the feeling that comes with being the first ever surfer to document a kickflip. This is an extremely difficult trick, but surfing will always be a sport where limits are pushed. Volcom is simply adding a little extra motivation for surfers all over the world. What are you still doing reading this? Grab your board and start paddling out. It’s time to make history!

Go to Volcom Kickflip-Off Contest for official rules and entry forms.