Can’t fault ESPN executives for playing into one of their few sports property strengths. Today, as just one of the items the company rolled out to advertisers during “2011 upfronts” ESPN announced that they are doubling the number of live, faux-sporting, action entertainment television events to a total of six for the coming three years, according to a story in the LA Times.
Currently, X Games events are held in Los Angeles during the summer and in Aspen, Colo., and Tignes, France, during the winter. Under the new plan, called Global X, four events will be held outside the U.S. ESPN will hold a competitive bidding process beginning in 2012 to select the three new locations, which will be signed to three-year agreements and work with ESPN to stage the events.
Not surprisingly ESPN’s Senior Vice President of Programming and Global X Games Scott Guglielmino is “incredibly excited to take the X Games to the next level.” More events, more coverage, more sponsors, more money, more dilution, more irrelevance. Sounds like a perfect plan.
For fans of skateboarding, and skateboarding photography in specific there’s not much better that sitting in an old vinyl chair and listening to photographer Grant Brittain tell stories of back in the day. Grant’s stories have always been epic and in this new series Brittain’s Vault skate photog Ed Dominick plans to capture Grant in his classic best. This is episode one, we’re kind of hoping the next episode is a little bit longer, because this one was definitely, too short.
Organizers of the annual Sheckler FoundationSkate For A Cause event at the etnies Skatepark of Lake Forest on Saturday, May 14, 2011 say they haven’t counted all the money yet, but they’re expecting to have raised well over $77,000 for Autism Speaks including $15,000 in prize money donated by the winners of four different skateboarding contests of skill and daring.
Steve Caballero started the day off by winning $3,000 in the Ball Park SkaterCross. Chris Cole earned $4,000 for the CCS best trick on tranny and Pat Duffy collected a giant $4,000 check for best trick on the Red Bull tech center. Ryan Decenzo won $4,000 for the best trick on the Power Balance stairs, rails and hubba section.
On May 18, 2011at the 13th Annual Transworld Skateboarding Awards in Hollywood, the magazine will present the inaugural Eric Stricker Memorial Award to Miki Vuckuvich.
The award, which honors “individuals in the skateboarding industry that have shown a continued dedication to the positive growth, longevity, and love of skateboarding,” couldn’t have a more appropriate first recipient. Here’s a little of Miki’s background.
Miki was born and raised in San Jose, California, and a local skater at the Winchester Skatepark. When Winchester closed its doors in July of 1981, Miki persuaded his mom into moving to Del Mar, California, where the Skate Ranch was conveniently located. It was around this time Miki started shooting every photo class assignment at the Ranch with high school friend Tony Hawk. In ’82, Miki became the first-ever subscriber to TransWorld SKATEboarding, saving up 13 dollars of his allowance money. Miki then became a regular contributor to the pages of TransWorld SKATEboarding through the ’80s and ’90s. An accomplished photographer and writer, Miki traveled through Europe and Russia while still shooting extensively all through California. He then went on to become full-time editor of TransWorld Skate Business, director at On Video, and is now executive director at The Tony Hawk Foundation.
Congrats, Miki, and thanks. Follow the jump for more details. [click to continue…]
For a guy responsible for millions of kids sitting indoors all day playing video games, it is so quaint that Tony Hawk announced today (May 12, 2011) that he is launching a 24 volume series of SF adventure novels for kids 10 – 14 titled, Tony Hawk’s 900 Revolution with Capstone Publishing Group, according to a story on Publishers Weekly.
The series is inspired by Hawk’s feat, first accomplished in 1999: successfully completing in a competition a 2.5 revolution, 900 degree aerial spin on his skateboard. The premise behind the series is that when Hawk lands his initial 900-degree aerial spin, a mysterious force shatters his skateboard, catapulting pieces of it all over the world. A group of teenagers set out on a quest to collect the pieces of the magical skateboard, and put it together again, thus restoring its powers.
We’d get critical, but at this point anything that gets kids away from the video games is fine with us. Happy birthday, Tony!
The line-up for Ryan Sheckler’s Skate For A Cause presented by etnies and benefitting Autism Speaks on Saturday May 14, 2011 at the etnies Skatepark in Lake Forest, California looks pretty heavy. In fact it’s running 30 deep and includes pretty much everyone. Many of the skaters will be competing for $15,000 in prizes.
The Ball Park SkaterCross will start at noon with a $3,000 purse. The best trick contests will begin at 2 p.m. with $4,000 for the CCS best trick on tranny, $4,000 on the Red Bull tech center and $4,000 on the Power Balance stairs, rails and hubba section. . . Fans can experience the live skate action with VIP seating inside the etnies skatepark available for only $50.00 per ticket. Preferred seating in the bleachers outside the skatepark is also available for only $20.00 per ticket. Tickets can be purchased by visiting shecklerfoundation.org.
Now we know where the skate world will be on Saturday. Follow the jump for all the details. [click to continue…]
The funding comes after Super Heat said in February that it has entered into a distribution agreement with Japanese trading card giant Konami Digital Entertainment, which distributes the popular Yu-Gi-Oh collectible cards. Konami will be the sole distributor of Super Heat cards in North America and South America. . . “The action sports industry is one of the fastest growing youth segments in the U.S. We feel our Super Heat Skateboard Trading Card Game will appeal to a rapidly emerging audience of action sports enthusiasts,” said Robert Reynolds, the company’s chief executive.
The trading cards feature is solid line-up of pros including Bucky Lasek, Erik Elliington, Mark Appleyard, Geoff Rowley, Bob Burnquist, Steve Caballero, Christian Hosoi, and more. If kids are still playing card games, and not fiddling with their iPod touches, then this could be good.
Nyjah Huston slipped past Shane O’Neil and Chaz Ortiz to win the first stop of the 2011 Street League DC Pro Tour in Seattle, Washington on Sunday, May 8, 2011, and take home $165,000 in prize money.
Perhaps the most memorable moment was on Huston’s last attempt, when he landed a backside 270 nose bluntslide on the big section rail for the highest scoring trick of Street League to-date and ending the event as the crowd roared. With that trick, Huston also took home the Monster Energy Best Trick Award worth another $15,000.
During the Buffalo Bill Downhill skateboarding race, held yesterday May 8, 2011, in Golden, Colorado, former pro snowboarder Chris Pappas caught a helicopter crash on video, according to The Denver Channel.
The helicopter was being used to film the downhill race when it apparently got into trouble.
It was pretty windy,” Pappas said. “He came in close to the trees and then i think he lost control and the tail came out and then he just dropped the last 10 or 20 feet.”
Luckily, none of the four people in the helicopter nor anyone on the ground were injured.
Don’t think that Andrew Reynolds’ is letting big business get in the way of his skateboarding. As Stay Gold proved, the boss is still on top of the monster drops. Here’s a little more evidence for a Friday morning.
Can’t fault ESPN executives for playing into one of their few sports property strengths. Today, as just one of the items the company rolled out to advertisers during “2011 upfronts” ESPN announced that they are doubling the number of live, faux-sporting, action entertainment television events to a total of six for the coming three years, according to a story in the LA Times.
