Skaters can upload videos and win a $1200 Canon HD video camera, and voters can win skate decks.

Check it out HERE!

Photo Courtesy of ESPN

First Sports-Based Feature Film in Digital 3D Highlights
Action Sports Icons

Los Angeles, Calif. — ESPN and Disney will release the first sports-themed 3D film this summer with a special, limited one-week theatrical run starting August 21. ESPN Films will produce and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures will distribute X Games 3D the Movie nationwide into digital 3D theaters around the country. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Steve Lawrence (Down the Barrel), the film will use groundbreaking digital 3D techniques to immerse sports fans into the world of action sports and its top stars.  Iconic action sports personalities chronicled in the film are: Shaun White, Travis Pastrana, Danny Way, Ricky Carmichael and Bob Burnquist.

“ESPN is extremely proud to join Disney in bringing the 3D experience to action sports fans,” said Ron Semiao, senior vice president, ESPN Films. “The proximity of the cameras to the action combined with the amazing performances by the athletes provides a jaw-dropping, storytelling encounter for fans of all ages.”

Mark Zoradi, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group, said, “There is absolutely no sporting event better suited for the Digital 3D medium than X Games.  ESPN continues to break boundaries by using digital 3D to put sports fans literally in the center of the action: preparing to launch down the big air ramp with Danny Way, racing downhill on Shaun White’s snowboard and flying through the air in Travis Pastrana’s Rally car.  And Disney is proud to add X Games 3D the Movie to its robust, industry-leading slate of 17 other upcoming Disney Digital 3D™ releases.”

The full-length feature film will capture the drama and spectacle that play out every year at the X Games events and will also tell the stories of the featured athletes showing the sacrifices they make in pursuit of glory and progressing their sport on the industry’s biggest stage.

“I’m excited to be involved with ESPN and Disney on this project,” said Shaun White, X Games and Olympic gold medalist. “I think the style of filming will bring something new to viewers.”

Featured athletes:

• Shaun White (Skateboard, Snowboard) – Reigning Winter X Games Snowboard SuperPipe gold medalist; seven-time Winter X Games Snowboard gold medalist; X Games 13 Skateboard Vert gold medalist; 2006 Winter Olympic gold medalist.
• Travis Pastrana (Moto X, Rally Car Racing) – Fourteen-time X Games medalist, nine of which are gold, for Moto X and Rally Car Racing; X Games 14 Rally Car Racing gold medalist.
• Danny Way (Skateboard) – Four-time X Games Skateboard Big Air medalist and pioneer of the Big Air ramp
• Ricky Carmichael (Moto X) – X Games 13 Moto X Racing gold medalist; 10-time AMA Motocross Champion; five-time AMA Supercross Champion; 102 AMA Motocross/Lites Wins.
• Bob Burnquist (Skateboard) – Four-time X Games Skateboard Vert gold medalist; X Games 13 Big Air gold medalist

Asia’s Premiere Action Sports Event Celebrates 11^th Anniversary

The city of Shanghai will once again host KIA X Games Asia, Asia’s premiere action sports competition, as it returns to China for the third consecutive year — celebrating 11 years of Asian X Games events.

This year the event will showcase more than 200 of the best action sports athletes from more than 20 countries and five continents in world-class competition in the sports of Skateboard, BMX, In-Line Skate and Sport Climbing. New to the Asian X Games, this year’s event will also feature a Moto X Big Air demonstration. Televised live from Shanghai’s KIC Jiangwan Stadium, X Games Asia will air May 1 – May 3 on ESPN Asia networks and will be organized by sports broadcaster ESPN STAR Sports along with the Shanghai Media Group and Shanghai Sports Federation. The event will also be shown on ESPN International networks in Latin America, Australia, Middle East and Africa.

“We are thrilled to be back in China, and look forward to delivering another exhilarating event to action sports fans in Shanghai,” said Rick Alessandri, senior vice president, X Games Franchise. “We are excited to work closely with KIA Motors to continue this tradition of bringing world-class action sports competition to China.”

This year, competitors can look forward to an increase in prize money for the event, and Skateboard, BMX, and In-Line participants for the street discipline can also expect a new course design that will resemble real street conditions.

The KIA X Games Asia has earned a strong global reputation with a significant increase in awareness about action sports in the region. Last year’s event was enthusiastically received by the Shanghai community and broke attendance records with more than 52,800 people passing through the gates of Yangpu district’s KIC Jiangwan Sports Center – an increase of more than 55% from 2007.

The Games are bolstered by the addition of a new Silver Sponsor in Mountain Dew and the elevation of Apparel sponsor Pony to the Silver category. New brands like Doritos and Cold Stone have also picked up sponsorship packages. And ESPN has entered in to a collaboration with licensing agent IMG for the launch of an X Games consumer products line planned for later this year in China.

Leading up to this year’s event, KIA X Games Asia 2009 kicked off with a three-city, eight-stop roadshow tour in December and will finish at Shanghai’s Wanda Shopping Mall April 25-26. The roadshows include demos in BMX freestyle and In-Line skate, musical performances, entertainment acts, prize giveaways and an interactive mini-skate park for spectators to test their skills.

Event Partners

The event is proudly sanctioned by the Chinese Extreme Sports Association and is organized by ESPN STAR Sports, the Shanghai Media Group and the Shanghai Sports Federation. The Shanghai Yang Pu District Government is the event’s Special Organizer and the Shanghai Sports Competition Management Centre is the co-organizer while the Shanghai Extreme Sports Association is the supporting organizer. The KIC Jiangwan Sports Center is the official venue.

About ESPN’s X Games Franchise

ESPN held its first X Games in 1995. ESPN’s Global X Events and Development group is responsible for creating the company’s action sports programming currently airing on ESPN, ESPN2 and across its various international networks.   In addition to the two U.S.-based X-branded events – X Games, and Winter X Games, ESPN has held X Games competitions and demonstration events around the world, including Dubai, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, Korea, Malaysia, China and Spain.  The global X franchise has also expanded its reach to ESPN.com/Action, the definitive site for action sports fans, and to consumer products such as X Games bikes, protective gear, skateboards and DVDs.

Details and a list of scheduled athletes for KIA X Games Asia 2008 will be forthcoming on www.kiaxgamesasia.com for the public and www.espneventmedia.com for media.

ESPN MEDIA CONTACTS:

Alex Rozis alex.a.rozis@espn.com 310-642-1533

Katie Moses Swope katie.moses@espn.com 310-642-1507

Durham Parks and Recreation will hold a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony for the new downtown skateboard park during the Earth Day Festival this Saturday. The ceremony will be held at the Eco Lounge on the Orange Street Mall at 2 p.m. as a part of the Skate-able Art and Skateboarding Demonstration conducted by Nik Spaulding, owner of Ujamaa Boardhouse.

• The skateboard park will be located at 502 Foster Street in Durham Central Park and will open later this year.
• The park was designed by Pillar Design Studios and will cost approximately $350,000.
• The project was funded through a combination of impact fees and 2005 general obligation bonds.
• The park will be a 10,000 square foot poured-in-place concrete public skateboard park. It will consist of both a quality engaging street area and transitional area with a bowl.
• Features include a floating quarter pipe, launch boxes, step-up bank, 3-seven step stairs with handrails, a street clam, and an 8 inch trog bowl.
• Construction is scheduled to begin in May and is projected to be substantially complete in October.

The Earth Day Festival will be held at the CCB Plaza and historic Parrish Street on Saturday, April 25 from 12 noon – 5 p.m. For more information about Earth Day, visit www.DurhamEarthDay.org. For information about the groundbreaking, contact Cynthia Booth at (919) 560-4355.

About Durham Parks and Recreation

Durham Parks and Recreation provides opportunities for the Durham community to “Play More.” The department strives to help citizens discover, explore and enjoy life through creative and challenging recreational choices that contribute to their physical, emotional and social health. To learn more about Durham Parks and Recreation, visit the department’s website at http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/parks.

It’s the éS Game of SKATE Internship of a Lifetime contest! They are going to find three (3) of the best-qualified candidates to come along on the Official 2009 éS Game of SKATE tour and join them in making some skateboarding history. They need three skaters who fall into one of the following categories:

* An up-and-coming skateboard filmer with a camera and the best eye for composition since French Fred and the editing touch of Jon Miner and Mike Manzoori.
* An aspiring skateboard photographer.
* A writer/blogger who can weave words into paragraphs that leave us wishing we were reading a novel, not just the latest tour story of life on the road.

For more information, visit: http://esgameofskate.com

Presented by Monster Energy, Underworld Skateshop and SBC Skateboard Magazine, with additional support from New Era, Dakine, Transworld SKATEboarding, Exposé Magazine, 33mag, and Dose.ca, AGP is widely recognized as one of today’s most prestigious international skateboarding competitions for amateurs only with a hefty prize purse of $10,000 USD.

Established in 2004 by the Zoo Crew, AM Getting Paid is extremely important as it provides tomorrow’s pros with much needed support, experience and exposure within the global skateboarding community. AGP always brings out the world’s top ams to battle it out for the overall title and a healthy paycheck.

In celebration of AGP’s 5th Anniversary, this year’s contest will feature an exciting new jam format and move to the brand new 35,000 square foot ‘Le Taz’ Skatepark centrally located in downtown Montreal. Scheduled to open this spring, ‘Le Taz’ features a state-of-the-art indoor street course, lounges for competitors, media and VIPs, and it has plenty of room to accommodate the hordes of spectators and fans expected to attend.

So mark your calendar, because in four short months the 2009 Zoo York AM Getting Paid contest is on! Additional event updates coming soon.

To find out more, please visit: www.zooyork.com | www.amgettingpaid.com | www.underworld-shop.com | www.taz.ca

Electronic Arts, the makers of the award-winning Skate It videogame will hit retail stores starting November 19th in North America and November 20th in Europe for the Wii(TM) and Nintendo DS(TM). With intuitive Wii remote, nunchuck and DS stylus controls and the optional use of the Wii Balance Board, Skate It delivers a fun and unique skateboarding experience for skate fans and gamers of all ages.

Skate It brings gamers back to San Vanelona, a city that’s been safely evacuated, but left in ruins after being hit by a series of crazy events. Here, players are rediscovering their favourite spots, getting worked in Hall of Meat, and earning the opportunity to travel the world, all on their path to becoming Thrasher Magazine’s Skater of the Year. In Skate It, gamers will be able to make skate spots their own by moving objects like ramps, rails, and benches to fit their individual skating styles. The game also boasts a variety of multiplayer challenges, including Best Trick and Best Line, which will have players ripping it up with their friends as they prove their skateboarding prowess.

Skate It recently received the “Best Wii Game” award at the Games Convention tradeshow in Leipzig, Germany. Skate It was also nominated for Best Sports game for the “Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 2008″. Skate It is developed by EA Montreal in Montreal, Quebec and Black Box in Vancouver, British Columbia and is rated “E” for Everyone by the ESRB and 7+ by PEGI for Wii and 3+ by PEGI for Nintendo DS.