Grand Prairie, TX (April 28, 2002) – ESPN’s first qualifying contest of the season ended today with enthusiastic crowds, sunny skies and four elated athletes added to the roster for X Games VIII. The EXPN Invitational, a two-stop competition organized and televised by ESPN, featured more than 250 athletes from around the world competing in Aggressive In-Line Skating, Bicycle Stunt and Skateboarding. Over the course of two years in Grand Prairie, more than 53,000 action sport enthusiasts came out to the Park to show their support for the fastest growing industry in the world. In addition to competing for medals and more than $200,000 in prize money, athletes vied for an open invitation to X Games VIII, the world’s premier action sports competition, to be held August 15-19 in Philadelphia, Pa.

They say good things come to those who wait, and the crowd that gathered for today’s Bicycle Stunt Vert final certainly had a treat after yesterday’s delay of the event due to high winds. Jamie Bestwick of Aaronsburg, PA, who was unable to compete in the X Games VII due to a broken foot, showed that he’s back in full swing and earned the gold. He was followed by silver medallist Eduardo “Spanish Fly” Terreros of Gexto, Spain and bronze medallist Koji Kraft of Chicago, IL. After taking the win, Bestwick decided he wasn’t done on the Vert ramp and went to attempt the highly technical Fastplant Flare, a trick that he has completed only once, and that no other rider has been able to replicate. With the roar of the crowd and his fellow athletes behind him, Bestwick landed the trick on his sixth attempt. “I wasn’t going home until I did it,” Bestwick said of his signature trick. In addition to taking home Gold and a successful Fastplant Flare, Bestwick also earned an invitation to X Games VIII.

The battle in the Men’s Aggressive In-Line Park final introduced a newcomer to the mix and created a battle for the final two podium spots. Orem, Utah’s Jaren Grob skated with his usual power that landed him the bronze medal. Pat Lennen of Redwood City, Calif. skated away with the silver after two distinctly unique runs that featured a 40-foot toe roll and a launch out of the course to a fifteen-foot drop. Cameron Card, a rookie from Utah, skated the course like a seasoned pro and won the gold medal. His grinds were both progressive and smooth, while his airs showed a marked maturity rarely seen in a rookie competitor. His riding will now be seen in Philadelphia this August, as he earned an invitation to X Games VIII.

The crowd was fired up, the athletes were on top of their game and the end result for the Skateboard Vert final was explosive. The atmosphere pushed all 10 final athletes to higher levels that included the most technical of tricks. Bronze medallist Sandro Dias of Sao Paulo, Brazil had a solid second run that featured some of the highest airs of the day. Silver medallist Jake Brown of Oceanside, CA earned his invitation to the X Games VIII with his technical runs that included a tail grab 540 to an alley oop backside 540. And it was Andy MacDonald of San Diego, CA, who flew to Texas from Las Vegas late last night to compete in the EXPN Invitational, who took home the gold medal.

Last, but certainly not least, the Bicycle Stunt Park contest kept the crowds at Lone Star Park today as it ended the weekend’s qualifier with ten riders on the course. With a new competition format in place where the best one of two runs counts, Los Gatos pals Ryan Nyquist and Chad Kagy were one and two going into the finals. Kagy’s creative style and unique use of the course reiterated why he one of the best pros today as he took home the bronze. Vancouver’s Dave Osato entertained the crowd with his technically, difficult tricks and high speeds to put him into medal contention bringing home the silver. But the day belonged to Ryan Nyquist who reigned over the Park course in prelims and withstood the number one seed pressure in the finals to walk away with the gold. Nyquist clinched an X Games VIII berth with today’s win. “Going into the competition, my main focus was getting that X Games spot,” Nyquist said about his win. “Now I can relax a little bit with the pressure of qualifying behind me.” Practicing for the second Invitational is Nyquist’s plan now as well as warm up his pitching arm. Earlier in the week, Ryan threw a wild first pitch at the Texas Rangers game confirming why he’s called “King of Dirt”. The second EXPN Invitational will be held in Gwinnett County, Ga. May 17-19. Both events will be televised on ESPN and ESPN2 beginning in June.

The EXPN Invitational venue was held at the GPX Skatepark and Entertainment Center. GPX, Lone Star Park’s outdoor skate park, with funding from the City of Grand Prairie, includes an intermediate/advanced course, a beginner’s course, a world-class vert ramp and an in-line hockey rink. More information can be found at www.gpxsk8.com.

ESPN, the worldwide leader in action sports, first developed its X Games franchise in 1995. The X Games, Winter X Games, EXPN 2Day, Tony Hawk’s Gigantic Skatepark Tour and EXPN Invitational events are just some of the original action sports programming currently shown on ESPN and ESPN2.

Complete event coverage, results, telecast schedule, photos and video of the EXPN Invitational can be found on www.expn.com.

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ATTN MEDIA: Photos from the EXPN Invitational can be downloaded for editorial use on www.espneventmedia.com. Results are also available on the site.

Contact:
Katie Moses, ESPN, 267-971-8250 or katie.moses@espn.com.    Send to a friend  | Submit your photo or video
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