Wednesday, January 19

2000 ESPN B3

By Mat Hoffman

ESPN'S FOURTH ANNUAL B3 MAKES ITS FIRST APPEARANCE IN LAKE HAVASU, ARIZONA
Alternative Sports Competition Set For March

After two successful B3 events last year in Oceanside, CA and Beaverton, OR, ESPN announces its fourth annual Bikes, Boards & Blades qualifier to be held in Lake Havasu, AZ from March 24-26, 2000. More than 250 athletes will have the chance to qualify for the 2000 X Games in San Francisco, CA as well as cash prizes and medals.

"ESPN's decision to take the B3 event to Lake Havasu supports our goal of expanding the success and enthusiasm of alternative sports competition as we welcome new cities to host our ESPN X Games qualifier," said Linda Moore, ESPN Director of Auxiliary Events.

"One of the best aspects of the B3 coming to Lake Havasu is that it is something different to all of us, and people of all ages love to get out and watch the events. This city is very excited to host ESPN and the participants of the B3, " said Lake Havasu's Mayor Melanie Grinstead-Hanak.

The B3 competition will be held at Lake Havasu's Windsor State Park and will feature more than 250 athletes from around the world, competing in bicycle stunt, skateboarding and aggressive in-line skating for medals, cash prizes and an open bid to the invitation-only X Games this summer. Bikes, Boards and Blades has 3 sport categories with a total of 9 disciplines, including bicycle stunt street, halfpipe and flatland; men's and women's in-line skating, street and halfpipe; skateboarding, street and halfpipe. The event is free and open to the public.

ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN International will combine to televise approximately 40 hours of programming, including re-airs, encore presentations and 8 hours of original programming of the B3. More than 16 hours of original programming, including coverage on ABC, will be televised at the 2000 X Games in San Francisco, CA from August 17^th through August 22^nd.

CREDENTIAL APPLICATION
2000 ESPN B3 - Lake Havasu, Arizona March 24-26

The deadline for all credential applications for the ESPN B3 is Wednesday, March 15, 2000.

Click here for an application.

Bikes, Boards & Blades

3 Sport Categories:
Bicycle Stunt, Skateboarding, Aggressive In-Line Skating

9 Events:
Bicycle Stunt-Vert, Street and Flatland, Skateboarding-Vert and Street, Men's and Women's Aggressive In-Line Vert and Street

B3 Stop 1:
Lake Havasu, AZ - Thu, Mar 23 - Sun, Mar 26

B3 Stop 2:
Louisville, KY - Thu, Apr 14 - Sun, Apr 16

X Trials Stop 1:
St. Petersburg, FL - May 19-21

X Trials Stop 2:
Nashville, TN - June 16-18

X Games:
San Francisco, CA - August 17-22

B3 History:
1997 - New York, NY & Seal Beach, CA
1998 - Woodward, PA & Oceanside, CA
1999 - Oceanside, CA & Beaverton, OR

ALL EVENTS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

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Bikes, Boards & Blades Explained

Bicycle Stunt
As the talent and performances of bicycle stunt riders expand with each X Games, so must the expectation and competition level. After last year's X Games bicycle stunt competition, the challenge has been heightened for performances in both the halfpipe and the street course. Riders will once again soar in the halfpipe competition pulling inverted aerials, spins and new tricks they've been working on throughout the year. The street competition is just as fierce, as riders will utilize the obstacles on the course, while putting together a smooth performance combining difficulty with creativity and in the end, a run that will impress the judges. The flatland competition requires grace, balance and creativity as athletes demonstrate their talent with difficult and intricate bicycle footwork.

Skateboarding
During the skateboarding competition at last year's B3, the street course and the halfpipe welcomed skateboarding legends along with new impressive talent. Veteran skateboarder, Tony Hawk, competed on the street for his hometown fans in Oceanside, CA, but cheered the new talent of Chet Thomas on to the gold. This year's B3 will once again bring the world's best together.

In the street competition, skateboarders will execute airs, ollies and grinds over the obstacle-filled street course.

The vert competition will feature skaters dropping in on the halfpipe while utilizing the transitions and coping to put together the most compulsory run.

Aggressive In-Line Skating
Men and women competing in the vert discipline will demonstrate their skills and strength when they drop in on the halfpipe to execute grinds and airs for the best performance scores.

In the street competition, the skaters will clear ramps, rails and box jumps in an expression of skill and style.

Highlights at this year's B3 will be the performance level of the women's technical tricks and the overall strength as the females will, for the first time, compete with the men.

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2000 ESPN B3:Organizing & Judging

Bicycle Stunt

Organizer:
Hoffman Promotions was born when a 16-year-old bicycle pro from Oklahoma City, OK, having already conquered the amateur division at 13 and redefined vert riding at 15, became the youngest pro rider the sport had ever seen. Mat Hoffman, better known as the "Condor", decided to be his own boss and left his primary sponsor and began his own promotion company. In the past 9 years, Hoffman's two businesses, Hoffman Bikes and Hoffman Promotions, have grown into extremely successful endeavors. In addition to the X Games, Hoffman Promotions, or the Bicycle Stunt Series (BSS), will organize 17 professional events this year.

Judging for B3:
5 judges for all 3 disciplines: Street, Vert and Flatland.

• The Street and Vert competitions are judged based on an overall impression of each run. Competitors have two, two-run rounds and are ranked according to their final average score.
• The Flatland competition consists of two, two-run rounds and a three-run final. Competitors are also judged on difficulty, originality, creativity and execution.

Skateboarding

Organizer:
World Cup Skateboarding was created when National Skateboarding Association president, Don Bostick, ventured out and started his own company. Along with his wife, Danielle, the Bosticks have established themselves as the premiere skateboarding competition organizer in the country. The Bosticks coordinate what many consider the three biggest skateboarding competitions in existence: The ESPN X Games, the Munster Mash in Germany, and the Slam City Jam in Vancouver, Canada. In addition to the X Games, World Cup Skateboarding will organize 15 professional events this year.

Judging for B3:
6 judges for 2 disciplines; Street and Vert.

• The street and vert competitions are judged on originality, difficulty, flow, use of ramp (for vert), combination tricks and amplitude.
• Steve Ruge, Head Judge for Skateboarding, has an extensive background in the skateboarding industry. He is currently team manager for Dwindle Distributions and many other skateboard companies.

Aggressive In-Line Skating

Organizer:
Aggressive Skaters Association (ASA), developed in 1994 by several top pro skaters and organized under the leadership and expertise of Todd Shays, has sanctioned the sport of aggressive in-line skating and it's involvement in the X Games since 1995. In addition to the ASA Pro Tour, the ASA organizes over 80 events (professional and amateur) in 19 countries as part of the ASA's European, Asian and North American circuit. Among the sports of the B3, aggressive in-line skating is the only one that opens the professional competition to both male and female athletes. At the 2000 Winter X Games in Mount Snow, VT, the ASA made its debut as the organizer for the sport of skiboarding. In addition to the X Games, the Aggressive Skaters Association will organize 19 professional events this year.

Judging for B3:
5 Judges for 2 disciplines (men & women): Street and Vert.

• The Street and Vert competitions are judged based on the following criteria by an individual judge: style, difficulty, consistency and line.
• In the prelims, the street and vert competitions take two runs and are ranked according to their average score.
• The top 10 skaters advance to the finals. The finals are judged same as the prelims, but the better score counts as the final score.
• Head judge for aggressive in-line skating is Jason Roy.