New York City Hosts First Major Snowboarding Competition
Jan 25 2007 / New York , New YorkA field of 32 of the world’s top professional snowboarders including Olympic silver medalist Danny Kass from Vernon, NJ, Marc Frank Montoya and Eddie Wall will compete head-to-head on February 8, for a prize purse of $30,000 in New York City’s first-ever major pro snowboarding rail jam competition, The Union Square Street Sessions, presented by Jeep®.
The landmark event, produced by Aura360 in cooperation with NYC Parks and Recreation, is a free event open to the public.
"The Union Square Street Sessions will expose residents to the thrill of a professional snowboarding rail jam set in Union Square Park, the gateway to downtown Manhattan," said NYC Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe.
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A field of 24 men and eight women will show off their skills on the largest customized urban rail ever produced for an event of this kind in New York City. Fabricated at Mountain Creek Resort’s Jib Lab, a 40' customized urban rail has a 2007 Jeep Wrangler built right into it so competitors can actually ride over the Jeep. In all, there will be five features the riders can hit. A choice of three down rails with the center rail over metal stairs, The Jeep Wrangler rail and a battleship rail on the flats.
“We have been working on the concept for a major pro snowboarding competition in New York City for several years,” said Dan Gacetta, partner of Aura360. “We are proud to bring a championship field to this breakthrough event in a world class venue to demonstrate the long standing involvement of urban communities in the sport of snowboarding.”
The Union Square Street Sessions will begin with athlete training at 3:00 p.m. leading up to the rail jam competition commencing at 5:30 p.m. During the contest, the neighborhood of Union Square will be transformed into an action sports block party with celebrity judges, live music provided by Fuse TV and a sponsor village comprised of action sports retailers.
The invitational pro field of top riders will be augmented by up-and-coming athletes selected at three Street Session qualifiers. Winners at The Block Party in Tahoe and Rails to Riches and Shop Wars events at Killington receive automatic qualifications.
Union Square Street Sessions partners include Jeep as the presenting sponsor and supporting sponsors Burton, Fuse TV, Snowboarder Magazine, Lat34.com, Boost Mobile, Plantronics, Mountain Creek Resort and Killington Resort.
“Freedom and adventure are among the core values of the Jeep brand, so we’re excited to sponsor The Union Square Street Sessions,” said John Plecha, Jeep Marketing and Global Communications. “Snowboarding is one of the many outdoor activities Jeep owners enjoy. Snowboarding in New York City fits naturally with the ‘go anywhere-do anything’ versatility of the Jeep brand and its vehicles.”
The winter sports celebrations will continue in New York City on Saturday, February 10 with NYC Parks & Recreation’s Winter Jam, a pro/am rail jam and winter carnival with snowshoeing and cross country skiing held in Central Park.
UNION SQUARE STREET SESSIONS SCHEDULE – THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8
Street Sessions Pre Event Demo For Media – 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m..
Athlete Demo
Athlete Interviews
Fashion & Gear Demo
Street Sessions Pro Rail Jam – 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
NYC PARKS & RECREATION’S WINTER JAM IN CENTRAL PARK
Saturday, February 10 - 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Winter Sports Gear & Product Demos
Amateur Rail Jam
Music & awards
About Aura360
Aura360 is a full-service experiential marketing firm specializing in the creation, management and production of emerging event and media properties. Aura360 was founded in 2003 to provide clients with innovative brand integrated marketing services including property creation & development, property representation, event management, TV production and consulting. Current properties include the Jeep® World of Adventure Sports on NBC, The Raid World Championships, Teton Gravity Research (TGR) action sports film tour, Men’s Health Urbanathlon and the SCORE Baja Off-Road Desert Racing Series. For more information, please visit www.aura360.com.
Contact: Doug Drotman doug@drotmanpr.com
