Sanford Zirkle Repeats as 2010 In Your Face Airboarding Race Champion

Sanford Zirkle took the top prize for the second year in a row at the 2010 In Your Face Airboarding Race, narrowly beating street luge racers and extreme riverboarders in his quest to retain his status as the US Airboarding champ.

Racers came from all over the country to compete in this year's Airboard race, and despite very cold temps and heavy snow, the competition was heated from the start.

The course was set up with challenging slalom gates that airboarders had to navigate their way around while flying down the mountain at 35-40mph, culminating in a difficult left turn onto a long straightaway to the finish.

As it was in last year's event and the FLRC's, there were 3 separate events with points awarded for 1st (12), 2nd (7) and 3rd (5), with the overall winners being decided after all 3 events.

The plan was to have a timed speed race, a boardercross race, and a team race, but with a lower turnout than expected because of the blizzard in the region, the team race was scrapped in favor of removing the slalom gates and a mass-start, winner take all race.

SLALOM SPEED RACE

The speed race started the day off, and would set the tone for the rest of the afternoon. The course started out with two fairly lazy turns at the top followed by 3 very tight and fast turns as the course dropped over the edge, and ended with a hard left onto a straightaway to the finish.

Many racers clipped gates or slid much further sideways than they were expecting, given it was groomed but soft, as they'd just groomed about a foot of new powder.

Alicia Monahan flies down the fast Airboard course

After everybody had a chance to take a practice run, the times counted, with nearly all of them improving in the first round. Peter Lamka's 34.97 in the first round was enough to hold off all challengers, whose times in the second round improved but were not enough to knock him out of the top spot.

Speed Race Times:

1. Peter Lamka (34.97)
2. Neil Orta (35.21)
3. David Auld (35.25)
4. Josh Galt (35.34)
5. Sanford Zirkle (35.42)

Peter Lamka slides into the finish to win the Airboard slalom speed race

BOARDERCROSS

The speed race times seeded the brackets for the boardercross, and since the numbers were low (only 11 of the expected 20+ competitors were able to make it to the event) there were only 3 heats followed by 2 semi-final heats and a finals with 4 racers.

Peter Lamka leads Sanford Zirkle through a turn during the semi-final heat of boardercross

Some controversy erupted after the final was all but set, with Peter Lamka and Sanford Zirkle advancing in their heat, and David Auld winning his.

But racers disagreed on who the final racer should be, Stephan Zirkle or Brandon Hagy, as there had been a lot of contact at the top in their heat, which led to Alicia Monahan missing a gate. So despite her finishing right on Auld's heels, she was out (it was a 15 second penalty for missing a gate).

Hagy had finished 3rd in the heat, as Zirkle had slammed into the final gate pole (that pole gave him trouble all day) and finished fourth. So Hagy thought that he was in the final.

But Josh Galt, who was running the event, had been taking video from the midpoint of the course, and after reviewing it, made the call that Hagy had actually missed the first gate as well, as he'd been in 4th at that point behind the pack and in a cloud of snow.

So Galt made the ruling that Stephan Zirkle was in the final, as he had not missed any gates. It was a ruling that would change the boardercross final, and the IYF Airboarding event overall.

It was also incorrect, as later video review and discussion with officials with a better view of the alleged missed gate were able to confirm.

In the final, Stephan Zirkle played the role of physical enforcer for the second year in a row, helping his dad Sanford by initiating contact with Peter Lamka in the final turn which caused a pileup - David Auld narrowly escaped from it but Sanford Zirkle missed entirely, and sped away free down the homestretch. Lamka recovered but was not able to catch up, and he finished in 4th.

Boardercross Results:

1. Sanford Zirkle (38.67)
2. David Auld
3. Stephan Zirkle
4. Peter Lamka

EXTREME DOWNHILL (MASS START)

With the team race concept not able to work because there were not enough numbers, the decision was made to remove the slalom gates and have a mass-start, winner-takes-all downhill race.

Racers mentally prepared for what was likely to be mass carnage and low visibility, given that 10 airboarders would be hauling down a steep, very powdery and fast slope. Josh Galt pulled up the gates and set up to get the best shots of the final corner, which promised to be wildly entertaining.

When the GO! signal was given, Lamka got off the line first and hit the snow in the lead, with Sanford Zirkle hot on his heels. At the corner, Zirkle took the inside line and shot ahead of Lamka, beating him in the sprint to the finish while the rest of the pack collided in a cloud of snowdust and finished far behind.

Extreme Race Results:

1. Sanford Zirkle
2. Peter Lamka
3. Chris McBride
4. Alicia Monahan
5. Kevin Yount

The win sealed the 2010 In Your Face Airboarding Race championship for Zirkle and Lamka landed in 2nd, with David Auld accumulating enough points from his 2nd and 3rd place finishes in the other events to take 3rd overall.

 

L-R: David Auld (3rd), Sanford Zirkle (1st), Peter Lamka (2nd)

 

Ian "Twiggy" Rummer Riverboards Nevis Bluff In New Zealand

For anyone that has followed riverboarding over the past few years, you know that the rapid known as Nevis Bluff is one of the most awe-inspiring and most talked about stretches of river in NZ, and in the world.

Quite a few people have claimed to run it, although Jim Imhoof's run was the first and has been confirmed.

Finally, though, we've got video footage of somebody running it. As Ian said, "it was just time".

Great job Ian, impressive and inspiring!

Find more videos like this on TEAM FLI :: Face Level sports

Surf-Grip Bodysurfing Competition Schedule 2010

Coast to Coast Competitions

Sick Performance Concepts is excited to officially announce the schedule for upcoming Surf-Grip bodysurfing competitions in 2010. Competitions will be held from coast to coast and include the East Coast Surf-Grip Championship (April 3-4th), at the Cocoa Beach Easter Surf Festival, and the West Coast Surf-Grip Championship (June 4-6th), held in accordance with the Professional Longboard Association’s Huntington Beach event.

Surf-Grip was a featured demonstration at the 2009 Easter Surf Festival and has been welcomed back to join in the lineup of competitions for 2010. “Easter Surf Festival is an event for the whole family and now encompasses almost every beach sport out there. People are into trying the latest sports or new maneuvers in the water, so adding a Surf-Grip competition seemed like a good fit for our event,” said Dick Catri. This year’s Easter Surf Festival, the 46th annual event held in Cocoa Beach April 2-4th, will feature the East Coast Surf-Grip Championship in addition to the surf, skim and paddle events on April 3-4th. Heats will run similar to traditional bodysurfing competitions but competitors will use either one or two Surf-Grip paddles to ride waves. Competitors will receive a pair of Surf-Grips, an event t-shirt and finalists will receive a cash prize.

New partnerships have also developed with the Professional Longboard Association and they are pleased to host the West Coast Surf-Grip Competition. The West Coast Competition will take place as part of the PLA Huntington Beach 6-star event June 4-6th.

“We’re thrilled about the new things lined up for the 2010 Professional Longboard Association events and the new partnerships with the Sick Performance Concepts and the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals)”, said Jeff Stoner, Executive Director of the PLA. “The Huntington Beach event will be PLA’s 1st 6-star event, and these new partnerships turn it into a whole beach festival.”

Michael Sick, President of Sick Performance Concepts and Surf-Grip, says “We’re excited to be involved with two respected and high-profile organizations on the east and west coasts and introducing more people to Surf-Grip”
More information can be found on the competition page.

2010 Surf-Grip Competitions:

April 3-4 Easter Surf Festival/Cocoa Beach, FL
June 4-6 PLA Huntington Beach, CA
www.surf-grip.com

Information provided by Surf Grip

Deep Snow Cancels Boardercross At Stoos

The biggest event of the year for Airboard in Switzerland became a casualty of too much snow, something we over on the US side of the pond wish was a problem we had to deal with!

Some 60 athletes were registered to compete in Boardercross, a head-to-head Airboarding competition which is a fan favorite as well as a very popular event with riders.

But with several days of heavy snow leading up to the event, the conditions were simply unsuitable for racing, and the race was called off for safety reasons.

Nearly a foot and a half of new snow dumped on the track made it far too slow for racing to begin with, but as the practice runs wore on, the soft snow piled into lumps which were packed into jumps, usually at the most inopportune places.

Racers were shooting off the track and out into waist-deep powder which was at times nearly impossible to get out of!

With re-grooming not possible due to the resort being open for skiers and snowboarders as well, and as the visibility went from clear and beautiful in the morning to fog and nearly white-out snowfall by race time, there was no reasonable way to hold the event safely and make it the high-caliber race that Airboard is known for conducting.

Airboard CEO and 2010 Swiss Speed Race champ Joe Steiner was quite disappointed by the outcome of the weekend with regard to the race, but was heartened by the numbers of people who turned out and hit the slopes with rental boards from Stoos and with their own boards.

In all some 150 Airboarders were present over the course of the weekend, including athletes from Norway, Japan, and the USA.

Next up is Face Level's In Your Face Airboard Race this Saturday, February 6th, at Canaan Valley Ski Area in West Virginia, followed by the Airboard Race Norway on February 20th. An event is planned for Japan in March and the final event of the season will take place in Switzerland at the end of March.

Winter Olympics 2010 Video Preview - With IceAge-Style Skeleton!

Cool video trailer for the 2010 Winter Olympics, with a couple seconds of fun Skeleton that reminds me of the movie Ice Age.

Cataloochee Ski Area The Newest Airboarding Resort In The USA

There's a new ski resort in the USA offering Airboarding - Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley, North Carolina!

Face Level is excited for Cataloochee to become the third resort on the East Coast to allow airboarding, and the most southerly of the East Coast resorts doing so, making it convenient for those in North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida who would like to try airboarding.  

Kevin Yount will be heading up the Airboard instruction, and he is personally stoked to have an airboard resort so close to his riverboard base of operations in Asheville, NC.

Previously, he had to drive about 8 hours to get to Canaan Valley in West Virginia to go airboarding, so he's taking advantage of his new nearby airboarding resort, and should be well practiced for the In Your Face Airboarding Race at Canaan in February!

Kevin is looking forward to introducing the southeast to some face level action on the snow as Cataloochee's Airboard instructor this season.  

DETAILED INFO
When: Most Tuesday and Thursday nights throughout the season, starting Tuesday, January 19th.  Lesson and ride time will be from 6:00 to 9:30 PM and taught by FLI team rider, Kevin Yount.  Days when there are no lessons will be announced on Face Level and Team FLI.  

Cost: $55 dollars covers lift ticket, airboard rental, lesson, and helmet and boot rental.

At this time, Cataloochee is choosing not to have a 'rental only' price for return riders or a licensing system to certify riders, and those that want to do it again this season will need to purchase another full package and take the lesson.

ABOUT THE RESORT

Cataloochee is situated on a mountain side high above the resort town of Maggie Valley, NC. They offer ranch style lodging in the summer and 17 ski trails during the winter, as well as the Cat's Cage Terrain Park. In addition to offering Airboarding on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the resort also offers ski and snowboard rentals. For more information and directions to Cataloochee, please visit Cataloochee.com.

Imagine yourself on an Airboard right here...Ok, now stop imagining and go do it! Photos courtesy Cataloochee.

T & C "Go Big" Promo Kicks Off The IBA Bodyboarding Year In Hawaii

The first event on the IBA World Tour gets underway with the Turbo Bodyboards Pipe Pro soon and once again the guys at T & C are staging a massive promo to welcome all the riders to the Island.

The T & C "Go Big" promo will be on the center stage  at the Ala Moana shopping centre on February 13th between Noon - 2pm.

All the stars from the IBA World Tour will be on hand to sign autographs and fork-out free stuff to the crowd.

Immediately following will be the official check-in at Dave & Busters In Honolulu from 4.30 - 7pm 

It will be a big day and all are welcome!

Source: IBA World Tour

SKELETON: USBSF Announces 2010 Olympic Skeleton Team

ST. MORITZ, Switzerland- The U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (USBSF) announces its 2010 Olympic nominations for the skeleton team. The U.S. qualified to enter two women’s sleds and three men’s sleds into the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver based on world-rank points.

Women’s skeleton nominations:
• Noelle Pikus-Pace (Orem, Utah)
• Katie Uhlaender (Breckenridge, Colo.)

Men’s skeleton nominations:
• Eric Bernotas (Avondale, Pa.)
• Zach Lund (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• John Daly (Smithtown, N.Y.)

"I am confident that our skeleton athletes can carry momentum forward from this weekend and represent the U.S. well at the Olympics,” said Darrin Steele, USBSF Chief Executive Officer. “John Daly stepped up this season to earn the team a third sled in men's skeleton and his first Olympic nomination. We are sending a strong squad of proven World Cup and World Championship medalists."

Canadian Composer Writes Concerto Using Winter Olympic Sports, Including Skeleton

Music composer John Oliver, from Vancouver, B.C. (Canada), has written a 5 movement concerto inspired by winter olympic sports, including Skeleton.

On his blog, he talks about what inspired him from the sounds of Skeleton, and the differences between the sounds heard by the athlete, the spectators on the track, and those watching on TV, listening via a mic attached to the sled.

He gives a really unique perspective to the sounds of Skeleton - which makes me thing about the sounds of other face level sports, from those same places - on-board camera mic's, the athlete, and a spectator in a fixed position watching the athlete...

Check out John's blog post on his concerto, and in particular, the sounds of Skeleton.

Photo Gallery of Olympic Skeleton Helmets

There's a great gallery of Skeleton helmets at Canada.com in preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Skeleton will of course be one of the featured sports.

Check it out and get some inspiration for your own headfirst helmet design!