A trick that extreme sport brands are missing

Extreme Sports brands are failing to embrace the digital age despite a strong correlation between their potential customer base and high internet usage, according to Sportsyndicator.

Extreme sports brands currently spend most of their budgets on print advertising, even though the circulation of specialist sports magazines is stagnating.

More sports enthusiasts are turning to the web to catch up on the latest news and information relevant to their sport as well as linking up with like-minded people in the community.

Sportsyndicator says that the best selling mountain biking print magazine titles have a circulation of around 80,000 worldwide each, but by aggregating mountain biking sites it could potentially reach 1.5 million unique online visitors worldwide within 24 hours of a campaign being set up.

Oman Adventure 2007

The third Oman Adventure confirms its place as a key sports-nature-adventure eventThe third Oman Adventure will take place like every year in December, from 9 to 14, and will once again be held in an entirely different region. The Sultanate of Oman is a vast and varied country that could be the setting for innumerable races in open nature between its mountain summits that rise to 3,000 metres, its 1,700 kilometres of magnificent coastline, its deserts of all kinds and its wadis dotted with oases.

The formula of the race has not changed. The basic discipline is bike and run: one bike for two. All strategies are permitted, giving bike and run its full range of possibilities in Oman Adventure. Team spirit plays an essential role in the event. The little "tricks" to gain time are decisive. Moreover, two contestants with a mountain bike can go nearly everywhere. When it is not possible, on certain sections, the 4X4 takes over to carry the bikes and the contestants set out on foot, hiking down rivers (aquarando) or overland.

Oman Adventure is a very open competition. It attracts raiders, triathletes, trailers and marathon runners who prepare for the event by working on the direction-finding bases with GPS points provided in advance. The competition, as it should be in all races in which the spirit of adventure plays an important role, is open to all. The best produce astonishing averages but the runners-up also experience a competition adapted to their level thanks to the two rankings: Extreme and Adventure.

Everyone spends each night camping out in an unspoiled natural setting in an atmosphere that contestants say is unforgettable. Loyal to their principles, the GFC organisers are pulling out all the stops to ensure that this competition is financially affordable by the greatest number of contestants.

The fee for registering a team with GFC is 700 euros and the tour operator Sinbad-Voyages has prepared a complete package including the flights, the transfers, the hotel nights, the 4X4 backup with driver, the breakfasts and the dinners. GFC also ensures that the sponsors of teams get significant media coverage thanks to the large-scale production of images, with material sent out each day to all the televisions of the world, and thanks to its solid know-how in disseminating information on all the continents. Registrations are now open.

The places will be limited this year to forty teams for reasons of logistical infrastructures. Twelve teams have signed up, so there is no time to waste. A down payment of 200 euros enables the teams to book their place in the race.

Dale Jr. Among Special Ticket Design Finalists Chosen for Daytona 500

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mario Andretti and comedian Jeff Foxworthy are among the 10 celebrity finalists in the competition to design the 50th anniversary Daytona 500 ticket.

To commemorate the milestone of NASCAR's most prestigious race on Feb. 17, 2008, Daytona International Speedway has created “Celebrity Tickets for Charity,” asking a long list of celebrities from sports, music, movies and TV to come up with a unique design.

A blue-ribbon panel made up of members of the NASCAR community will vote and the winning design will be announced July 7 at Daytona. All original celebrity artwork will be auctioned online to benefit The Jeff Gordon Foundation. . .

Besides 2004 Daytona winner Earnhardt, 1967 winner Andretti and Foxworthy, the finalists include 2007 winner Kevin Harvick, 1961 winner Marvin Panch, extreme sports star Tony Hawk, Fox Sports broadcaster Mike Joy, CMT TV host Katie Cook and two youngsters, 7-year-old Derek Wynne entering for 2006 winner Jimmie Johnson and 17-year-old Patrick McRae, entering for team owner Rick Hendrick. (More)

The Daytona 500 is a 200-lap, 500 mile (805 km) NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule. In 2008, the race will celebrate its 50th running.
The Daytona 500 is widely regarded as the most important and prestigious race on the NASCAR calendar, carrying by far the largest purse.

Championship points awarded are equal to that of any other NEXTEL Cup race. It is also NASCAR's first race of the year; this phenomenon is virtually unique in sports, which tend to have championships or other major events at the end of the season rather than the start. Since 1995, U.S. television ratings for the Daytona 500 have been the highest for any auto race of the year, surpassing the traditional leader, the Indianapolis 500.

The 2006 Daytona 500 attracted the sixth largest average live global TV audience of any sporting event that year with 20 million viewers.

Extreme sports hero killed

A well known paraglider who had been taking part in acrobatics exhibitions in an El Hierro paragliding festival was killed last month after plunging sideways to the ground.


Stefan Oberlander, known to his friends as Obi, died while being transferred to a Tenerife hospital as a result of multiple injuries sustained in the fall 24 hours earlier over the spectacular Valle del Golfo.



Obi, 33, was part of the six man Ozone team, a group of professional athletes who specialize in aviation and freefall stunts for public audiences. The team also includes Spain’s Feliz Rodríguez, current world champion of para acrobatics, and four Americans. The six had participated together for five years at events around the world with a perfect safety record.



Ironically, the festival was over and the team was set to move on to Tenerife to take place in the Los Realejos Flypa event. Obi decided, however, to go for one last flight over the valley before leaving because the weather was so perfect for flying. It was a fatal decision.



Stefan Oberlander, who had represented his country on numerous occasions, was a man dedicated to sport, but not just any sport. They had to be extreme. He was the first person to successfully base jump on a bike – in other words, ride a mountain bike over the edge of a 3,000 foot high cliff, parachute down, land on the bike and ride off again without putting a foot down.

Waynesboro gets Xtreme

Event celebrates outdoor sports
By David Royer/staff
droyer@newsleader.com

WAYNESBORO — Joshua Phillips was a little leery stepping into a shaky kayak with his father on the lazy green water of the South River on Saturday.

A few minutes later, the bright-eyed second-grader climbed up the riverbank, smiling and ready to do it again.

"It's a boys' day out," Joshua said. "My mom's at work, and I just wanted to spend some time with my dad."

Joshua was one of more than 2,000 extreme sports fans and outdoor enthusiasts expected to visit Ridgeview Park for Xtremefest '07, a sun-loving sports celebration that has gained traction since the Waynesboro Parks and Recreation Department organized the first event last year.

While people piled into canoes and kayaks from Blue Ridge Mountain Sports and Rockfish Gap Outfitters on the river, five bicycle daredevils with the Keith King BMX Stunt Show soared above spectators with no-hands vertical ramp stunts. Awestruck children formed a line for autographs from their gravity-defying heroes.

The BMX stunts were a favorite activity for 8-year-old Cheyenne Wood. She didn't try any bike tricks herself, but she did almost make it to the top of a 25-foot vertical rock-climbing wall.
"I just wanted to give it a try," Cheyenne said.

Waynesboro's location on the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains creates the perfect setting for outdoor activities, and Xtremefest is the perfect fit for the city's extreme-sports crowd, said Dwayne Jones, superintendent of parks and horticulture in Waynesboro.

"It's just perfect," Jones said. "All of these activities, you can do within 10 minutes of Waynesboro."

Fight Night Delivers A Knockout

SPRINGDALE -- Extreme Fight Night was an extreme success, said organizers of last weekend's event in All-Star Sports Arena.

"On a scale of 1 to 10, the event was a 10," Extreme Fight Night promoter Brandon Wilson said.Extreme Fighting, similar to that shown on Spike TV, combines boxing with martial arts.

It is wildly popular in the U.S. and its television rating are soaring past those of conventional sports like the NBA and NHL.

"The event was a great success, and we are already planning more fight nights for the future," All-Star Sports Arena's Will Holt said.

The night was kicked off by a performance from Fallen, which served as a warm-up for the main events.

The event was the first of its kind in Northwest Arkansas, but won't be the last. On June 23, All-Star Sports Arena will host a professional kickboxing event where a championship title belt will be on the line.

Locals Compete In Labuan Kayak Challenge

By Rosli Abidin Yahya

Bandar Seri Begawan - Twelve national team kayakers left for Labuan yesterday morning to compete in the "Labuan-Brunei International Extreme Kayak Challenge" and "Labuan Round Island Kayak Challenge".

They include seasoned kayakers Ariffin Hj Zainal, Hassan Hj Zainal, Awg Mahmud and Saini Hj Hamid of Brunei National KayakAssociation who have won honours in past challenges.

The canoeists said they are confident of winning honours again this year. Last year, Brunei kayakers Were second and third in the "Labuan-Brunei International Extreme Kayak Challenge" race.

"We hope to emulate the feat by winning the race too this year," said Ariffin before his departure by boat to Labuan.

The kayakers will first compete in the two-day LabuanBrunei International Extreme Kayak Challenge from tomorrow, Friday.

The race is organised by Labuan Corporation and Brunei Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and co-organised by Labuan Backpacker's Association, Labuan Canoe Association and Brunei National Kayak Association.

The kayakers will start their race at Labuan International Sea Sports Complex (LISSC) tomorrow at 7 am.

The slowest kayaker is expected to arrive at Serasa by about 3 pin on Friday, after a gruelling maximum eight hours battling the challenging seas at Brunei Bay. On reaching the Serasa Water Sports Complex in Brunei Darussalam, they will rest for the day before continuing their race on Saturday, from Serasa back to LISSC to end their race.

Designed for the highly skilled kayaker, the race will be in a double format covering a distance of 92 km.

Participants will be provided with special-ocean going kayaks by the organisers. Kayakers finishing first to tenth will win a total of RM32,000 in cash prizes, medals, certificates and trophies.

The local kayakers will also take part in the Round Island Kayak Challenge on May 6, considered as one of the longest and toughest in Malaysia, with individuals and double categories.

The course is 50km long and runs along the perimeter shoreline of Labuan Island. Organised by Labuan Corporation and Labuan TourismAction Council, the race is a real test of skills and stamina of local participants including those from BIMP-EAGA region. Last year, canoeists from Brunei, Ariffin Hj Zainal and Hassan Hj Zainal, won the double event.

Kayakers who finish first to tenth will walk home with RM11, 400 in cash prizes, medals and certificates.-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

The Daredevils get close to Jesus

Two wing-suit pilots have taken the term "getting closer to God" to an extreme new level.

After leaping out of a hovering helicopter, extreme sports enthusiasts Luigi Cani and Jeb Corliss pulled off an astonishing stunt that might have left onlookers on Rio de Janeiro's towering Christ the Redeemer statue believing they had seen some sort of religious apparition.

Cani and Corliss hurtled at speeds of about 150kmh towards the famous 38-metre high monument.

Footage of their stunt, which was sponsored by a sports beverage company, shows one of the daredevils shooting well in front of the statue before safely deploying his parachute.
Amazingly, the second jumper can be seen flying at break-neck speed beneath the right arm of the statue, missing it by just a few metres.

Cani, a world champion canopy pilot from Brazil, and Corliss, an experienced US BASE-jumper, who is reportedly being sued for attempting to jump from the Empire State Building, eventually landed safely in Rio.

"This was the most exhilarating flight I've ever experienced," Cani said.

"It was almost miraculous ... I truly felt a greater power was watching over me.

"I am hoping that the imagery captured during this flight will convey the sense of freedom, emotion and awareness of everything around you, especially when you only have control over certain elements in life."

Australian BASE-jumper and wing-suit adventurer Dr Glenn Singleman told smh.com.au he was very impressed by the pair's precision flying.

"Holy cow! Whoa! Wow! That's amazing," he exclaimed while watching footage of it today.
Singleman last year recorded the highest BASE-jump in history when he and his wife, Heather Swan, launched themselves in wing suits off a 6604-metre high precipice on Meru Peak in northern India.

He said that, although Cani and Corliss's stunt looked dangerous, the wing suits they were wearing would have allowed them to control their trajectory and speed.

"It seems incredibly dangerous but you have a very good idea of the angle that you are flying and you can see that he kind of pushed it deliberately.

"The suit is high performance enough that they can fly clean over [the statue] without any problems. At any time if there was a problem they could have easily got out of it."

He said the pair would have zoomed past the statue so quickly that onlookers would hardly have had time to realise that humans were flying past.

"Unless [the onlookers] knew what to look for, they just would have heard a sound. [The pair] would have gone past the statue at easily 150kmh ... It's an amazing noise, just like a huge falcon sweeping [down]."

He said he and Swan would love to do the statue jump themselves.

Smoking Not The Only Evil

Most people have the ability to look at things and circumstances in an objective manner. Quite often, one must reach a personal conclusion that is best arrived at by taking a step back and trying to analyze the issue in question as objectively as possible. This is probably especially true of matters related to political and social issues, particularly those that tend to leave people quite emotional and, thus, irrational. The issue of banning smoking is such an emotional topic among those who oppose smoking in public places and those who enjoy their sinful vice. Arguments have been brought forth by either side, and either side has fed the public constructive arguments, but also a lot of nonsense. In Alberta, Canada, the debate about smoking bans is currently hotter than ever, with the provincial government gunning for smokers wherever it can find them. That smoking is unhealthy is beyond debate. But is smoking really the big problem that so many opponents make it out to be?

Smoking kills a lot of people around the world. Cigarette packs sold in Canada come with a statistical chart showing that tens of thousands of people in Canada die from smoking every year. Most smokers would very much like to kick the filthy habit, but only few accomplish it. They know about the health risks, yet their addiction is too strong and each time they try to stop, they soon find themselves lighting up another cigarette again. In a country like Canada, where people’s health-care costs are shouldered by the public system, i.e., the taxpayers, smoking-related health problems do not only affect the smokers themselves but all taxpayers, who end up paying the bills of smokers who require medical treatment for cancer and other conditions. The anti-smoke lobby, therefore, uses this burden on society as one of its main arguments to justify government’s encroachment on people’s personal rights. However, those same people who go after smokers conveniently ignore other, even bigger, costs to taxpayers that result from the actions of others.Canadians, in particular, enjoy sports, especially extreme sports. Year after year, people are injured while snowboarding, playing hockey or engaging in a variety of risky activities. In many, if not most, cases, these injuries are sustained as a result of reckless behaviour, with many people ending up disabled for the rest of their lives. This comes at a hefty price to the publicly funded health-care system and, thus, the taxpayer. While smokers pay more than their share for any future treatment they may require through the stiff tobacco taxes slapped on each pack of cigarettes, people who engage in extreme sports - or sports in general - do not compensate the taxpayer in the same way at all. If the same fiscal model were to be applied to the area of sports, for example, every pair of skis sold would be subject to a high “extreme sports tax”. Every motorbike sold would carry an extra tax liability of, say, 30-50% in order to defray the costs of treatment and therapy for those who injure or cripple themselves as a result of their own foolish and out-of-control behaviour.

Albertans do not only smoke in large numbers, they are also extremely crazy about cars. They will drive even the shortest distance, for example, to take the garbage to their condominium complex’s garbage dumpster that happens to be a few feet from their building. The cost of the pollution from car traffic is another area that costs taxpayers even more than the effects of smoking - both in terms of money and health. Anyone who has ever walked along 4th Avenue in downtown Calgary during rush hour, when cars are bumper-to-bumper, will know that the exhausts from those cars are a lot more harmful than the smoke wafting in his direction from the cigarette of a passer-by. In winter, in particular, the exhaust fumes hang over 4th Avenue so thick that it is almost impossible to see the cars. This all comes at a tremendous cost to people’s health and the environment. Tough measures, such as congestion charges, are required to protect people and the environment. Yet, instead of following the examples set by London and, more recently, New York, the Albertan government has decided to leave drivers and their cars alone and to target smokers by raising tobacco taxes considerably.

Both the government and the anti-smoke lobby seem to have agreed to peg their arguments on the cost factor: Smokers cost society a lot of money, so they need to be stopped. But if that is what they intend to do, they must follow through and apply the same principle to extreme sports, cars and a host of other harmful influences in people’s lives. By attacking smokers with higher taxes, the government hurts the poor and working poor the most, for smoking is a “pastime” most commonly encountered in these two social segments. At the same time, though, the better-off, with their fancy cars and penchant for dangerous and extreme sports, are spared such treatment. The only ones to be singled out as being a burden on the publicly funded health-care system are the smokers.

Arguing in this manner, as the anti-smoke lobby and Alberta’s government have done, runs the risk of undermining the commitment to universal health care in Canada. The underlying principle of Canada’s health-care system is that anyone, whether rich or poor, is covered, no questions asked. It is therefore troubling to see the government and opponents to smoking open that particular Pandora’s box by questioning certain people’s rights to coverage under the public system. A case for their side of the argument could be made if smokers had never paid any tobacco taxes, but the fact is that smokers have paid above and beyond what it costs to treat smoking-related illnesses, while other groups who engage in activities more harmful and detrimental to society have been given a free pass, without anyone questioning their right to public health care.

Cigarettes are a legal product, one that generates a lot of revenue for governments all over the world. If governments were really serious about making people quit, they would have banned cigarettes a long time ago. The fact that they have not indicates that governments take in more money from tobacco taxes than they spend on treating the sick. If the medical costs were ever to exceed tax revenues, governments would very quickly pull the plug on cigarettes and ban them outright - this, at least, would level the playing field. But the current situation is highly discriminatory against one specific group, who are treated as second or even third-class citizens. As a result, this group may eventually be excluded from public health-care services, something that is already happening now, with some doctors refusing to take on patients who smoke. So apart from this being a rights issue, the future of public health care is also at stake. One can only hope that the anti-smoke activists are aware of the consequences of their actions.

Extreme martial arts group performs at UNC

Ten years ago Steve Le and other high school friends knew they were on to something great when they decided to combine their love of martial arts with the then-growing trend of extreme sports.

From that, the Aurora boys created Team Highflyerz, which promotes a unique blend of martial-art technique with aerial acrobatics. No coach or official dojo needed, the six-member groups usually takes what members already know and adds some flair by turning each demonstration into a performance.

"We are each others' coaches," Le said. "We do it for the fun and passion of it."

The group performed for several people Saturday at the University of Northern Colorado's annual Asian Festival, which drew more than 150 through out the day."We had little less people than we were expecting," said Edward Nance, a student at UNC and one of the organizers for the event. "I think it was because of the weather.

"Organizers began wrapping up the event about an hour before it was scheduled to end because of cold weather.Team Highflyerz was the last group to perform. This was their second year at the Asian Festival and the group plans to attend again next year to show off aerial tricks.

Le said what makes their style and performance so unique is that each of the members, all of who are in their early 20's, bring with them a different form of martial art techniques."We are all very close like family," Le said. "It's just fun being together and doing what we enjoy."

All of the members in the team hold black belts and travel throughout Colorado to compete in extreme sport competitions and perform demos for various events. In 2003, the group walked away with several first place awards from a competition hosted by the Colorado Karate Association.

Want to know more? For information about team Highflyerz e-mail Steve Le at teamhighflyerz@yahoo.com.

Water babies given the chance to make a splash

By BCT reporter

Gone are those days when a trip to the local pool meant a few lengths of breast stroke - for Hounslow children, things have just got a lot more adventurous.

Swimming is easily one of the most popular sports for children with girls rating it as their favourite.

So Hounslow and five other west London authorities have tapped into this enthusiasm. They have teamed up with Sport England to offer children aged 10 to 14 some aquatic activities with a difference.

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Over the next year, children will have a chance to take part in one of many planned events known as Aqua Extreme, organised by the sport partnership, Pro-Active West London.
It is hoped these events will increase children's participation in water sports, open up new opportunities, and encourage them to lead more active lifestyles.

Hounslow's morning of Aqua Extreme took place at Isleworth Recreation Centre during the Easter holidays.

Under the instructor's watchful eye, 36 youngsters took turns trying out diving, mini water polo and Aquafit.

Feedback from children was really positive, with some commenting "it is great fun trying something you've never done before."

Louise Acres, CIP's Programme and Publicity Manager, said: "Aqua Extreme is all about having fun in the water. Our aim is for children to enjoy sports that they wouldn't normally get to experience and, judging by the enthusiasm I've seen, I think we certainly achieved that."

Other activities that will be offered over the next year include synchronised swimming and lifeguarding skills along with more diving and water polo opportunities during the holiday play schemes at local leisure centres, so there really will be something for everyone.

VERTICALLY CHALLENGED

Nottingham's Jamie Bestwick has found fame and fortune in America as one of the top BMX riders in the world but as James Robson discovers, his profile is not quite so high in his home town...There is little to make Jamie Bestwick stand out as he waits in one of Nottingham's numerous coffee shops.Barely meriting a second glance, customers continue to sip their drinks blissfully unaware of him.

It would hardly be the case across the other side of the Atlantic, where the 35-year-old's posters adorn the walls of thousands of fans, prepared to travel from coast to coast to watch him perform.Meanwhile he has been immortalised as an action figure and video game character.Still the customers sip their drinks.

Perhaps he'd cause more of a stir on these shores if he'd taken up the numerous requests to feature in the music videos of rock bands such as Linkin Park."All that freakin' out suits some people, but it's not for me," says Bestwick, who has been one of the top BMX riders in the world since quitting his job in aeronautical engineering in 1999 to try his luck in America.

The move certainly paid off with the Nottingham-raised rider winning major events such as the X Games and Dew Tour for action or extreme sports in that time.

Bestwick is a Vert rider, which entails performing stunts on a huge ramp and it has seen him earn major sponsorships and become a household name in the States.

He may be largely anonymous in his home country, but Google his name and there are as many as 59,000 results.Bestwick had already achieved a level of success before heading over to States, winning the World Championship while still juggling competitions with his day job.

But he finally made the decision to take it up full time in 1999, packing up his job and moving to Pennsylvania where Camp Woodward, a training facility for BMX riders, is situated.

"It was really hard," he said. "I'd not only made the decision of leaving a good job, but I had to sell the house, leave friends and family and only two weeks after I got married."I sat with my wife and we said we'd give it a year. If it didn't pan out we'd come back.

"For the first five years we were literally out in the middle of the sticks. I don't know what was going through my mind when I bought the house."It was a very quiet town, like one of these places that you see in the films where kids get lost, run into the middle of the town and end up getting murdered.

"But it was a very nice town, very quaint. Pennsylvania has got a lot of history. It's very old Colonial America. It's a beautiful place to go, the summers were fantastic and in the winter there was four feet of snow - it was like England used to be years ago. It's definitely nice, just a different way of life.

"I wouldn't necessarily have done that for a job, it was purely because I love the bike. I wanted to be the best in my sport.

"Europe has a fantastic level of riding, but at the time everyone looked at the American guys as the level to get to. They were the ones people made the fuss over."I just wanted to change that, have a guy from England, representing Europe, go out there and do incredibly well. It was a weird decision and I'd only do it for the passion of riding.

"Bestwick is ready to return now and settle down in Hucknall, but it isn't for the want of success, rather because he wants to use his profile to raise the popularity of action sports in England.Now one of the most recognisable faces in BMX, he hopes to change the public perception of sports like skateboarding and snowboarding.

Though appreciating the sexy image of extreme sports, that very name is one of his major bugbears, preferring the term action sports.

"We were labelled with the extreme tag," he said. "You see guys with tattoos and think we are just a bunch of punk kids. Certain labels get attached, but we are trying to change people's minds.

"In the past few years we've seen it taken more seriously. You can see that with snowboarding being the biggest event at the winter games."Action sports are making a move into the mainstream and it's capturing minds. There will be BMX racing at the next games and in 2012 there will be freestyle.

"With it becoming an Olympic event it's only going to get better and better.

"Bestwick wants to improve facilities in England so future riders won't be forced to make a living in the States as he was.

"There are more skate parks in England than anywhere I know," he said. "There are an unbelievable amount of places for kids to do it, but it's not highlighted enough.

"We're seeing a big shift in the popularity of the games. In the States skateboarding is one of the most popular sports along with baseball, basketball and American football.

"That should happen in England. Not everyone wants to be footballers, cricketers or rugby players."Schools have the space to provide facilities for kids who don't want to be David Beckham or Tim Henman."

Star skier or madman

By Arthur Stanley

IT'S the cliff jump that has shocked international skiing and sparked debate on whether extreme sports athletes have gone too far.

In arguably the most extraordinary risk-taking feat carried out for a sports action film, US extreme skier Jamie Pierre has soared off a 78m cliff in Wyoming, US – landed on his head – and lived to tell the tale.

Pierre's jump – the equivalent of stepping off a 24-storey office block – earned him a world record, strengthened his faith in God but didn't impress his wife Amee, who was at home with their baby daughter.

Pierre is on his way to Australia to promote this year's Warren Miller snowsports film, Off The Grid, which features his daredevil jump.

But he admits he has been under pressure from community groups who believe his jump has set a bad example to the thousands of youngsters who look up to extreme sports athletes.

Pierre, 34, didn't wear a helmet, lost his mouth guard in mid-air and was probably saved from injury by his unplanned head-first entry into 5m of fresh snow at the base of the cliff.

He admits such jumps are not without peril and warns young Australian skiers who watch Off The Grid not to attempt to mimic his "huck".

"Big jumps are not something recreational skiers should ever try," Pierre said.
"I have been a pro skier for 10 years and had been assessing conditions at this cliff for many years before deciding I could pull it off.

"But even then I was lucky. I didn't plan to land on my head, rather a slouch position. If I had landed on my skis from that height, the impact on my chest and face could have been disastrous."

About 35m into his jump, Pierre could not keep his skis under him and went upside down. He landed head first and was buried 2m in the snow.

A photographer rushed in and dug him free.

"I pretty much walked away from it with just a cut lip," Pierre said.

SKIER Jamie Pierre is featured in SNOW07 magazine, out in The Daily Telegraph on May 22. Off The Grid starts in Sydney and Canberra on May 31. Book through Warren Miller

Chicago Olympic bid: What’s at stake for Rockford?

Local officials say a Chicago Olympics’ effect on the area would be felt for years.

By Mike DeDoncker
ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR

ROCKFORD — Local officials are confident the world couldn’t come to Chicago for an Olympic Games without benefitting Rockford.A first step in whether that opportunity arrives is expected to be announced today when the U.S. Olympic Committee chooses to support either Chicago or Los Angeles in a bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

The intent of the early selection is to give the United States choice a leg up in preparing its case for 2009, when the International Olympic Committee makes the final decision on the host city.“It would be absolutely beyond people’s wildest dreams,” Chicago/Rockford International Airport Executive Director Bob O’Brien said.

Local leaders in several areas agreed and said a boon to the airport, greater priority for road and other public works projects, area-wide recognition for the community, increased business for motels and restaurants, support for a much-needed new building at the Indoor Sports Center and possible impetus for a kayaking and extreme sports center on the river are among items at stake for Rockford in today’s USOC decision.O’Brien said he envisions Rockford handling large numbers of corporate aircraft and charter jets carrying up to 300 to 400 passengers for a Chicago-based Olympiad.

“In conjunction with the Olympics and the buildup to it, Rockford airport would be on a par of like when the Experimental Aircraft Association is in Oshkosh, Wis. We would be the world’s busiest airport for that period.“We are very strategically located, and we would outpace (General Mitchell International Airport) Milwaukee by 10 times, if Milwaukee was considered a reliever for Chicago.”

John Groh, executive vice president of the Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said it’s incumbent on Rockford “to stick up its hand and get involved” because the Olympics in Chicago would mean upgrades in transportation and quality of living infrastructure leading to regionwide economic development opportunities that last long after the Olympics are gone.

“The sheer numbers of people involved with an Olympics would require a need for transportation because they would not all be able to stay in downtown Chicago,” Groh said. “Whether there was a need to provide practice areas or living accommodations, the connections of airports, roads, bus routes all would be important.”

He said passenger rail service and high-speed rail service have been “in the loop” of discussions between Rockford and Chicago officials raising the possibility that items that have been on Rockford’s wish list for decades could suddenly become part of Chicago’s political priorities.

“We have some good facilities here,” Groh said, “but are they up to Olympic scale? Probably not. But they could be built or improved to serve the citizens first and also be scalable to Olympic caliber.”Rockford Park District Executive Director Tim Dimke said he expects Chicago will try to keep the Games’ venues as close to its downtown as possible, but believes Rockford will be able to fill a role for teams seeking practice areas before they head to Chicago.“Anything we could pull out here would showcase our abilities to pull together major venues and major events with hotels and motels, restaurants and the playing fields,” Dimke said. “That kind of experience should put us high on the list as Chicago looks around for communities to assist them.”

Dimke said the soccer fields at both Sportscore sites and the Indoor Soccer Center, including a proposed $7 million building to enclose a full-size 200-by-85 yards soccer field, could serve as practice or preliminary-game sites for Olympic teams.Groh said 1994 World Cup soccer teams used Rockford as a practice site before competing at Chicago.Dimke said a new building at the Indoor Sports Center would serve local soccer which already presents “a phenomenal demand for space. They’re crying for more indoor space,” Dimke said. “We’re talking about a summer Olympics, so a building like that wouldn’t be used as extensively at that time of year. We might be able to modify it to connect to the Olympics.”

Tom Graceffa, past president of Rockford YMCA Rowing Club, said members of the club have discussed the possibility that “the Rock (River) could be a very good venue for the teams to practice before the Games because, other than Lake Michigan, there’s not a lot of big water around.

“We could easily accommodate the U.S. teams and, since it’s really not that far of a drive, some of the teams from other countries.”

The rowing club also has experience handling a large event after hosting the Head of the Rock Regatta for the past 21 years. The event drew more than 1,700 competitors and 530 boats in 2006.Graceffa said the river wouldn’t qualify as a venue for the Games because, of course, it has a current and Pierce Lake at Rock Cut State Park is too short to be considered for the races, which are up to 2,000 meters long.

If Rockford attracts rowing practices, he said, “it could be the boulder that starts to roll downhill for establishing a Midwest rowing center in Rockford for rowing, kayaking and whitewater rafting.”

Groh said David Preece, the convention and visitors bureau’s president and CEO, is part of a group that the mayor’s office has asked to study the feasibility of a proposed kayaking and indoor extreme sports center in the former Ingersoll building at the southeast edge of the Chestnut Street bridge.

“It’s a matter of scalability,” Groh said. “If it is to serve the citizens and visitors, what could be the need? But, if we want to scale it for the Olympic Games, what would it be necessary to do?”Groh said he expects that, if Chicago is chosen, Mayor Richard Daley and a committee he has chosen will intensify their work on the Olympics immediately and that Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey will assemble a Rockford committee to work with them.

“On the bottom line, these kinds of things are about what you make of them,” O’Brien said. “If people see it for what it is, it could be spectacular.”

Police commandos strut their stuff in Taman Negara Eco-Challenge

Story and by NIK NAIZI HUSIN

JERANTUT: For the second time in a row, police commandos from Hulu Kinta Perak proved their mettle to emerge champion in the recent Taman Negara Eco-Challenge.

Naming themselves Team Vat 69B, the commandos led by Sjn Shamsudin Hasan had three new faces, namely Constable Saifudin Hasbi, L/Kpl Ahmad Shahrin Omar and L/Kpl Razali Tumpang.

Despite lacking in experience, the guidance and leadership of Sjn Shamsudin led the team to complete the punishing race in a time of 16 hours 59 minutes.

The event, which included climbing the highest mountain in Peninsular - Gunung Tahan - was spread over three days.

Team VAT 69B broke the event’s record of 19 hours 35 minutes and 50 seconds set last year by their colleagues.

To Sjn Shamsudin, his seniority in the commando unit and wide experience in extreme sports was an asset to guide and teach his three juniors for the event.

Sjn Shamsudin had taken part in the Marlboro Adventure Team Challenge in Utah in 1996 and 1997 and was the champion in the Gunung Tahan challenge in 1996 besides taking part in many extreme sports events while the three younger men were just two years in the commando unit.
“No doubt, they were lacking in experience but their high spirits showed throughout the race and made us more confident to complete the course.

“As young men, Saifudin 23, Ahmad Shahrin 22, and Razali 26, need motivation,” said Sjn Shamsudin.

Constable Saifudin said he was glad to have a team leader like Sjn Shamsudin as he needed guidance and direction.

“Sjn Shamsudin’s leadership was very valuable to us. His patience and understanding helped us complete the course.

“I gained much knowledge from him in extreme sports,” he said.

Vat 69B team finished their first day's challenge by scaling and jogging atop the mountains from the starting point in Kuala Juram, Merapoh, Lipis, in five hours 47 minutes covering a distance of 44.4km.

On day two, the team completed the journey of 40km from Kem Padang to Kuala Terenggan in nine hours 37 minutes.

On the final day, from Kuala Terenggan to the finishing point in Kuala Tahan, they took two hours and 35 minutes to complete the course to become the champion.

Team Vat 69B beat first runner-up team Anaconda comprising Jasmi Sarael, Sangup Richard, Jusery Gani and Badrul Hisyam A Bao who recorded a time of 18 hours 47 minutes.

Team Vat 69 A, comprising Shamsudin Hasan, Md Nazri Kassim, Nor Azeman Samiran and Helmi Mokhtar emerged as second runner-up with a time of 19 hours 14 minutes.

A total of 23 teams from all over the state took part in the challenge held in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year as one of the 50 major events in the country.

However, only 19 teams completed the three-day, two-night journey of three stages covering a total distance of 129km.

Prizes included RM10,000 cash, challenge trophy and medals for the champions, RM7,000, challenge trophy and medals for the first runner-up and RM5,000, challenge trophy and medals for the second runner-up.

State Arts, Culture, Tourism and Heritage Committee chairman Datuk Maznah Mazlan presented the prizes to the winners.

China's top cliff hunger falls to death

CHANGCHUN, Northeast China - China's top cliff hunger and former national champion Liu Xinan fell to death after conquering a 6,033m peak in Sichuan province, Chinese mountaineering officials told Xinhua on Tuesday.

Liu, 26 and a native from Changchun, conquered Dangjiezhenla I peak located in Batang county of Ganzi, Sichuan, with his "Knife Blade" climbing team on March 29. While descending to the height of 5,700m, Liu unexpectedly fell a vertical height of 300m and died later.

Liu's climbing of Dangjiezhenla I had been approved, said Gao Min, vice secretary of Sichuan Mountaineering Association (SMA), who also expressed his condolences.

Liu won the first prize in men's climbing during the 2000 China's national extreme sport event. Since then Liu had performed well in several other equivalent sport events, and he was entitled national sports master later.

"I was shocked. It was a great loss for sport climbing of our country," said Chen Jun, a climbing expert and coach of the climbing team of Jilin University.

Chen was the first person who taught Liu basic techniques of climbing. According to Chen, Liu was hard-working and staid. The incident was probably due to exhausting strength.

Chen also expressed his concern for the recent fever of outdoor exploration. He said, extreme sports like mountaineering and climbing have attracted a great amount of young people in China, who are eager to seek excitement and challenges, and the number of incidents involving injuries and deaths have risen accordingly.

In order to avoid similar tragedies, Chen said that people must prepare well before taking part in extreme sports.

"Firstly, they should get approval from local mountaineering associations. Secondly, they should be trained under the guidance of experts or coaches. They also need to check their equipment from time to time and pay attention to weather forecast." he added

2007 World Freefall Convention Cancelled

By Don Kirlin

Don Kirlin and the World Free Fall Convention announced today the 2007 event has been cancelled. Citing logistic and personal reasons, the world's largest skydiving event is taking a break.

The convention has always been on the cutting edge of the industry. From unusual jump ships to manufacturers with new products to debut, the convention has been the place that lured skydivers from around the world to Illinois for 10 days each year.

As the sport has changed over the years, the convention has taken on many different looks appealing to different segments of the industry. The convention takes months of planning and money to strive to be what it's founder, Don Kirlin believed in most... He always challenged his team to produce the best skydiving event in the world year after year.

After 17 years, and moving the event from Quincy, IL to Rantoul, IL, he says it's just time to take a little break. "We need to recharge our batteries and start fresh reinventing the World Free Fall Convention for the future. I've always tried to think outside of the box, I'm open to ideas, and look to the skydiving community for ideas as we assess every aspect of our operation.

I'm not sure where we will be in 2008, but, it is my desire along with the staff of the WFFC, that we will be back in the grand form in which the convention grew up from in the 90's."

Mr. Kirlin noted that the WFFC has been the only boogie ever to provide a Boeing 727 for jumping purposes. Other remarkable jumpships include a Super Constellation, Family Channel Blimp, C-130, and Bell 412 Helicopter. B-17 and B-24 Bombers from World War II were a hit as well.

Recently a glider and an AN-2 were featured along with a DC-9. Over 600,000 jumps have been completed during the course of the WFFCs' 17 years. Visitors from every State and over 70 foreign countries have come to jump the variety that only the WFFC has provided. "We have loved every minute of the past 17 years."

Extreme for a Day in Region X

Mike Banos
March 31, 2007

A growing number of extreme sports enthusiasts are trooping down south to test their wits and wills against the growing rep of the white water of the Cagayan de Oro River. As the country's first and only year round white water rafting destination, perhaps it's only appropriate that this city and the region to which it is a part of lay claim to the title as the Extreme Sports Capital of the Philippines.

Beyond its official numerical X designation as one of the country's administrative regions, it has developed over the years a number of the X sports destinations that hard core X sports aficionados all over the country have found worth their while to come back to again and again.
Here are three worth mentioning that are within easy reach of the casual visitor or hard core X sport fanatics:

Perhaps adventuresome tourists or novice X sporters would do well to take first crack at the Makahambus Adventure Park. Just 25 minutes from the city proper and 10 minutes from the Lumbia airport (for those who can't wait upon landing or are catching a plane), Indiana Jones wannabes can cross a 120-meter long sky bridge 150-feet off the ground spanning centuries old trees to admire the view of the spectacular Makahambus Gorge from various perspectives.
If that doesn't get your adrenaline flowing, rappel 120 feet down the gorge or brave the 120-meter "Slide-for-Life" Zip Line for only P500 for the whole package or P300 for either Skybridge and Zipline, or Rappelling only.

Makahambus hill has a hallowed place in Philippine history: here local hero Apolinar Velez led the Mindanao Battalion to victory over the Americans in the 'Battle of Makahambus Hill' in June 4, 1900, the only victory of Filipino forces over the U.S. forces in Mindanao during the Philippine-American War.

Further east through the Maharlika National Highway going east and turning right through to the Gardens of Malasag Eco-Tourism Village, lies a 2,490 hectare forest reserve developed by the late vice president Emmanuel Peleaz a mere 30 minutes away from the city proper. It includes a cattle ranch, a forest reserve and the Mapawa Nature Park.

Your P40 entrance fee will buy you access to the park's extreme sports attractions which includes a six-stage zipline course which costs P250 per head, though you can also limit yourself to the first three stages which includes a 60-meter zipline, 25 meter monkey bridge and 70 ft. zip and 13 ft. rappel for only P125/head.

Or try the more advanced second stage with a 100 meter zipline and 100 meter zip return for only P100/head and take your option of a 40-feet rappel at P50/head or 100 meter zipline and 40-foot rappel for P150.

You can also give their trampoline a try, it's only P25 per head for 10 minutes of totally inane or totally entertaining trampoline, whichever frame of mind pervades you that day.
Or you can go horseback riding through the 2,000 hectare reforestation area for only P75/head for a 15 minute trail ride to P175/head for one hour, free riding instructions included. There's also a 3 hr. trail ride to the park's 55 foot waterfalls or 2 hr. cowboy trail ride through the cattle pasture.

You can also coordinate with the management for a variety of team building activities including greasy pig, palosebo, cattle wrestling show, ecological trek, obstacle course, bonfire or camping (day or night). The park has amenities which include view decks, picnic tables, camp ground where you can pitch your tents (day or night, min. 12 pax @100/head), light a bonfire, or go dipping in the swimming hole.

But for that truly unforgettable Xperience, take their River Trekking and Canyoneering Package, your personal epic saga which starts at 7am and ends at 3pm, for only P950 /head (minimum 5 pax) inclusive of bottled water, snacks, packed lunch, trek guides, mountaineering equipment and life vests.

That may sound pretty steep but consider the following Xtreme Adventure: you start off with a 30 minute ride on a trailer pulled by a farm tractor while being briefed on the reforestation project. At the drop off your group takes a 15 minute trek downhill to the river where you all don life vests for a screaming waterslide down a 25 ft natural waterfall, followed by a 30 foot jump from another waterfall and a rappel down a 65 ft. waterfall. After lunch, you can either trek back to the trailer or ride back to the park on horseback (costs extra through). Or you can camp out in the park or stay overnight at the ranch with bed and breakfast, though prior arrangements for this are necessary.

But if all that's still too tame for you, then it's the DOME Expedition Tours by Detour: The Adventure Company for you, which includes the famous Noslek Canopy Walk in Claveria, Misamis Oriental and an option of spelunking in the Kweba de Oro in Barangay Lumbia or Pinoy whitewater rafting using lashed salbabidas.

Definitely not for the faint-hearted, you start off the first day of your weekend X adventure with an hour long trek from Magbais, Mat-i in Claveria to reach the access deck where you will be fitted with a safety harness for your walk in the clouds 3,500 feet above the sea level and 24-36 meters above ground. Your adventure starts with a 40 meter zipline to the first view deck and it will all be hanging "monkey" bridges from there. From you vantage point above the forest canopy, you will have a bird's eye view of the virgin forest in a watershed that's been declared an eco-tourism zone. On your way back, you have the option of a cold dip in the pristine waters of a natural pool with a small waterfall. You can also walk upriver to see more such pools and waterfalls.

Next day, you it's a two-hour spelunking (caving to the uninitiated) of the Kweba de Oro which includes a 110ft rappel down to the cave entrance and a two-hour trek inside the cave following an underground stream through a cavern festooned with stalagmites and stalactites. After lunch, you get up close and personal with the mighty Cagayan River with "Pinoy" white water rafting. It's all fun, no fear, with rafters as young as 70 and as old as two having previously made the trip. You will navigate 6.4 kms. of the Cagayan river with 14 rapids rated Class 3-4 (5 being the highest) with safety helmets and life vests provided by your outfitter.

The nifty thing about DOME's Expedition Tours is the convenience of being able to arrive by plane in the first flight from Manila, go to either the canopy walk or spelunking and Pinoy rafting in the afternoon, yet still have enough time left to make it back home with the last flight around 5:30PM.
The canopy walk will set you back from P1,933 per head for a minimum group of three but goes down to P800 per for a group of 10. A half-day's tubing would cost you P900 per head and P1,500 for a full-day. Spelunking at the Kweba de Oro ranges from P1,717 for a group of three to as low as P760 for a group of 10.

Of course, for the ultimate adrenaline rush, few can match the thrill and adventure of a day's white water rafting in the Cagayan River.

Most of the six 'outfitters' offer two types of runs: the beginners/amateur course runs 12.9 kms. with 14 Class 2-3 rapids and lasts 3.5 hrs. including side trips while the advanced or extreme/expert course is longer at 18.6 kms and can take up to 5 hrs with 14 Class 2-4 rapids.
The beginners course costs P900 per person (minimum of five persons) and includes a cavern side trip, jeepney transfer to the rafting area from the Park Café in Plaza Divisoria, briefing on rafting, provision of safety and protection equipment, river and rescue guides, and a fresh shower and change of clothes at the disembarkation point. The longer advanced/extreme expert course costs P1,300 per person (min. of five pax) with much of the same amenities.

Rafters are provided with safety and protection equipment including a certified rafting helmet, life vest certified for white water sports, paddle which can also serve as a safety tool in emergencies, and throw bags with ropes with which a dunked passenger be hauled in from up to 10 meters away by rescuers.

Additional safety measures include the deployment of a rescue raft manned by two experienced river guides with every run, first aid kit, and emergency rescue vehicle which can bring any accident victim to the nearest hospital in 20-25 minutes.

Rafters are advised to wear comfortable close fitting shirts, preferably quick-dry; short pants preferably light and quick drying, and strap-on sandals or aqua shoes. Other mandatory stuff experienced rafters bring along are extra clothes and under garments, towel, swimsuit and sunscreen.

Stunt man films himself skiing down Underground escalator

LONDON A man who filmed himself skiing down a London Underground escalator is being investigated by police.

The 60-second film, which has been viewed by more than 100,000 people on the internet, shows the man hurtling down the 100 metre (300ft) escalator at Angel station in North London at a speed of more than 30mph.

In the footage, shot from a camera in the man’s helmet, passengers can be seen strolling past as he fixes his skis at the top of the escalator. He then launches himself down the stairs, arriving to applause at the bottom seven seconds later.

British Transport Police said that the “naive and reckless” skier was liable for prosecution.

John Spelman, who produced the Norwegian DVD, yesterday insisted that passers-by had not been put at risk because friends of the skier had waned away members of the public immediately before the sunt took place.

He named the man as a Norwegian freestyle skier called Arild.

Portable Splint for Extreme Sports Welds Itself Together

This portable plastic splint takes up a tiny space in a backpack but brings big relief, holding a broken limb together long enough to get medical help and providing soothing warmth in the meantime. The special plastic fuses itself together in about five minutes using the same chemical-reactive heat technology used in hand warmers.

Aimed at extreme sports enthusiasts such as snowboarders and skiers, the technology could offer a bit of comfort to those 450,000 wracked-up snow sports adventurers who are injured each year, many of whom sometimes have a long wait until they can get patched up in a proper hospital.

This idea might be great for ski patrol personnel to carry around, but what extreme sports participant would take along splints for broken bones? It could jinx the whole trip...