Alli Sports Director of Marketing BJ Carretta shares what’s new for the Summer Dew Tour and how his company creates grassroots buzz while boasting some of the biggest sponsors in the biz.
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A new contest is hitting the southern scene. Some of the world’s top riders will come to New Zealand in late August to compete in pipe, slopestyle, big air, and boarder cross at the Winter Games NZ.
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Nikita Chickita Europe 2009 was a blast! Thirty-five girls from all nationalities including Swiss, Italian, Austrian, German, Slovakian, Polish, Slovenian, Croatian, Dutch, Swede and Finnish travelled to make this year’s contest the best EVER!! Thanks to everyone who made it such a super sick event.
The weather gods were with us and similar to last year, the day began with some light snowfall with the afternoon clearing up to let in some sunshine. Mexx and Flo, the shapers, made sure the girls had a great course to ride with two kicker lines, a stairs set with a down flat down kinked box and rail combo or choice of a flat box to picnic table, finished off with a tyre jib and wallride.
The atmosphere was happy and relaxed from the start. At registration the girls came to collect their goodie bags, stoked that each got one despite the contest being free to enter. Every girl had a Polaroid picture taken which was pinned to a board and displayed in the chill out area next to the course so everyone could see who was riding. It also made it easier to know who’s who by what they were wearing, especially as the Nikita Chickita rule is strictly no bibs. No point in covering up a girl’s style, right!?
After warm ups the thirty-three girls in the women’s category started out the qualifiers with three runs each. The two amazing juniors also stomped the course and impressed the judges. The girls pushed themselves throughout and the riding was immense; most girls doing spins of 3s and 5s and hitting up the stairs with a double kinked rail. After all the qualifications, 11 finalists from the women’s were chosen and as the juniors killed it with their runs, they both went through to the finals.
We had a great crew judging the contest in the form of Nikita team riders Julia Baumgartner (Austria), Sabrina Kusar (France), Ana Rumiha (Croatia and Nikita Chickita 2008 winner) and Maude Richon (Switzerland).
Things stepped up again in the final with an even more impressive standard of riding; more spins including 720’s and junior Klaudia Medlova from Slovakia, at just 15 years of age was the only girl to be doing backflips.
Nikita Chickita Norway winner Cecilia Larsen from Sweden clinched first with some solid runs throughout the course of the day, never missing a trick. She pulled out a frontside 5 to cab 5, 50 50 to frontside boardslide on the kink box and a super high wall ride, all on just on one run! The judges unanimously agreed she was this year’s winner saying “Cecilia ROCKS!” She has a great style, super smooth and continued to pull out some impressive stuff like the 50 50 180 to switch 50 50 on the double kink box.
In second place was the silky smooth Cilka Sadar from Slovenia who had some fine runs including a frontside 5, switch backside 180 on the biggest kicker and in other runs hit the box, 5050 180 out, a backside 3 and frontside 7, the only 7 of the contest.
Third place winner was Anais Cettou, champion of the recent Nikita Goodie Lady Session in Switzerland. She landed a backside 3 cab 5 among her runs and just pipped Nikita Chickita Europe 2007 winner Steffi Hamman for third place.
Another mention of the juniors is a must. Klaudia Medlova from Slovakia really surprised and impressed the judges. She was a definite contender in the final and if she had the same run and luck as her qualifiers, would have made the top five for sure. She pulled out a front 5 and backflip, the only backflip of the comp. She clinched the top spot for the juniors ahead of Katarzyna Rusin, who did a backside 3 frontside 3, wallride and tried out the double kink box. Definite big ups to the juniors, the judges appreciated your style!
The judges enjoyed the contest as much as the girls seemed to and last year’s winner Ana Rumiha said she “had the same fun riding as judging this year”, also because of local shredder and team champ, the ‘easy style’ Julia Baumgartner.
The chill out area next to the course provided plenty of tunes between shaper Flo playing some select tracks from his i-Pod and DJs RythmusGymnastik giving a taster of what was to come at the after party in the evening. Those in need of some TLC got a custom massage from El Forage one of the top 5 masseurs in the world. As always he was dressed for the occasion in a black and white Mexican wrestling mask. Eerie but well appreciated.
So after the contest everyone headed down the mountain for some après ski drinks, freshened up, ate dinner and headed to the Patschi Bar for the after party. The prize giving took place first with the winners of the juniors and womens getting huge bags of goodies including Nikita streetwear and outerwear, Lomography cameras, Coal beanies, Dakine bags, Les Ettes perfume bottles and more. Cecilia won the first prize of 1000 Euros and a one year contract with Nikita, in second Cilka got 500 Euros and third place Anais, 250 Euros.
Then party – the best yet! The bar was packed and RythmusGymnastik got everyone pounding the floor with a wide selection of well known tunes. The Nikita Chickita party is definitely famous in Serfaus! Some bemused locals joined in the fun with all the Nikita girls and crew, loving the atmosphere and the DJs set which had everyone jumping. The massage table was out again with a few people taking the opportunity to experience something new – massage and party in one!
Nikita wants to say a BIG THANKS to all the girls that came to this year’s event, you guys made it happen! Some had travelled a long way just to be there and we’re looking forward to seeing you again next year for an even bigger and better event!
Dates For 09/10 Burton Global Open Series Announced. Australian Open rolled up with New Zealand Open.
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Online registration is now open for Kona Brewing’s annual celebration of snow, suds and skimming at the 3rd annual Sno-Kona Pond Skim, Mt. Hood Meadows to be held Saturday, April 25, 2009.
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A group of the best snowboarders in the world will descend on Mammoth May 1-3, 2009 for the eighth annual West Coast Invitational
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Aspen/Snowmass, Colo.., April 7, 2009 – Kelly Clark took home a prize purse of $10,000 for winning the second annual COVERGIRL Snow Angels Invitational this Sunday, April 5 for beating out nearly 15 of the world’s best women snowboarders in the Snowmass superpipe.
A foot of snow fell on Snowmass Saturday, April 4, the day of the scheduled superpipe competition. When the competition was postponed until Sunday, Aspen/Snowmass Athlete Gretchen Bleiler took the athletes freeriding around Snowmass in all the fresh powder.
The competition resumed on Sunday, April 5, with perfect conditions thanks to the tireless efforts from Frank Wells of Snow Park Technologies (SPT) and the Snowmass terrain park crew.
The final results are as follows:
1st – Kelly Clark – $10,000
2nd – Gretchen Bleiler – $4,500
3rd – Ellery Hollingsworth – $2,000
4th – Linn Haug – $1,000
5th – Kaitlyn Farrington – $500
Best Trick – Maddy Shaffrick with a switch backside 720
Highest Air – Kelly Clark
Most Progressive Riding – Maddy Shaffrick with a switch backside 720 combo with backside 900
The best trick, highest air and most progressive riding champions all received $150 in cash plus a massage and a facial from Full Circle Massage. All athletes who competed received a portion of the $20,000 prize purse. The progressive competition was an hour and fifteen minute long jam session with individual superpipe runs, unique runs with two riders and one hit practice sessions.
“Everything came together with the weather and conditions and I’m really happy about how the contest went,” says Gretchen Bleiler. “The whole weekend has been amazing and we are so lucky to come together for such a unique and progressive event.”
The CoverGirl Snow Angels Invitational was much more than a superpipe competition. The weekend featured spa activities, yoga, environmental workshops and an Oakley Girls’ Night Out at the Belly Up.
The athletes worked with Nike’s yoga instructor Margot Kellison in three different classes, learning poses and tips to improve their snowboarding.
The Snow Angels also spent time throughout the weekend with Raj Shukla of the Climate Project and John Steelman of the Natural Resources Defense Council discussing the environment, recording public service announcements and working on organizing as a group to do everything they can to stop the effects of global warming.
In addition, after makeovers by COVERGIRL on Saturday night, the athletes received the red carpet treatment at the Girls’ Night Out hosted by Oakley at the Belly Up in Aspen, Colo. Pretty Lights, from Fort Collins, Colo. played their electronic beats for a sold out crowd.
The world’s best snowboarders were in attendance, including Gretchen Bleiler, Kelly Clark, Tricia Byrnes, Clair Bidez, Ellery Hollingsworth, Anne-Sophie Pellissier, Meg Pugh, Lizzy Beerman, Soko Yamaoka, Kaitlyn Farrington, Maddy Shaffrick, Paulina Ligocka, Molly Aguirre, Sophie Rodiguez and Linn Haug.
Aspen/Snowmass would like to thank their event partners COVERGIRL, Oakley, Herbal Essences, K2 Snowboarding, Vitamin Water, Town of Snowmass Village, Giro, Fuel TV, Nike, The Villas at Snowmass Club and Snowmass Club. In addition, a special thanks to the WIN Institute, Full Circle Massage, Mission Skincare, Dr. Hauschka, The Sweet Life, Rubber Duck Boots, Related WestPac, Sneaky’s Tavern, Helen Ficalora and Power Push-up.
The third annual COVERGIRL Snow Angels Invitational will be held during the 2009-2010 winter season. Look for event details to be announced soon.
From Mammoth to Geilo, the Nikita Chickita contests have succeeded in bringing together girls who ride for a damn good time. The 18th April sees the third edition, as Nikita Chickita hits Serfaus in Austria again for the European event.
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The 28 invited athletes to the 2008 Icer Air will not be paid the $2,000 agreed upon fee for competing nor the winner’s purses. Additionally, riders expenses have not been reimbursed and the event is effectively nixed going forward.
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Kelly was up against a stacked field of Slopestyle riders but was able to bump herself up to World No.1 with a 21st place finish today. Janna Mayen-Wetherby (USA) took out the 6Star Slopestyle Title with her ‘all or nothing’ riding style, Jenny Jones (GBR) took second and Lisa Wiik (NOR) third, giving her a TTR World No. 2 finish.
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