new car technology: Week in Extreme Sports September 18-24, 2011 and Upcoming ...

: Week of September 18-24 in Extreme Sports - Kristian Jackson Vital MTB.com

The action in extreme sports never winds down. here's a run-down on what went down the week of September 18-24, 2011 and info on upcoming events.

The week had action in skate, BMX, MTB, surf and other fun and exciting happenings. Unfortunately, there was also sadness in the action sports world, as the BMX "family" lost two members. Here's a look at the past week and a glimpse ahead at upcoming events.

ASP Surfing Hurley Pro at Trestles Slater Beats Wright

Kelly Slater won his fifth Hurley Pro at Trestles, CA title, defeating Owen Wright in a tough final battle.

Hurley Pro Trestles Final Results

Kelly Slater (USA) 17.50
Owen Wright (AUS) 16.74

Hurley Pro Trestle Semi-Finals

SF 1: Kelly Slater def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 16.57
SF 2: Owen Wright (AUS) 14.74 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 10.04

"When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race" ? H.G. Wells

USA Downhill MTB Championship

The USA Downhill and Dual Slalom National Championships were held at the gnarly, muddy course at Beech Mountain, North Carolina, September 24-25, 2011. Logan Binggeli won the Men's Downhill, Mitch Ropelato won the Men's Dual Slalom, and Jill Kintner took the Women's title in both Downhill and Dual Slalom, and did some great interviews for Vital MTB!

Gary Dimartine & Rickey Bates Killed in Tragic Accident

Rickey Bates of Casselbery FL, originator of the Banned BMX videos, along with friend and fellow Banned crew member, Gary Dimartine of Florida,( originally from New Jersey) were killed in an auto accident on Route 93 outside of Phoenix, AZ. They were driving from Las Vegas, NV where they had been at Interbike to promote Banned hard goods. Killed also was Matthew Uhl, a helicopter pilot for the Arizona Department of Public Safety; all three were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. News of the tragedy hit social media quickly and word spread in the BMX and action sports communities. Brian Tunney of ESPN wrote an eloquent memorial tribute on ESPN.com. Condolences go out to the families and friends of three of all the victims.

Shadow Conspiracy Northeast Tour

Although Rickey Bates was set to be included on this tour, The Shadow Conspiracy Northeast Tour is still a go and hits spots on the US East Coast with riders Trey Jones, Simone Barraco, Ty Morrow, Lahsaan Kobza, Seth Kimbrough, and Ben Hucke. First stop will be Two by Four (2 x 4) in Pennsville, NJ on October 1, 2011. Then they hit Ed's Bike Shop in Vineland, NJ on October 2 and on to Penn Skate in Allentown, PA on October 4, 2011.

Maloof Money Cup South Africa

The first ever Maloof Money Cup in South Africa is almost a reality. The highly-anticipated contest is happening September 30 through October 2, 2011 in Kimberley, South Africa and will include Vert, Street and Mini Mega on a brand new course designed by Joe Ciaglia of California Skateparks and pro skater and Vans rider, Geoff Rowley. The Maloof Money Cup site has a full breakdown of the schedule of events for each day.

Watch the Maloof Money Cup South Africa

For skateboard fans worldwide who cannot be at the events, there will be live webcasts Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Maloof Money Cup's YouTube Channel.

Friday, September 30, 2011 the webcast will be live 12:00 p.m.- 1:00 p.m. EDT and 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. PDT
Saturday, October 1, 2011 the webcast will be live 1:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. South Africa Standard Time (SAST), 7:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. EDT, and 4:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. PDT.
Sunday, October 2, 2011 the webcast will be 3:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. SAST, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. EDT, and 6:00 a.m.- 9:00 a.m. PDT.

MMC Public Qualifiers were held on September 23, 2011 at Revolution Pavilion in Durban and three lucky and talented skaters earned the opportunity to compete in the Amateur contest at the Maloof Money Cup in South Africa: Miles Davis, Kyle Mayes, and Matthew Morley.

Qualifiers were also held at The Shed in Stellenbosch, Cape Town on September 25, 2011. Four more skaters showed they had the skills to earn the opportunity to skate in the Ams at Maloof: Wesley Schroeder, Shuaib Philander, Marcel van der Walt, and Dyllan Wright.

Tim Brauch Memorial Skate Contest

The 13th annual Tim Brauch Memorial Skate Contest, sponsored by Sessions, is a two-weekend event; the first event was Saturday, September 24, 2011 for the Bowl contests at Lake Cunningham Regional Skatepark in San Jose, CA. The Tim Brauch Memorial Fund was created to provide scholarships for kids and funds for skatepark development, giving back to kids and the sport of skateboarding (Tim Brauch Memorial Fund Press Release, Sept. 2, 2011). Steve Caballero won the Master's Division, Lizzie Armanto the Women's, and Josh Rodriguez won the Men's Division.

On October 1, 2011 the Street Contests will take place in Scott's Valley, CA at the Tim Brauch Memorial Skatepark.

More Action in Extreme Sports and Events

On Sept. 24 PeopleTree hosted a benefit party for Next Up Foundation at the Volcom Warehouse in Costa Mesa, CA to raise money; 100% of the proceeds will go to Next Up. Next Up provides equipment, supervision and mentoring for kids through action sports.
Travis Pastrana will be inducted into Baltimore Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards in November? the first action sports athlete to have that honor.
The ABA BMX Hall of Fame inductions take place on September 29, 2011 in San Diego, CA.
Hello Skater Girl, an upcoming photography book documenting ladies of sk8 has a great website full of info and amazing photos of girls who shred, be sure to check it out!
The Gatorade Free Flow Tour second annual Park Revolution program awarded $10,000 to Skatelab for park improvements and enhancements. Voting was conducted online with fans voting.
Ryan Nyquist's 3rd Annual Warriors of Wood was held on September 17, 2011 in San Jose, CA and was a success, raising funds to build a new skate/bike park in East San Jose. Dan's Comp, Bell Helmets, and Haro BMX helped make the event possible. Jason Lopez won and Nick Noble got Best Trick.
Vital BMX Game of Bike October 1, 2011 at Vans Skatepark in Orange, CA will have pro BMX freestylers in head-to-head battles to raise money for the Athlete Recovery Fund. Vital BMX will have a live webcast of the event, too!

"Action is the antidote to despair." ? Joan Baez

Now as far as I know, Joan Baez didn't have action sports in mind when she said this, but given the state of affairs in the world and our lives, action does cure a certain amount of despair; action as far as being productive and action in the way of moving to focus one's mind, so either way, get into action!