The Free Flow Tour will include BMX competitions at eight sites. The top BMX finishers at each stop will be flown to the Dew Action Sports Tour’s Vans® Invitational in Portland, OR for the Free Flow Tour Finals, August 17–20, where one champion will be crowned in each sport. Encompassing the ‘Flow to Pro’ theme, the two overall BMX champions win a wild card spot to compete against the pros at the Dew Action Sports Tour’s last stop, the PlayStation® Pro in Orlando, FL. In addition, there is more than $7,000 in cash prizes for the Free Flow Tour.“It is crucial within the development of these sports to provide a competition platform for amateur athletes to expand and showcase their skills,” said Wade Martin, General Manager, Dew Action Sports Tour. “The Free Flow Tour provides an authentic opportunity for amateur skaters and riders to go big in front of their hometown crowd and a chance to compete with the pros.”
The 2006 Free Flow Tour BMX schedule* includes the following dates and locations:
APRIL 29_RYE, NH
MAY 21_LOUISVILLE, KY
MAY 28_NASHVILLE, TN
JUNE 4_ORLANDO, FL
JUNE 11_DALLAS, TX
JULY 2_SLC, UT
JULY 23_ORANGE, CA
JULY 30_BAY AREA, CA
2005 CHAMPIONS HIGHLIGHTS
The culmination of an entire summer of competition saw the two Free Flow Tour champions compete against the world’s best at the PlayStation® Pro in Orlando, FL. For Stockton, CA native Jeff Ward (skate) and Livermore, CA native Kevin Kiraly (BMX), it was their first professional contest. Kiraly, age 17, finished a respectable 25th within the professional BMX field, and Ward, age 18, finished an amazing 7th place among his idols. Both have developed numerous sponsorship deals as a result of the Free Flow Tour, truly symbolizing the ‘Flow to Pro’ theme for the Free Flow Tour.
2006 BLOCK PARTIES
To add to the excitement of the Free Flow Tour competitions, Block Parties will be held on the following dates and locations: Louisville, May 20; Orlando, June 3; Denver, June 24; Encinitas, July 15; Sunnyvale, July 29; Portland, August 5. Block Parties are celebrated with live music, free food and giveaways, among other surprises. Block parties are free to the public.
2006 ‘JAM’ FORMAT
The Free Flow Tour is operated as a ‘jam’ format, which is an open forum for all riders to compete together within their respective sport-specific session. Targeting spectator engagement, the jam-style arrangement encourages the biggest airs and most technical footwork from the competitors.
2006 REGISTRATION
Each competition offers 120 entry positions and is open to both male and female competitors age 21-and-under for BMX. Contest registration forms are available at participating skateparks, area skate shops, sporting goods stores and at www.freeflowtour.com. There is a $10 entry fee, and all participants under the age of 18 must bring a parent or guardian to the event to sign a liability waiver. All competitors take home Free Flow Tour giveaways and following each contest there are post-event parties with autograph sessions, free gear and much more.
2006 JUDGING
The Free Flow Tour Road Crew, all accomplished riders, will lead each event’s judging panel. At some venues, a pro rider will join the ranks for a guest judging position. Based upon the crowd reaction and judging specifics, riders are ranked according to their individual presence during the jam. Throughout the 2005 season, pro BMX riders TJ Lavin, Fuzzy Hall, Ryan Guettler and Robbie Morales attended events and added their professional points-of-view to the judging panels.
WWW.FREEFLOWTOUR.COM
The Dew Action Sports Tour’s official website is the source for all Free Flow Tour event updates and results; including: event recaps, photos and video from across the season and travel diaries from each of the stops. Check the site for additional updates including 2006 tour dates and information.
ABOUT THE DEW ACTION SPORTS TOUR
Owned by NBC Universal and Live Nation, the Dew Action Sports Tour debuted in June 2005, and consists of five major, multi-sport events with a cumulative points system, a $2.5 million competitive purse - the largest in action sports - and an additional $1 million bonus pool based upon year-end standings. NBC and USA Network combine for exclusive Dew Action Sports Tour coverage with the largest combined network and cable commitment in action sports. The Tour features skateboarding (park and vert), BMX (park, vert, and dirt) and freestyle motocross, and at season’s end, the Tour awards champions in the six disciplines with the Dew Cup. Key lifestyle elements at each Tour event’s festival village includes live cutting-edge music, video gaming, and interactive events.
The Dew Action Sports Tour returns all of its founding partners from year one, including Mountain Dew (tour title sponsor); and Panasonic, Right Guard Xtreme, Vans®, Toyota and PlayStation® (event title sponsors). Associate partners include MasterCard, Mongoose®, OXY® Acne Solutions, Peanut Chews® and Slim Jim.
Pics: Dew AST
The 2006 Free Flow Tour BMX schedule* includes the following dates and locations: APRIL 29_RYE, NH
MAY 21_LOUISVILLE, KY
MAY 28_NASHVILLE, TN
JUNE 4_ORLANDO, FL
JUNE 11_DALLAS, TX
JULY 2_SLC, UT
JULY 23_ORANGE, CA
JULY 30_BAY AREA, CA
* Schedule subject to change.
2005 CHAMPIONS HIGHLIGHTS
The culmination of an entire summer of competition saw the two Free Flow Tour champions compete against the world’s best at the PlayStation® Pro in Orlando, FL. For Stockton, CA native Jeff Ward (skate) and Livermore, CA native Kevin Kiraly (BMX), it was their first professional contest. Kiraly, age 17, finished a respectable 25th within the professional BMX field, and Ward, age 18, finished an amazing 7th place among his idols. Both have developed numerous sponsorship deals as a result of the Free Flow Tour, truly symbolizing the ‘Flow to Pro’ theme for the Free Flow Tour.
2006 BLOCK PARTIES
To add to the excitement of the Free Flow Tour competitions, Block Parties will be held on the following dates and locations: Louisville, May 20; Orlando, June 3; Denver, June 24; Encinitas, July 15; Sunnyvale, July 29; Portland, August 5. Block Parties are celebrated with live music, free food and giveaways, among other surprises. Block parties are free to the public.
2006 ‘JAM’ FORMATThe Free Flow Tour is operated as a ‘jam’ format, which is an open forum for all riders to compete together within their respective sport-specific session. Targeting spectator engagement, the jam-style arrangement encourages the biggest airs and most technical footwork from the competitors.
2006 REGISTRATION
Each competition offers 120 entry positions and is open to both male and female competitors age 21-and-under for BMX. Contest registration forms are available at participating skateparks, area skate shops, sporting goods stores and at www.freeflowtour.com. There is a $10 entry fee, and all participants under the age of 18 must bring a parent or guardian to the event to sign a liability waiver. All competitors take home Free Flow Tour giveaways and following each contest there are post-event parties with autograph sessions, free gear and much more.
2006 JUDGINGThe Free Flow Tour Road Crew, all accomplished riders, will lead each event’s judging panel. At some venues, a pro rider will join the ranks for a guest judging position. Based upon the crowd reaction and judging specifics, riders are ranked according to their individual presence during the jam. Throughout the 2005 season, pro BMX riders TJ Lavin, Fuzzy Hall, Ryan Guettler and Robbie Morales attended events and added their professional points-of-view to the judging panels.
WWW.FREEFLOWTOUR.COM
The Dew Action Sports Tour’s official website is the source for all Free Flow Tour event updates and results; including: event recaps, photos and video from across the season and travel diaries from each of the stops. Check the site for additional updates including 2006 tour dates and information.
ABOUT THE DEW ACTION SPORTS TOUR
Owned by NBC Universal and Live Nation, the Dew Action Sports Tour debuted in June 2005, and consists of five major, multi-sport events with a cumulative points system, a $2.5 million competitive purse - the largest in action sports - and an additional $1 million bonus pool based upon year-end standings. NBC and USA Network combine for exclusive Dew Action Sports Tour coverage with the largest combined network and cable commitment in action sports. The Tour features skateboarding (park and vert), BMX (park, vert, and dirt) and freestyle motocross, and at season’s end, the Tour awards champions in the six disciplines with the Dew Cup. Key lifestyle elements at each Tour event’s festival village includes live cutting-edge music, video gaming, and interactive events.
The Dew Action Sports Tour returns all of its founding partners from year one, including Mountain Dew (tour title sponsor); and Panasonic, Right Guard Xtreme, Vans®, Toyota and PlayStation® (event title sponsors). Associate partners include MasterCard, Mongoose®, OXY® Acne Solutions, Peanut Chews® and Slim Jim.
Pics: Dew AST
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.