Mathias Ringstrom is just one of many athletes participating in ESPN's X Games. © John Parker
ESPN X Games Announcement
Jul 18 2006 / Los Angeles, CAESPN X GAMES ANNOUNCES THE SECOND WAVE OF INVITED ATHLETES TO X GAMES 12
LOS ANGELES - ESPN's X Games announces the second wave of athletes who
have been invited to compete at X Games 12, to be held in Los Angeles
August 3-6, 2006. The event will air live on ESPN and ABC, providing 14
hours of original LIVE X Games 12 programming. ESPN will also present
four late-night highlight programs starting August 4, resulting in a
total of 18 hours of original programming for X Games 12.
The X Games is the definitive annual action sports competition featuring
more than 150 of the world's best athletes competing in: BMX Freestyle,
Moto X, Skateboard, Surfing and new to this year's lineup, Rally Car
Racing. The X Games Los Angeles-based venues will include STAPLES Center
and The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. All competitions at STAPLES
Center and The Home Depot Center are ticketed events, which can now be
purchased through all Ticketmaster locations, Ticketmaster.com and the
box offices at STAPLES Center, The Home Depot Center and Team LA at
Universal CityWalk.
All athletes receiving invitations to compete at X Games 12 are chosen
by a sport-specific selection committee. Criteria and timing of
invitations varies by sport and discipline, as it is based on the state
and event schedules of that particular sport. The only exception is each
gold medalist from X Games 11 (2005) receives an automatic invitation to
compete.
Information on each committee and its sport's invitation process can be
found on each X Games sport organizer website (links listed below). The
sport of Surfing is the only sport in which the athletes are selected by
each team's coach, not by a committee.
The third wave of invitations is scheduled to be announced in late July.
The list of athletes is subject to change.
*PLEASE NOTE: The newly announced athletes in this second wave are
denoted with an asterisk
Name Hometown
BMX FREESTYLE (Hoffman Sports Association, www.hsacentral.com)
Dirt
LOS ANGELES - ESPN's X Games announces the second wave of athletes who
have been invited to compete at X Games 12, to be held in Los Angeles
August 3-6, 2006. The event will air live on ESPN and ABC, providing 14
hours of original LIVE X Games 12 programming. ESPN will also present
four late-night highlight programs starting August 4, resulting in a
total of 18 hours of original programming for X Games 12.
The X Games is the definitive annual action sports competition featuring
more than 150 of the world's best athletes competing in: BMX Freestyle,
Moto X, Skateboard, Surfing and new to this year's lineup, Rally Car
Racing. The X Games Los Angeles-based venues will include STAPLES Center
and The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. All competitions at STAPLES
Center and The Home Depot Center are ticketed events, which can now be
purchased through all Ticketmaster locations, Ticketmaster.com and the
box offices at STAPLES Center, The Home Depot Center and Team LA at
Universal CityWalk.
All athletes receiving invitations to compete at X Games 12 are chosen
by a sport-specific selection committee. Criteria and timing of
invitations varies by sport and discipline, as it is based on the state
and event schedules of that particular sport. The only exception is each
gold medalist from X Games 11 (2005) receives an automatic invitation to
compete.
Information on each committee and its sport's invitation process can be
found on each X Games sport organizer website (links listed below). The
sport of Surfing is the only sport in which the athletes are selected by
each team's coach, not by a committee.
The third wave of invitations is scheduled to be announced in late July.
The list of athletes is subject to change.
*PLEASE NOTE: The newly announced athletes in this second wave are
denoted with an asterisk
Name Hometown
BMX FREESTYLE (Hoffman Sports Association, www.hsacentral.com)
Dirt
Mike Aitken* Murray, Utah
Corey Bohan Brisbane, Australia
Chris Doyle* Pittsburgh, Pa.
Cory Nastazio Huntington Beach, Calif.
Ryan Nyquist* Greenville, N.C.
Luke Parslow* Melbourne, Australia
Cameron White Canberra, Australia
Park
Corey Bohan Brisbane, Australia
Chris Doyle* Pittsburgh, Pa.
Cory Nastazio Huntington Beach, Calif.
Ryan Nyquist* Greenville, N.C.
Luke Parslow* Melbourne, Australia
Cameron White Canberra, Australia
Park
Scotty Cranmer* Jackson, N.J.
Ryan Guettler* Brisbane, Australia
Josh Harrington Greenville, N.C.
Dave Mirra Greenville, N.C.
Ryan Nyquist Greenville, N.C.
Morgan Wade* Tyler, Texas
Gary Young* San Diego, Calif.
Vert
Ryan Guettler* Brisbane, Australia
Josh Harrington Greenville, N.C.
Dave Mirra Greenville, N.C.
Ryan Nyquist Greenville, N.C.
Morgan Wade* Tyler, Texas
Gary Young* San Diego, Calif.
Vert
Jamie Bestwick Darbyshire, England
Chad Kagy State College, Pa.
Dave Mirra Greenville, N.C.
John Parker* State College, Pa.
Kevin Robinson* State College, Pa.
Simon Tabron* Newquay, England
Jimmy Walker* Gilberts, Ill.
Vert Best Trick
Jamie Bestwick Darbyshire, England
Chad Kagy* State College, Pa.
Dave Mirra* Greenville, N.C.
John Parker* State College, Pa.
Kevin Robinson* State College, Pa.
Simon Tabron* Newquay, England
Big Air
Chad Kagy State College, Pa.
Dave Mirra Greenville, N.C.
John Parker* State College, Pa.
Kevin Robinson* State College, Pa.
Simon Tabron* Newquay, England
Jimmy Walker* Gilberts, Ill.
Vert Best Trick
Jamie Bestwick Darbyshire, England
Chad Kagy* State College, Pa.
Dave Mirra* Greenville, N.C.
John Parker* State College, Pa.
Kevin Robinson* State College, Pa.
Simon Tabron* Newquay, England
Big Air
Allan Cooke Greenville, N.C.
Chad Kagy State College, Pa.
Dave Mirra Greenville, N.C.
Ryan Nyquist* Greenville, N.C.
Kevin Robinson State College, Pa.
MOTO X (Media X International, www.mediax.tv)
Best Trick
Nate Adams* Glendale, Ariz.
Kenny Bartram* Stillwater, Okla.
Adam Jones Carson City, Nev.
Jim McNeil* Glendale, Ariz.
Travis Pastrana Annapolis, Md.
Mat Rebeaud Payerne, Switzerland
Jeremy Stenberg Santee, Calif.
Blake Williams Baxter, Australia
Freestyle
Nate Adams Glendale, Ariz.
Kenny Bartram Stillwater, Okla.
Ronnie Faisst Mays Landing, N.J.
Ailo Gaup* Kongsberg, Norway
Adam Jones* Carson City, Nev.
Travis Pastrana Annapolis, Md.
Ronnie Renner* Westminster, Calif.
Jeremy Stenberg Santee, Calif.
Step Up
Matt Buyten Carson City, Nev.
Tommy Clowers Ramona, Calif.
Brian Deegan Temecula, Calif.
Jeremy McGrath Encinitas, Calif.
Mike Metzger Menifee, Calif.
SuperMoto
Cassidy Anderson* Provo, Utah
Mark Burkhart Pickerington, Ohio
Benny Carlson* West Bend, Wis.
Steve Drew* Temecula, Calif.
Micky Dymond* Placentia, Calif.
Chris Fillmore Jr.* Oxford, Mich.
Frankie Garcia* Gonzales, Calif.
Carey Hart* Las Vegas, Nev.
Doug Henry Torrington, Conn.
Troy Herfoss* San Diego, Calif.
Alex Hoffman Richterswil, Switzerland
Juergen Kuenzel Heidenheim, Germany
Ivan Lazzarini* Pesaro, Italy
Jeremy McGrath Encinitas, Calif.
Kurt Nicoll* Mattighofen, Austria
Travis Pastrana Annapolis, Md.
Chad Reed Dade City, Fla.
Eddy Seel Spa, Belgium
Gary Trachy* Orange, Calif.
Jeff Ward Newport Beach, Calif.
SKATEBOARDING (World Cup Skateboarding, www.wcsk8.com)
Big Air
Jake Brown Sydney, Australia
Bob Burnquist Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Jason Ellis Vista, Calif.
Pierre-Luc Gagnon Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Rune Glifberg Copenhagen, Denmark
Buster Halterman Wellsville, Pa.
Omar Hassan Costa Mesa, Calif.
Bucky Lasek Encinitas, Calif.
Rob Lorifice Encinitas, Calif.
Andy Macdonald San Diego, Calif.
Brian Patch Westminster, Calif.
Danny Way San Diego, Calif.
Street - Men
Mark Appleyard* Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Dennis Busenitz*
Chris Cole Statesville, N.C.
Ronnie Creager* Orange, Calif.
Dustin Dollin*
Bryan Herman* Oak Hills, Calif.
Nyjah Huston Davis, Calif.
Eric Koston San Bernadino, Calif.
Greg Lutzka Huntington Beach, Calif.
Billy Marks Corona, Calif.
Rick McCrank Vancouver, Canada
Andrew Reynolds Winter Haven, Fla.
Paul Rodriguez Jr. Tarzana, Calif.
Jereme Rogers Boston, Mass.
Ryan Sheckler San Clemente, Calif.
Daewon Song*
Rodrigo Teixeira* Huntington Beach, Calif.
Tony Trujillo* San Francisco, Calif.
Street - Women
Lacey Baker* Covina, Calif.
Evelien Bouilliart* Aalter-oost, Belgium
Amy Caron Huntington Beach, Calif.
Marissa Del Santo* Lahrange, Ill.
Lauren Perkins* Huntington Beach, Calif.
Elissa Steamer Ft. Myers, Fla.
Vanessa Torres Modesto, Calif.
Vert - Men
Bob Burnquist Carlsbad, Calif.
Pierre-Luc Gagnon Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Rune Glifberg* Copenhagen, Denmark
Bucky Lasek Carlsbad, Calif.
Andy Macdonald* San Diego, Calif.
Jean Postec* Annemasse, France
Mathias Ringstrom* Encinitas, Calif.
Shaun White* Carlsbad, Calif.
Vert - Women
Cara-Beth Burnside Encinitas, Calif.
Karen Jones* Santo Andre, Spain
Mimi Knoop Chesapeake, Va.
Holly Lyons* Encinitas, Calif.
Tina Neff* Muenster, Germany
Jen O'Brien Carlsbad, Calif.
Apryl Woodcock* Chino, Calif.
Nicole Zuck*
Vert Best Trick
Nicole Zuck*
Vert Best Trick
Jake Brown* Sydney, Australia
Bob Burnquist Carlsbad, Calif.
Pierre-Luc Gagnon Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Bucky Lasek* Encinitas, Calif.
Colin McKay* Vancouver, Canada
Shaun White Carlsbad, Calif.
SURFING (National Surf League, www.nslgame.com)
The surf competition was held July 3rd in Puerto Escondido, Mexico.
Team West Coast won the competition.
East Coast
Sam Hammer Lavallette, N.J.
Baron Knowlton Lakeworth, Fla.
Cory Lopez Indian Rocks Beach, Fla.
Shea Lopez Indian Rocks Beach, Fla.
Peter Mendia West Palm Beach, Fla.
Todd Morcom Melbourne Beach, Fla.
Kyle Garson Melbourne Beach, Fla.
Carlos Cabrero Puerto Rico
Jamie O'Brien North Shore, Hawaii
Ryan Helm Jupiter Beach, Fla.
Matt Kechele (Head Coach)
Todd Kline (Assistant Coach)
West Coast
Shane Beschen San Clemente, Calif.
Rob Machado Cardiff, Calif.
Pat O'Connell Dana Point, Calif.
Timmy Reyes Huntington Beach, Calif.
Pancho Sullivan Pupukea, Hawaii
Dane Reynolds Ventura, Calif.
Chris Ward San Clemente, Calif.
Tom Curren Santa Barbara, Calif.
Kieran Horn Santa Cruz, Calif.
Brian Conley Del Mar, Calif.
Mike Parsons (Head Coach)
Garth Tarlow (Assistant Coach)
RALLY CAR RACING (Rally America, www.rally-america.com)
Ken Block Encinitas, Calif.
Alex Gelsomino Santa Clarita, Calif.
Paul Choiniere Shelburne, Vt.
Jeff Becker New York, N.Y.
Tanner Foust Steamboat, Calif.
Scott Crouch Boulder, Colo.
Matt Iorio Marlborough, N.H.
Ole Holter Long Beach, Calif.
Colin McRae Lanark, Scotland, England
Nicky Grist Wales, England
Rhys Millen Huntington Beach, Calif.
Garry Cowan Invercargill, New Zealand
Lauchlin O'Sullivan San Francisco, Calif.
Scott Putnam Richfield, Minn.
Travis Pastrana Annapolis, Md.
Christian Edstrom New York, New York
Andrew Pinker Perth, Australia
Robbie Durant Oxfordshire, England
Pat Richard Squamish, Canada
Nathalie Richard Halifax, Canada
Updates to the list of invited athletes will be posted at
www.espneventmedia.com (media only) and http://www.expn.com (X Games fans).
-30-
Media Contacts:
X Games Athlete Relations - Katie Moses Swope, 310-642-1507,
katie.moses@espn.com
X Games Media Relations - Danny Chi, 310-642-1509, danny.c.chi@espn.com
