[FCR 2002] [Announcement] World Championships 2002

[Jani Soderhall]

MEDIA ALERT ** MEDIA ALERT ** MEDIA ALERT

FCR Slalom Series Finale -- Coming to The Streets of Avila Beach and Morro Bay!

What: World Championship Slalom Skateboard Racing
When: Friday October 11 through Sunday October 13, 2002
Where: Front Street in Avila Beach and Main Street in Morro Bay, California

Professional Slalom Skateboarding comes to Avila Beach and Morro Bay for the much anticipated 2002 World Championships! This 3-day event features high speed, electronically timed, downhill slalom skateboarding races, with the top professionals from all over the U.S. and the world battling it out in head-to-head elimination matches. Winners are determined by hundredths or even thousandths of a second. Racers are battling for thousands of dollars in prize money along with U.S. and World Champoon titles. This World
Championship event is the culmination of the 2002 eight-race series presented by Fat City Racing.

EVENT SCHEDULE
Friday, October 11th - Qualifying Rounds (Front Street in Avila Beach)
Racers in all classes not pre-seeded will vie for their chance to compete in the
World Championship races on Saturday and Sunday. Space is limited in this
high-stakes event!
9:40 a.m. - Open Class qualifying (including women and junior divisions)
1:40 p.m. - Pro Class qualifying and elimination to final 16 to advance

Saturday, October 12th -- Dual Giant Slalom event (Front Street in Avila Beach) Racers launch from elevated starting ramps and pound their way through dual giant slalom courses -- wide-offset obstacles maximize this high-speed big hill challenge!
9:30 a.m. - Open class elimination rounds to final 4
11:00 a.m. - Women and Junior Finals
1:00 p.m. - Pro Class elimination rounds to final 4
2:45 p.m. - Finals - Pro and Open Classes

Sunday, October 13th -- Dual Slalom event (Main Street in Morro Bay) This
event is an exciting technically challenging course certain to showcase the
talents of these highly skilled racers!!
9:20 a.m. - Open class elimination rounds to final 4
11:20 a.m. - Women and Junior Finals
1:00 p.m. - Pro Class elimination rounds to final 4
2:45 p.m. - Finals - Pro and Open Classes


Directions - (for Avila Beach site) From Highway 101 (North or South) exit at
Avila Beach off ramp, go west towards Avila Beach. Parking lots are on your left as you enter town.

(For Morro Bay site) Traveling North on 101. Take Highway 1 (Morro Bay) exit.
Follow Highway 1 to Morro Bay, exit at Morro Bay Blvd. Follow to Main Street.
Traveling South on 101. Take Highway 41 West (Morro Bay) exit. Follow Highway 41 West to Morro Bay. Turn right on Main Street.


COVERAGE HIGHLIGHTS
This fast-paced racing format offers thrilling visuals and several coverage
angles:

- See the current professional points leader Paul Dunn, defend his lead against Gary Cross, the 2001 World Champion!

- Racers include legendary skaters such as Steve Olson and Dave Hackett (seen in the recently released movie "Dogtown and Z-Boys"), "Master of Disaster" Duane Peters, Guinness World Record holder Richy Carrasco, Hall of Fame greats -- Henry Hester, Cliff Coleman, John Hutson, Tommy Ryan, Steve
Sherman, Randy Smith, "Badlanders" Steve Evans & Charlie Ransom, 2002 World
Downhill Champion Chris Chaput, Gravity Games Gold Medalist Sean Mallard and
many others!

- Other legendary skateboarding personalities in attendance will include:
Commentator Roger Hickey -- World Standup Downhill Champion and inventor of
street luge; Former World Class Racer -- Dennis Schufeldt and Jack Smith --
race organizer, former slalom professional and father of the rebirth of slalom racing.

- Racing team rivalries - Fat City Racing (Northern CA), Comet Racing Team (Northern CA), Team Turner (Central CA), SSS Racing Team (Southern CA), Black Leather Racing (Southern CA), Team ABEC-11 (Southern CA), Fibreflex Racing Team (Southern CA), Gravity Racing Team (Southern CA), La Costa Boys Racing (Southern CA), Roe Racing (Seattle, WA)

- Not just for men, the Open Class racing (amateur) features a women's division (watch out guys) and junior division (the next generation) running the same course as the Pro Class racers!

- Historical background - Slalom skateboard racing -- at its peak in the late 70's -- has re-emerged as a world class event in the last few years. In the height of its popularity -- California was a mecca for slalom racing and the locale for many legendary races. After a hiatus of more than 20 years, Jack Smith hosted the 2001 Morro Bay (CA) World Championships. Building on the success of that 2001 event, slalom racing returns again with the highlight
of the FCR series -- this second World Championship event -- with lots of new
faces as well as the seasoned masters!

- National and International Media Coverage - The renewed interest in this classic skateboarding discipline has been gaining momentum with each series race. FCR is pleased to announce that several of the series races including the Bob Turner Memorial Race, the Vision La Costa Open, the Catalina Classic and the Sierra Cup have been featured on the FOX Sports Network, Extreme Sports Network, the Outdoor Life Network and CNN in national, Canadian and
European markets.

- Pre or post-race coverage - Many of the racers reside and practice in central California and have colorful backgrounds and deep roots in many aspects of skateboarding. Also, slalom racing calls for specialized equipment and the resurgence has inspired production. Many of the
manufacturers -- some with legendary reputations and some startups -- are
based in California. Locally, Turner Downhill carries on the legacy of the
legendary slalom skateboard designer Bobby Turner manufacturing his classic
designs. For interviews or other coverage arrangements refer to "media contact" below.


ABOUT THE FCR SERIES

2002 Season Schedule:
Battle By The Bay - San Francisco, CA (March 23-24)
The Catalina Classic - Avalon, CA (April 20-21)
The Sierra Cup - Lake Tahoe, CA (May 18-19)
High Peaks Drifter - Breckenridge, CO (June 8-9)
Bob Turner Memorial/Vision La Costa Open - La Costa, CA (July 20-21)
Haulin in the Hood - Hood River, OR (August 10-11)
The Bear - Albuquerque, NM (September 22)
World Championships - Avila Beach and Morro Bay, CA (October 11-13)


Current Point Rankings/Top 16 Seeded Series Racers:

PRO CLASS:
Paul Dunn (Los Osos, CA)
Gary Cross (Lake Tahoe, CA)
Charlie "Badlands" Ransom (Incline Village, NV)
Barrett "Chicken" Deck (Huntington Beach, CA)
Mike Maysey (Los Osos, CA)
Ken Mollica (Columbus, OH)
Richy "360 King" Carrasco (Santa Ana, CA)
Steve "Badlands" Evans (Long Beach, CA)
John Gilmour (Boston, MA)
Steve Olson (Malibu, CA)
Gary Fluitt (Golden, CO)
Gary Holl (Mountain View, CA)
John O'Shei (Malibu, CA)
Dave Hackett (Encinitas, CA)
Bill Wahl (Seal Beach, CA)
Eric Groff (Huntington Beach, CA)

OPEN CLASS:
Paul Price (London, England)
Steve Tamanaha (San Francisco, CA)Cliff Coleman (Auburn, CA)
Miko Biffle (Capitola, CA)
Siale Saili (San Diego, CA)
Michael Bream (Encinitas, CA)
Terence Kirby (Hampton, NH)
Beau Brown (Costa Mesa, CA)
John Ravitch (Oakland, CA)
Howard Gordon (San Luis Obispo, CA)
Michael Dong (Bothell, WA)
Clayton Scott (San Francisco, CA)
Gareth Roe (Seattle, WA)
Chris Sullivan (San Francisco, CA)
Jonathan Reese (San Francisco, CA)
Sean Mallard (Costa Mesa, CA)


FCR Series Sponsors:
Comet Skateboards, Turner Downhill, Vision Skateboards, Croakies, Dagger
Sunglasses, Life-Link, JustPushPlay.com, Soul Studio, Northern California
Downhill Skateboard Association, Bahne Skateboards


Information:
Visit the FCR Series web site for further event/series details at http://www.fcrseries.com. For an updated list of registered racers visit
http://www.ncdsa.com (see the "Contest Calendar" link).

MEDIA CONTACT:
For coverage coordination, pre-race interviews, photos or electronic press
kit -- please contact:

Maria Carrasco
Media Coordinator - FCR Series
(714) 315-6617
(714) 636-7308 (fax)
OffTheRailsTV@aol.com (e-mail)

For Sponsorship opportunities:
Jack Smith
805-597-5722
jack@videoactionsports.com