The Next Level is Here - Boarder-X

Boarder-X has been the dream of of just about every longboarder since the beginning of time. We have all seen it half attempted overseas on a number of occasions over the last decade. The problem with boarder-x is its not something you can half do, its one of those events that is either go big or go home. Well ASRA has decided to go big!!!

This all started many years ago with dreams of hug ramps, massive berms and giant humps. Its the event that everybody wants to see and every kid wants to ride. This was going to be the big box event put in front of the eyes of thousands of people to really showcase how exciting the hybrid battle of skateboarding could be. For the last 18 months Travis Horsfall, Ben Perry and myself have been working in a dark room creating, negotiating and building this dream. Over thousands of man hours we have been designing and planning a national Boarder-X series, we have been negotiating with all levels of government and cutting partnership deals across many industries to bring the potential of boarder-x to a level not seen and not done in the world.

The idea of a boarder-x battle began over a quite of beer at the Erko hotel. The back of a beer coaster was where the idea of battle formats began. The trial was a snake run event in Dulwitch hill, We thought how can we bring the excitement of boarder-x battle to a small ditch slalom event, the result was the ASRA Twisted Jam format. This took the notion of the jam to a new level and created man on man elimination battles to what was a simple one run kind of event. It began with bringing the battle back to slalom. The idea was to create formats that allowed you to take on a fellow rider eye to eye, to eliminate your combatant and to move on to victory. It seemed appropriate to call this event the Shakedown. After watching endless street and bowl events over the years we thought after seeing a version of figure skating formats be the order of the day we decided to create a ramp event that could instill that same will for battle. What the punter needed to see was a clear cut victory, we wanted to see the tragedy on a riders face when they got eliminated and the victory on the other competitors as they knew they just took it to the next level. Out of this mayhem we came up with the ASRA Battle Jam format and after two events at Hopkin Skate we evolved the name to the Shakedown Takedown.

It seems only fitting that the idea of the skating battle that started on the back of a beer coaster and a small ditch event should take on the name of this legendary battle and be called the Shakedown Series. This is boarder-X on the big scale the kind of event that has never been done to this level in the world. Welcome to the National Boarder-X Shakedown Series. The shakedown will be 4 events in 4 weeks starting in Circular Quay in Sydney than moving up to Merewether beach in Newcastle followed by Brisbane City and finally finishing in Melbourne.

ASRA has partnered up with the Australian National Preventive Health Agency’s - Be the Influence campaign to undertake this massive set of events. Why would we do that? There are a lot of things that skating does to the benefit of society as a whole. It is a truly healthy activity with a huge numbers of participants. It is a sport that a generation that has grown up on facebook and computer games understands because it breaks the mold. For the youth of today this is the new mainstream, an urban culture of individuality. Why does this matter? It means that skating can cut through with a message that Australian youth understands and takes notice of. The message we want to push is about responsible drinking. We don't want to tell people not to drink, god knows we all like a drink ourselves. We do however want to influence people about what it means to take it too far. Every skater out there knows there is a lot of fun to be had in taking it to the extreme, but you only have so many lives, so don't waste them vomiting on yourself in front of your girlfriends parents. Make sure you use those lives doing something awesome and dangerous, something you will remember for the right reasons. So its time to be the influence!

Over the next 6 months we will be scouring the country for riders who think they have what it takes. Start practicing now, we want the best freeriders and racers in the country to show us what they've got. This is your chance to skate in front of thousands of people in a true battle that only the 'Be The Influence' Boarder-X Shakedown Series can bring.  This could be the most fun you ever have on a skateboard so get ready for the Shakedown!!!

To celebrate this awesome achievement the Sector 9 Downhill Division team will be holding a ramp jam at the HopShop. If you want to be part of the launch and meet some of the big Pros from one of the most envied teams in downhill skateboarding than be at Hopkin Skate from 5pm this Friday 26th for the launch of the National Shakedown Series

For information about how to be the influence drop everything and point your browser at  www.tacklingbingedrinking.gov.au

Or get on the Face and spread the word

http://www.facebook.com/nationalbingedrinkingcampaign