Calgary, Canada – The 2012 IGSA World Championships are coming to Canada Olympic Park in Calgary August 31 – September 2.  IGSA World Championships will be contested in Open Downhill Skateboarding, Women’s Downhill Skateboarding, Jr I & Jr II Downhill Skateboarding, Street Luge, Classic Luge, Inline Skating and for the first time Masters 40 & Over Downhill Skateboarding.  Event organizers Gravity Sports Marketing are pulling out all the stops to make this the greatest event in the history of downhill skateboarding.

A $12,000 cash purse will be split among the winners along with thousands more in valuable prizes.  Colossovision will cover the event from top to bottom with seven cameras placed strategically down the course.  The action will be broadcast live on three giant HD screens so spectators won’t miss a single moment of the action.  For those who can’t make the trip to Calgary, the entire event will be live streamed so skateboard racing fans around the world will see every slide, pass and crash.  Coast Longboarding’s Bricin Lyons will anchor the announcing with color commentary by IGSA President Marcus Rietema.  The recent live webcast of Newton’s Nation reached an audience of 37,000 unique visitors over the three-day event.  Our goal with the IGSA World Championships is to exceed 50,000 unique visitors.

Calgary, Canada – The 2012 IGSA World Championships are coming to Canada Olympic Park in Calgary August 31 – September 2.  IGSA World Championships will be contested in Open Downhill Skateboarding, Women’s Downhill Skateboarding, Jr I & Jr II Downhill Skateboarding, Street Luge, Classic Luge, Inline Skating and for the first time Masters 40 & Over Downhill Skateboarding.  Event organizers Gravity Sports Marketing are pulling out all the stops to make this the greatest event in the history of downhill skateboarding.

A $12,000 cash purse will be split among the winners along with thousands more in valuable prizes.  Colossovision will cover the event from top to bottom with seven cameras placed strategically down the course.  The action will be broadcast live on three giant HD screens so spectators won’t miss a single moment of the action.  For those who can’t make the trip to Calgary, the entire event will be live streamed so skateboard racing fans around the world will see every slide, pass and crash.  Coast Longboarding’s Bricin Lyons will anchor the announcing with color commentary by IGSA President Marcus Rietema.  The recent live webcast of Newton’s Nation reached an audience of 37,000 unique visitors over the three-day event.  Our goal with the IGSA World Championships is to exceed 50,000 unique visitors.

Spectators will have plenty to do while at the event.  Besides the racing action there will be a Longboarding Expo where manufacturers will be showing off their latest gear, an autograph session and live band on Saturday evening after qualifying, DJ’s, two beer gardens, Zip Line rides from the 90 meter Olympic Ski Jump, Summer Bob Sleigh rides, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, and delicious food & drinks.  Abec 11 has commissioned an artist to create a one of a kind perpetual trophy commerating the IGSA World Cup Series Champion.  The names of all 11 past IGSA World Cup Series Downhill Skateboarding Champions are featured on the trophy.  They will be honored in a special ceremony on Saturday with the unveilong of the trophy. Admission will be Free all three days.

One of the unique features of Canada Olympic Park is that competitors ride to the top of the mountain via a high-speed quad chairlift.  Besides a weekend full of riding for the competitors, a full weekend of activities have also been planned including movie screenings in downtown Calgary, and hosted parties every night in clubs around the city.  A VIP Rider’s Lounge will be available for competitors along with their family and friends where they can get out of the sun, grab a cool drink, work on their equipment and follow the live broadcast on a monitor.

To ensure a large live audience, Gravity Sports Marketing has developed a strong promotional plan to get the word out in Calgary.  The organizers have purchased a large “Drive Time” media buy from the regions #1 Alternative Rock radio station.  Commercials promoting the event will air multiple times each morning between the hours of 6:00 – 9:00am.  Former IGSA World Champions will be invited for live on-air interviews on the days before the event.  A daily contest conducted by the morning radio personalities will give away a complete longboard each of the five days preceding the event.

The organizers have booked a 350 seat movie theater in downtown Calgary that will screen the award winning downhill skateboarding documentary, “Drop; My Life Downhill” on three consecutive nights (Thursday, August 30 – Saturday, September 1) to get the Calgary locals excited about the event.  A big premier will be held on Thursday night with cast members participating in an autograph session and all World Championship participants invited to attend the showing for free.  Tickets to the film will also be given away in contests on the radio to promote the race.

HUTC Productions, a Reuters News Service affiliated production company, have been hired to submit daily news reports to the international news media.  Expect to see coverage on networks like CNN, Fox, Sky, BBC along with numerous other national and local broadcast news networks.  In addition, Gravity Sports Marketing will be working with numerous other international, national and local news media to promote the event. The level of media interest the 2012 IGSA Downhill Skateboarding World Championship receives should be unprecendented.

Open Registration

Open Registration will begin on Tuesday, July 3rd at 9:00am Pacific Time (GMT – 7:00) and will remain open until all available spots have been sold.  Registration will be limited to the first 250 entries.

The event formats will be as follows:

Open DH Skateboarding – $8000 Cash Purse

Aug 31, Fri: AM Practice, PM Single Run Timed Qualifying

Sep 1, Sat: AM Practice, PM Riders will be split into Odd and Even Qualifying Race Brackets.  Those with Odd qualifying positions (1,3,5, etc) will be placed in one 96-Rider bracket.  Those with Even qualifying positions (2,4,6, etc) will be placed in another 96-Rider Bracket.  Six-rider heats will be run with the top three from each heat advancing to the next round.  Both brackets will race down to their final 6 finishers.  The top three finishers from both qualifying races will then compete against the clock in a Top 6 Shootout to determine the #1 Qualifier.  The #1 Qualifier will earn $1000 cash.  The Top 48 finishers from each qualifying race will go on to race in Sunday’s Final.  Non-Qualifiers will have the opportunity to Free-Ride during breaks in the action on Sunday.

Sep 2, Sun: AM Warm Up, After an introduction of the Top 12 Qualifiers and the singing of the Canadian National Anthem, the Top 96 Qualifiers will race for the 2012 IGSA World Championship in single elimination, 6 rider heats with the top 3 finishers from each heat advancing. Ties in final placement will be broken by timed qualifying.

$8000 Cash Purse: 1. $3000, 2. $1000, 3. $600, 4. $300, 5. $300, 6. $300, 7. $250, 8. $250, 9. $250, 10. $250, 11. $250, 12. $250, #1 Qualifier $1000

Street Luge – $1000 Cash Purse

Fri: AM Practice, PM Single Run Timed Qualifying #1

Sat: AM Practice, PM Single Run Timed Qualifying #2

Sun: AM Warm Up, Top 24 Qualifiers will race for the 2012 IGSA World Championship in single elimination, 6 rider heats with the top 3 finishers from each heat advancing. Ties in final placement will be broken by timed qualifying.

$1000 Cash Purse: 1. $500, 2. $250, 3. $125, 4. $60, 5. $40, 6 $25

Women’s DH Skateboarding – $1000 Cash Purse

Fri: AM Practice, PM Single Run Timed Qualifying #1

Sat: AM Practice, PM Single Run Timed Qualifying #2

Sun: AM Warm Up, Top 16 Qualifiers will race for the 2012 IGSA World Championship in single elimination, 4 rider heats with the top 2 finishers from each heat advancing. Ties in final placement will be broken by timed qualifying.

$1000 Cash Purse: 1. $500, 2. $250, 3. $125, 4. $60, 5. $40, 6 $25

Jr II DH Skateboarding (14-17 years old) – $1000 Cash Purse

Fri: AM Practice, PM Single Run Timed Qualifying #1

Sat: AM Practice, PM Single Run Timed Qualifying #2

Sun: AM Warm Up, Top 48 Qualifiers will race for the 2012 IGSA World Championship in single elimination, 6 rider heats with the top 3 finishers from each heat advancing. Ties in final placement will be broken by timed qualifying.

$1000 Cash Purse: 1. $500, 2. $250, 3. $125, 4. $60, 5. $40, 6 $25

Jr I DH Skateboarding (8-13 years old)

Fri: AM Practice, PM Single Run Timed Qualifying #1

Sat: AM Practice, PM Single Run Timed Qualifying #2

Sun: AM Warm Up, Top 16 Qualifiers will race for the 2012 IGSA World Championship in single elimination, 4 rider heats with the top 2 finishers from each heat advancing. Ties in final placement will be broken by timed qualifying.

*There is currently no cash purse for this class.  A prize purse will be added if a sponsor can be found.

Masters DH Skateboarding (40 and Over years old)

Fri: AM Practice, PM Single Run Timed Qualifying #1

Sat: AM Practice, PM Single Run Timed Qualifying #2

Sun: AM Warm Up, Top 24 Qualifiers will race for the 2012 IGSA World Championship in single elimination, 6 rider heats with the top 3 finishers from each heat advancing. Ties in final placement will be broken by timed qualifying.

*There is currently no cash purse for this class.  A prize purse will be added if a sponsor can be found.

Classic Luge

Fri: AM Practice, PM Single Run Timed Qualifying #1

Sat: AM Practice, PM Single Run Timed Qualifying #2

Sun: AM Warm Up, Top 24 Qualifiers will race for the 2012 IGSA World Championship in single elimination, 6 rider heats with the top 3 finishers from each heat advancing. Ties in final placement will be broken by timed qualifying.

*There is currently no cash purse for this class.  A prize purse will be added if a sponsor can be found.

Downhill Inline Skating

Fri: AM Practice, PM Single Run Timed Qualifying #1

Sat: AM Practice, PM Single Run Timed Qualifying #2

Sun: AM Warm Up, Top 16 Qualifiers will race for the 2012 IGSA World Championship in single elimination, 4 skater heats with the top 2 finishers from each heat advancing. Ties in final placement will be broken by timed qualifying.

*There is currently no cash purse for this class.  A prize purse will be added if a sponsor can be found.

Entry Fees

$250  Good for two classes (Examples: Open DH & Jr II DH, Street Luge & Classic Luge, Open DH & Masters 40+, Open DH & Classic Luge, etc). Includes Event T-Shirt.

$25     Each additional class

$10     A PayPal transaction fee of $10 will automatically be added to every order.

Payment in full will be due at the time of registration.  Entries are fully transferable for a $50 transfer fee. Do not enter if you do not plan to attend.  ABSOLUTELY NO REFUNDS!  Races will be held rain or shine as per IGSA Rules.

Open DH Skateboarders who finished in the Top 500 of the 2011 IGSA World Rankings are required to provide their own “Professional looking” number on BOTH sides of the helmet and meet the specifications set forth in the IGSA rules.  Numbers made from duct tape and or marking pen are NOT considered professional looking and will not be allowed.  Riders who finished outside the Top 500 will be issued a number by the organizers via email prior to the event. Numbers will be checked in Tech Inspection and competitors will not be allowed to participate until the correct numbers are in place. Open DH Skateboarding competitors who compete in any additional class will use this same number.

Street Luge & Classic Luge competitors must use their assigned IGSA rider number unless they are competing in the Open DH Skateboarding class in which case that number will take priority.  Riders are required to provide their own “Professional looking” number on BOTH sides of the helmet and meet the specifications set forth in the IGSA rules.  Numbers made from duct tape and or marking pen are NOT considered professional looking and will not be allowed.   Numbers will be checked in Tech Inspection and competitors will not be allowed to participate until the correct numbers are in place.

Inline Skating must use their IGSA assigned rider number unless they are competing in Open DH Skateboarding or Street/Classic Luge in which case the Open DH Skateboarding number will take priority followed by the Street/Classic Luge Number.  Riders are required to provide their own “Professional looking” number on BOTH sides of the helmet and meet the specifications set forth in the IGSA rules.  Numbers made from duct tape and or marking pen are NOT considered professional looking and will not be allowed. Numbers will be checked in Tech Inspection and competitors will not be allowed to participate until the correct numbers are in place

Jr I, Jr II and Masters 40+ Downhill Skateboarders who do not compete in the Open DH Skateboarding class will be issued a number by the organizers via email prior to the event.  Riders are required to provide their own “Professional looking” number on BOTH sides of the helmet and meet the specifications set forth in the IGSA rules.  Numbers made from duct tape and or marking pen are NOT considered professional looking and will not be allowed. Numbers will be checked in Tech Inspection and competitors will not be allowed to participate until the correct numbers are in place.

REGISTRATION BEGINS ON TUESDAY, JULY 3RD AT 9:00 A.M. PACIFIC TIME.