Press Release:
August 19, 2010 — Surf Expo is excited to unveil its latest skate contest, the first annual Wheels Of Fortune ManAm Invitational. This best-trick contest, brought to you by Vans and Skullcandy, will be held Saturday, September 11 at 1:00 p.m. on the floor of Surf Expo at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center.
Competing for thousands of dollars in cash and prizes will be 20 of the most committed skateboarders anywhere.
“This ManAm invitational recognizes some of the most passionate and talented skateboarders that have been•for some reason•flying under the industry’s radar,” says Contest Director Martin Ramos of Kona Skateparks. “You might remember them from winning your local contest four years in a row, or their occasional pic in a major mag or interview in your local zine. Some have multiple trips to the finals at marquee events such as Phoenix AM and Tampa Am. But for some reason they never got hooked up with that golden ticket to skateboarding’s upper echelon.”
“These invitations are going out to that group of riders who make the seasoned pro quake in their signature shoes when they do a demo at your local park: the all new and ever fierce ManAm,” says Ramos.
The contest will take on a Vegas-style format and a roulette wheel and throw of the dice will determine how much these amazing skaters stuff in their pockets when they pull off a trick. Thousands of dollars are at stake.
The skaters will be greeted with an all new custom street course designed and built by Team Pain. Surrounded by Surf Expo’s Skate section on three sides, the park will host demos and entertain with three huge screens showing skate videos/live footage and a spectator lounge overlooking the action.
The following skaters have confirmed their participation in Wheels Of Fortune:
AJ Burnette
Bert Whooten
Kass Plummer
Chris Abbott
Chris Blake
Freddy Tan
George Evans
Jerry Yates
Jimmy Lannon
Joey Corey
Matt Fink
Ryan Dodge
Solomon Mosley
Will Durham
The first annual Wheels Of Fortune ManAm Invitational rounds out Surf Expo’s offering of quality skate events. Our January Bangers For Bucks contest, that pitted top skate shops against each other, won rave reviews and generated more than 350,000 online votes. Bangers For Bucks returns January 6-8, 2011 to Surf Expo.
See surfexpo.com for more information on Surf Expo’s skate contests and for all your Surf Expo needs.
About Surf Expo
Surf Expo is the largest and longest-running trade show for the board/beach/fashion industry (34 years). Surf Expo is held in January and September in Orlando, Florida, and draws buyers from specialty stores across the U.S., the Caribbean, Central and South America and around the world. Surf Expo is endorsed by the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA); the Board Retailers Association (BRA), and the Water Sports Industry Association (WSIA).
