ASA Action Sports World Tour Athletes Announced

LOS ANGELES – Chicago will enjoy some of the biggest names in action sports when ASA Entertainment (ASA) brings the ASA Action Sports World Tour to Sears Centre on Friday, May 1st.  For an intense three hours fans will witness some of the most skillfully performed board tricks, tail whips and back flips from the sport’s best skateboarders and BMX bike riders.

Topping the list of competitors in the Skateboard Vert contest are three men who thwarted the competition last October when they captured the top three spots during the 2008 LG Action Sports World Championships.  Pierre-Luc Gagnon (Montreal, Canada), arguably the number one man in skateboard vert today, will lead his fellow finishers, second and third respectively, Danny Mayer (Omaha, Nebraska) and Sandro Dias (Santa Andre, Brazil) against the challenge from: Buster Halterman (Wellsville, PA), Lincoln Ueda (Sao Paulo, Brazil), Chris Gentry (Houston, TX), Anthony Furlong (Tampa, FL), Jean Postec (Annecy, France) and Elliot Sloan (New York, NY).

Featured in the Big Air BMX Triples is Chicago’s own Koji Kraft.  A 2000 graduate of Addison Trail High School, Koji will be riding before his hometown for the first time in an elite professional level competition.  Koji will take on some of the sport’s most talented BMX riders: Rob Darden (Greensville, NC), Dennis Enarson (San Diego, CA), Anthony Napolitan (Youngstown, Ohio), Austin Coleman (Los Angeles, CA), T.J. Ellis (Moreno Valley, CA), Allesandro Barbero (Ceva, Italy), Colton Satterfield (Pocatello, Idaho), Marcus Tooker (Cape Cod, MA), Chris Hughes (Toronto, Canada), Craig Mast (Champion, Ohio), and Cory Nastazio (Flushing, NY).

A complete roster of athletes for each contest can be found on the event web site at www.ActionSportsTour.com.

Tickets to the ASA Action Sports World Tour are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com or Sears Centre Arena’s box office, or call 1-800-745-3000 to charge tickets by phone. Advance ticket prices are $20 for adult and $10 for children’s general admission seats, $35 for reserved Club seats and $60 for reserved premium floor seating, which give fans an up close and personal view of all of the action and a private meet-and-greet with the pros.  Each ticket includes the best of Skateboarding and BMX, as well as a full concert from The Used.

Each ASA Action Sports World Tour event is televised nationally on a variety of networks, including, CBS Sports, Spike, VERSUS, Fox Sports Net and FUEL TV.  International fans will also enjoy the action in more than 180 countries around the globe.  Please stay tuned to ActionSportsTour.com for the tour’s 2009 television schedule.

For more ticket information or details about the ASA Action Sports World Tour Chicago stop please visit ActionSportsTour.com or contact Denise M. Abbott, ASA Director of Media Relations & Marketing at 310 410 3020 ext. 309 or via email at abbott@asaent.com.

About ASA Entertainment:

Founded in 1994, ASA Entertainment, LLC is an action sports event, television and content production agency focused on creating and executing customized, turn-key marketing programs that range in scale from grassroots to global.  ASA’s events, featuring skateboarding, freestyle BMX, inline skating, free-skiing, freestyle motocross, snowboarding and music, are broadcast domestically on CBS, Spike, VERSUS, FUEL TV and Fox Sports Net, and distributed during 937 hours of programming to more than 1 billion HH globally via our 32 international broadcast partners.  ASA's productions span the spectrum from large, international competitions such as the LG Action Sports World Championships to amateur contests, lifestyle and branded entertainment events, demonstrations, exhibitions and mobile tours. As one of the most established organizations in action sports, ASA Entertainment strives to develop premium content around the fastest growing sector of American sports.  ASA Entertainment is a member of the Omnicom Group.  For more information, visit as ASAentertainment.com or ActionSportsTour.com. 

About Sears Centre Arena:

Sears Centre Arena is an 11,800-seat multi-purpose family entertainment, cultural, and sports arena located in Hoffman Estates’ Prairie Stone Business Park.  Sears Centre Arena has hosted indoor Moto X events in the past such as Checkered Flag Production’s AMA Indoor Arena Moto X races in 2007, 2008, and 2009. Upcoming events at the Sears Centre Arena include the Eagles – Long Road Out of Eden Tour, Chris Tomlin – Hello Love Tour, Thomas & Friends LIVE on Stage – A Circus Comes to Town, and more!  For more information regarding Sears Centre Arena and upcoming events, please visit the arena’s website at www.searscentre.com. Tickets for Sears Centre Arena events can be purchased at the Sears Centre Arena Box Office, online at www.ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-745-3000, or at any Ticketmaster Outlet locations.