Supergirl Jam Rocks Venice Beach

Laurie Currier, Amy Caron and Coco Sanchez win Snowboard Rail Jam, Skateboard Street and Inline Best Trick Gold Medals

The 2009 Supergirl Jam event series culminated in Venice Beach today with a series of heart-pounding, action-packed contests, treating more than 50,000 Labor Day weekend spectators to the action sports industry’s only large scale, all-girl’s competition and lifestyle festival. Outlasting the field of competitors and besting in each caterory for the win included: Laurie Currier (Wrightwood, CA), claiming the Snowboard Rail Jam championship title for the second year in a row, as well as the Best Trick title; Amy Caron (Huntington Beach, CA) taking home the gold medal in the Skateboard Street contest; Alexis Sablone (Connecticut) grinding to victory in Skateboard Street Best Trick contest; and Coco Sanchez (San Francisco, CA) capturing the Inline Best Trick contest. The event’s prize purse totaled $36,000, so the ladies didn’t hold back.

It’s been years - if ever – since Venice Beach has seen snow, but today a 35- foot snowboard rail jam course towered over the sand, showcasing the skills of the 24 competitors in this category. From a field that ranged in age from 14 to 29, twelve women emerged from the preliminary rounds to battle in the finals and wowed the crowd with their daring, precise and creative tricks. After 40-minutes of snowboarding, Currier took the top podium spot, as both the event champion and the winner of the best trick contest with her ‘hard way front one/hard way front one out.’

“I’m so stoked!” exclaimed Currier. “It all happened so fast, I can’t believe it’s over and I won again. This is great.”

Taking second place was Los Angeles’ Nicki Slechta. “I am so happy,” said Slechta. “This is an amazing event – nothing can match it.”

Riverside, CA’s Desiree Melancon picked up the bronze medal.

The skateboard street competition offered three obstacles for the ladies to tackle that tested their limits, pushing them to the edge. It was an aggressive competition from the beginning, but in the end skill and execution won out as Caron claimed the title.

“I didn’t win the first year, I didn’t win last year, so I really wanted to get it,” said Caron. “I needed to redeem myself. I tried the feeble grind down the long rail at X Games and landed in seventh place when I missed it. So, on my last run tonight I had to try it and I made it. I’m pretty stoked. [Supergirl Jam] features all sports, not just skating, so it’s great to get together and see all the ladies. That’s what it’s all about.”

Vanessa Torres (Orange County, CA), who took second place, was happy for her fellow competitor and friend, “Amy deserved to win, she skated well. I just came out here to skate, to hold it down for the ladies, so to walk away with money…I couldn’t be happier. This[Supergirl Jam] is a huge opportunity for girls.”

Alexis Sablone (Connecticut), who stunned the crowd with a ‘kick flip over the bank down the euro to flat,’ picked up not only the bronze medal, but was also awarded the best trick title.

The day began with the inline skaters. Eight women took to the street course obstacles, hitting the rails hard from the outset. Immediately, Sanchez and Fallon Heffernan (Jacksonville, FL) became the women to watch. Their runs pushed the others to take their tricks to the next level. When Sanchez nailed a ‘disaster to sweat stance,’ it gave her the best trick title and the gold. Aarin Gates (Camarillo, CA) won the silver and Heffernan, for the second year in a row, took home the bronze.

“Even though I just can’t seem to win this event, I still feel like I won today,” said Heffernan. “I was Coco’s camp coach at [Camp] Woodward, so it’s good to see her win, knowing I had a hand in pushing her to be her best.”

The Supergirl Jam series consisted of three stops this year – the Association of Surfing Professionals Grade-4 Supergirl Pro Junior contest that took place on August 15 & 16 in Oceanside, CA; the Supergirl Pro-Am Jam Skateboard Street competition that took place at Woodward West in Tehachapi, CA, on August 19; and today’s finale at Venice Beach. Programming featuring all three stops in the series will be televised this fall on networks to include CBS Sports, FUEL TV and Fox Sports Net.

ASA Entertainment, the leading action sports events, TV and content production company in the U.S., produces the Supergirl Jam with its partner, Warner Bros. Consumer Products.

For more information about the 2009 Supergirl Jam, please visit SupergirlJam.com or TheWB.com, the official online destination for the 2009 Supergirl Jam events and competitions.

Event Results:

Inline Best Trick Top 5:
1) Coco Sanchez (San Francisco, CA); 2) Aarin Gates (Camarillo, CA); 3) Fallon Heffernan (Jacksonville, FL); 4) Chynna Weierstall (Roseville, MI); Katie Ketchum (Buffalo, NY)

Skateboard Street Top 5:
1) Amy Caron (Huntington Beach, CA); 2) Vanessa Torres (Orange County, CA); 3) Alexis Sablone (Connecticut); 4) Tamara Drybrough (Port Coquitlam, Canada); 5) Leticia Bufoni (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

Snowboard Rail Jam Top 5:
1) Laurie Currier (Wrightwood, CA); 2) Nicki Slechta (Los Angeles, CA); 3) Desiree Melancon (Riverside, CA); 4) Madison Blackley (Park City, Utah); 5) Colleen Quigley (Groton, MA)


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