15 Jul

JACKALOPE: MONTREAL’S NEW ACTION SPORTS FESTIVAL

Posted by Guest

Summer is so exciting in Montreal that people naturally want to run, hop and skip, but now there’s actually a reason to do so. Introducing Jackalope, an action sports fest that’s making the Olympic Park THE place to live high moments…

Uniting all the most entertaining urban action sports – you know, the ones that involve speed, risk and razor-sharp skills – to the sounds of live rock’n’roll, the Jackalope Festival is completely free (ding!) and open to anyone with a sense of adventure (ding ding)!

Competing participants are eligible to win all sorts of prizes, including a $5,000 grand prize in the skate competition (register on the website) – plus they’ll get to rub shoulders with athletes of international acclaim. Whether in the heat of competition or on the sidelines, here are six reasons to be there or square next weekend!

1) Skate: Overseen by skateboarding champ Bastien Salabanzi, from France, the skateboarding promises lots of ooh and ahhs– and the occasional ouch. Join in on Friday from 4-7:30 pm and on Saturday from 12-1 pm; then things will heat up starting at 2, with the qualifying rounds. The finals start at 8pm, and lead to the multisport award ceremony at 9pm.

2) Fixed-Gear: Fixed-gear champion Addison Zawada will be one among many gravity-defying competitors in this bike tricks sport, which involves a track stand contest, a foot-down contest and a wallride contest over the event’s two days. This is action eye candy of the most mind-bending sort!

3) Slackline: You’ve seen them in a park near you: everyday acrobats who do wacky things on a rope tied between two trees. The athletes here will take it up a notch by executing incredible feats of balance. The open practice is yours to join or watch on Friday, 4-9pm, and then Saturday from 12-6pm, when the trickline competition kicks off.

4) Parkour: Like to run and jump off buildings? Well, you’re crazy, but you’re not alone. Join your peers on Friday, 4-9pm, and Saturday, 12-9pm, for a parkour jam. There’ll also be workshops, which will teach you how to go further, faster, safer. The Olympic Park is the perfect site to practice – it’s full of amazing architectural features.

5) Longboard: The big brother of the skateboard, the longboard exercises a whole different set of talents, predicated not so much on jumps and acrobatics but on floor moves involving the hands that make it look practically like freeze-posing in breakdance. Check it out or join in yourself on both days before the slalom contest kicks off on Saturday at 5pm.

6) Freestyle Motocross: Motocross king Ben Milot, from Quebec, will be among the speedy racers on Friday. This one is reserved to the pros, for obvious safety reasons; watch them from 5 to 6 pm, before the big race starts at 7!

THE DETAILS

Jackalope Action Sports Festival, July 20-21, 2012

Olympic Park, 4141 Pierre-de-Coubertin Avenue

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