Canada's largest snowboarding event bringing together the world's top professional riders!
______________________________________________________ (Montreal, February 8, 2006) — Snowboard fever sweeps Mont Saint-Sauveur March 24th and 25th as the greatest professional riders in the world vie for top honours at the one and only competition of its type in North America: Empire Shakedown 2006! Presented by McDonald's Restaurants of Québec, the 5th edition of Empire Shakedown showcases more than 35 professional riders (by invitation) and 50 of the most promising amateurs in two days of unforgettable competition. Adrenaline will rise to unprecedented levels, among the athletes as well as the 30,000 spectators expected on the site! Jeremy Jones and Marc Frank Montoya (USA), Eero Niemela (Finland), Canadian Brad Martin - member of the national snowboard team at the Torino 2006 Olympics, in the Freestyle category — as well as Quebecers Jean-François Pelchat and Benji Ritchie, are just a few of the high-profile riders vying for the largest purse in Shakedown history ($20,000). "The involvement of major partners will allow us to raise the quality of the event to new heights as well as increase attendance, which has hovered around 15,000 during the first four years," noted Brendan O'Dowd, president and co-founder of DIZZLE Productions Inc. "We are very proud to present this 5th edition, which reflects the soaring popularity of this sport and the lifestyle it represents for the young and the young at heart. Not only is the Empire Shakedown a not-to-be-missed sporting event, it is also a true vehicle for snowboard culture at its finest!"
Empire Shakedown 2006: an international competition unique in North America
Riders will be participating in a unique competition involving the mastery of two different disciplines (jump followed by the rail) in a jam format. Physical facilities, which include a three-texture rail, won't be unveiled before the first day of competition, Friday, March 24th. This unveiling is highly anticipated by visitors as well as competitors who will be required to adjust their strategy to the rail's composition. Each rider will be judged on two runs, which must be completed within a set timeframe, during which the competitor must warm up, announce his two runs and carry them out under the critical eye of a jury consisting of four snowboard professionals. There is no predetermined order; riders perform their runs when they feel ready to do so. Three of the 50 amateur riders will be chosen to compete with the 35 professionals in the semi-finals. Of these, 15 will move to the event's major competition, the Shakedown finals slated for Saturday, March 25th. The largest purse in the history of the Shakedown Marking the 5th anniversary of this event, Empire Shakedown 2006 is offering the largest purse in its history. In fact, the event's four grand winners will be splitting a total of $20,000 as follows▪ $10,000 to the winner of the Shakedown (March 25th competition)
▪ $3,000 to the 2nd place winner
▪ $2,000 to the 3rd place winner
▪ $5,000 to the winner of McDonald's "Best Trick" Contest (March 24th) Thrilling to the beat of snow culture! Mont Saint-Sauveur will thrill to the beat of spectacular performances delivered by riders participating in this highly colourful and exciting event. Spectators can expect avalanches of jumps throughout these two days of unforgettable competitions! "We are very pleased to be hosting an event of this nature. The Empire Shakedown is an outstanding competition in terms of its organization as well as the calibre of participants, and we feel particularly privileged to be associated with it. We invite fans to turn out in large numbers," stated Katherine Chartrand, Special Event Products Manager for Mont Saint-Sauveur International (MSSi). Gathered at the foot of the runs, visitors will enjoy a close-up view of every performance, just feet from the physical facilities set up specifically for the competition. This will allow them to cheer on their favourite riders to the beat of DJ Fiend and Scratch Bastid, who will be on hand at the heart of the Shakedown Village with its lively entertainment. On the all-free entertainment program: snowboarding booths, door prizes, and a MATIX Clothing fashion show on the Solo Mobile stage. In short, an incredible opportunity to discover the snowboard culture with which thrill-seekers identify fully. Schedule (subject to change)
Friday, March 24
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Amateur qualification events (maximum of 50 participants)
5 p.m. Announcement of the 3 qualifying amateurs
6 to 8 p.m. McDonald's "Best Trick" Contest
(20 athletes will be invited to perform tricks on the rail)
8:30 p.m. Awarding of the prizes
Saturday, March 25
Noon to 1 p.m. Not to be missed!
Autograph session with the professional riders
2 to 5:30 p.m. Participants' warm-up and semi-finals
6 to 6:45 p.m. Vans' half-time show
Skateboarding on rail/obstacle (performed by professional skateboarders)
7 to 8:30 p.m. Shakedown 2006
9 p.m. Doors open for the Shakedown Coors Light —
the most popular after-party* in the industry, with DJ Fiend and Scratch Bastid, as well as a host of others!
* Must be 18 years of age or over. Major partners join the 5th anniversary of the Empire Shakedown 2006 The presentation of the 2006 edition, marking the event's 5th anniversary, is possible thanks to the collaboration of major industry partners as well as partners from the private sector, who took the leap with gusto! They are: McDonald's Restaurants of Quebec (the event's presenter), SOLO Mobile, Vans, Mont Saint-Sauveur, Ride snowboards, Matix Clothing, Coors Light, and Arush, as well as Session, Spy, New Era, Technine, Drop and Moog Audio. Participating media include: Snowboarder Magazine, Musique Plus and 33 Mtl.com. It should further be noted that a special program on this event will be telecast on RDS (April 15, 2006) and TSN (Spring 2006). McDonald's Restaurants present Empire Shakedown 2006
McDonald's is a proud supporter of sports. In recent years, it has contributed to the development of various sports such as soccer and hockey. It has also been an official sponsor of the Olympic Games since 1976. "We are pleased to present Canada's largest snowboarding competition, Shakedown 2006," noted Richard Caron, Regional Marketing Director, McDonald's Restaurants. "This event allows young people to share their passion for snowboarding in a unique ambience. For McDonald's, it's important to encourage young people to take part in activities they love."
Empire Stores: instigators of the most important snowboard event in Canada. With four sales outlets in the Greater Montreal area (Boisbriand, Boucherville, Montreal and Sainte-Julie) and 70 employees dedicated to customer service, Empire is, without a doubt, the largest specialized distributor of snowboarding and skateboarding clothing and accessories in Québec. Founded in 1999, the company has served more than 40,000 customers and carries an inventory valued at more than $7 million. "At Empire, we've made the snowboard and skateboard culture our priority. All of our development efforts are focused on the promotion of these two sports whose popularity continues to soar among the young," explained Philippe Grisé, co-founder of the company. Empire Shakedown 2006 is, unquestionably, the must-see snowboarding event in Canada! Its 5th edition will mark the exciting close of this spectacular sports' 2005-2006 season on our mountains!