Inaugural "Arby's Action Sports Awards" to Premiere on Fox, Sunday, December 10
X Games Champion Travis Pastrana Nominated Four Times;
Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White Up For Three Awards;
Olympians Hannah Teter, Gretchen Bleiler and Lindsey Jacobellis
Compete for Female Snowboarder of the Year
Fans to Begin Voting Online Now at www.fuel.tv
Los Angeles, CA – The top action sports performances of the year will be honored at the inaugural Arby’s® Action Sports Awards presented by FUEL TV, airing nationally on FOX, Sunday, December 10. The ceremony will bring together the biggest names in skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, BMX, freestyle motocross and more along with dozens of celebrities from across the entertainment spectrum for one star-studded, high-flying show!
FMX star Travis Pastrana received four nominations following his double backflip performance at this summer’s X Games. Jamie Bestwick, one of the top BMX vert riders in the world, also received four nominations. Shaun White is up for three awards coming off his Olympic Gold Medal and Winter X Games Gold Medal snowboard runs. Lindsey Jacobellis contends for Female Snowboarder of the Year with fellow Olympians Hannah Teter and Gretchen Bleiler. The competition continues out of the water for surfers Andy and Bruce Irons, Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Sofia Mulanovich, Rochelle Ballard and Chelsea Georgeson, among other top pros.
“Being nominated for one award would be special, but four awards is truly unbelievable,” said Pastrana. “I’ve had just an amazing year and to be recognized by the industry is an honor.”
Winners will be determined by the combination of fan balloting and a panel of expert judges, then announced during taped ceremonies on November 30. FOX will air the show nationally on December 10, at 2:30 PM ET/PT or 4:30 PM ET/PT either preceding or following local NFL coverage that afternoon (check local listings). FUEL TV, the only 24/7 network dedicated to the lifestyle of action sports, is hosting online voting now for fans and viewers at www.fuel.tv.
“FOX Sports is happy to be working in conjunction with our brethren at FUEL TV to bring the Arby's Action Sports Awards to the entire country," said FOX Sports President Ed Goren. "Action sports are growing in popularity every year, and this show highlights the best of the best."
The Arby’s Action Sports Awards is produced by Future Mainstream Productions and the award-winning team of Bob Bain and Mike Burg, veterans of such events as the “Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards” and the “Teen Choice Awards.” FUEL TV is supporting the event with its signature red carpet series “Blue Carpet Special,” a special preview show premiering November 6, and will re-telecast the Arby’s Action Sports Awards throughout December.
“The growth and popularity of action sports is at an all-time high and it is time to honor such amazing feats as Shaun White’s Olympic Gold Medal and Travis Pastrana’s double backflip at the X Games,” said Bain. “Not only do children aspire to be the next Pastrana or White, but the music and entertainment industries have a true affinity for these sports, so we look forward to putting together a memorable event for viewers.”
Arby’s has signed on to be the presenting sponsor and other major sponsors include Jeep®, Activision and Nike. “Through this event, we’ve been able to create an unprecedented integrated marketing platform to reach the highly sought-after male 14-34 demo in the fourth quarter,” said Burg. “For a creative and aggressive marketer, the opportunities to work with the show are endless”
“This was a fantastic opportunity for us to partner with a brand new awards program that recognizes young athletes for extraordinary talents,” said Debra Mager, Senior Vice President of National Advertising, Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. “These kids take risks and excel at being different, which is something we at Arby’s have always prided ourselves on.”
A panel of industry experts nominated the top athletes in 20 different categories. Many of the awards are sport and gender specific such as Skateboarder of the Year (male and female) and FMX Rider of the Year. Achievements that transcend the genre have been nominated in categories such as Rider of the Year, Huevos Grande and Performance of the Year. The following is a complete list of awards and nominees:
Action Sports Performance of the Year
Jamie Bestwick BMX - Dew Action Sports Tour post surgery
Chris Cole Skate - Video Part in “New Blood”
Travis Pastrana FMX – X Games, Dew Action Sports Tour
Shaun White Snow - Gold medal runs
Kelly Slater Surf – Contending for 8th ASP title
Hannah Teter Snow - Gold medal runs
Rider of the Year
Jamie Bestwick BMX
Danny Harf Wake
Travis Pastrana FMX
Ryan Sheckler Skate
Kelly Slater Surf
Shaun White Snow
Rookie of the Year
Danny Davis Snow
Elena Hight Snow
Bobby Martinez Surf
Anthony Napolitan BMX
Nyjah Huston Skate
Skateboarder of the Year (M) Skateboarder of the Year (F)
Bob Burnquist Cara-Beth Burnside
Chris Cole Amy Caron
Sandro Dias Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins
Nyjah Huston Mimi Knoop
Bucky Lasek Jen O’Brien
Ryan Scheckler Elissa Steamer
Jereme Rogers Vanessa Torres
BMX Rider of the Year (M)
Jamie Bestwick
Scotty Cranmer
Ryan Guettler
Chad Kagy
Anthony Napolitan
Ryan Nyquist
Luke Parslow
FMX Rider of the Year (M)
Nate Adams
Kenny Bartram
Adam Jones
Mike Mason
Travis Pastrana
Mat Rebeaud
Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg
Motocross Rider of the Year (M)
Ricky Carmichael
Tyler Evans
Davi Millsaps
Chad Reed
James “Bubba” Stewart
Kevin Windham
Surfer of the Year (M) Surfer of the Year (F)
Taj Burrow Rochelle Ballard
Mick Fanning Layne Beachley
Andy Irons Chelsea Georgeson
Bruce Irons Keala Kennelly
Rob Machado Sofia Mulanovich
Kelly Slater Melanie Redman-Carr
Wakeboarder of the Year (M) Wakeboarder of the Year (F)
Andrew Adkison Emily Copeland-Durham
Danny Harf Dallas Friday
Rusty Malinoski Tara Hamilton
Tino Santori Maeghan Major
Phillip Soven Melissa Marquardt
Daniel Watkins Amber Wing
Snowboarder of the Year (M) Snowboarder of the Year (F)
Mason Aguirre Hana Beaman
Andy Finch Gretchen Bleiler
Jeremy Jones (Jibber, Burton) Torah Bright
Jeremy Jones (Big Mtn – Rossi) Lindsey Jacobellis
Danny Kass Janna Meyen
Jussi Oksanen Leanne Pelosi
Travis Rice Hannah Teter
Shaun White
Skier of the Year (M) Skier of the Year (F)
Pep Fujas Ingrid Backstrom
Tanner Hill Sarah Burke
Shane McConkey Grete Eliason
Seth Morrison Kristi Leskinen
Jon Olsson
Candide Thovex
Best Slam
Allan Cooke BMX - Dew Action Sports Tour (Denver)
Garrett McNamara Surf - Shark Island
Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg FMX - Dew Action Sports Tour (Louisville)
Huevos Grande
Ryan Capes FMX - Moto jump 317 ft
Shane Dorian Surf - Teahupoo barrel
Brad Gerlach Surf - 68 ft wave
Travis Pastrana FMX - double backflip
Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg FMX - 154 ft backflip
Danny Way Skate - Great Wall jump or Hard Rock bomb drop
New Pollution – (up-and-coming groms)
John John Florence Surf
Elena Hight Snow
Nyjah Huston Skate
Luke Mitrani Snow
Carissa Moore Surf
Comeback of the Year
Nate Adams FMX - After Broken leg, back on this year
Jamie Bestwick BMX - After fused neck, back in Dew Acton Sports Tour Louisville
Brian Deegan FMX - MTV crash, competed at X Games best trick
Ryan Guettler BMX - After Crash in Louisville, back in Dew Action Sports Tour San Jose
Richie Lovett Surf - Cancer, back surfing by Trestles
Shaun Murray Wake – Announced retirement, recovered from two knee injuries