Jomopro Adds Flatland to 2009 Contest

This April 3rd and 4th flatland will be added to the annual Jomopro contest held at Autumn Ramp Park in Joplin, Missouri. Jomopro has grown over the past four years from a small-town jam to an internationally recognized event with X Games and Dew Tour athletes competing for $20,000 in prize money. Jomopro hopes that their flatland event will continue to grow year after year just as the skatepark contest has. The vision is to make the Jomopro flatland contest one of the biggest in North America within the next few years.
This year the contest already expects top professional flatland riders from the U.S., Canada, France, and more, and promises to pay out a minimum of $3,000* in prize money to the top 10 pros. X Games and Dew Tour announcer Catfish will be on hand to keep the riders and the crowd excited during the event as a panel of five judges keep tabs on the runs. 

The contest will be held in The Foundry, a concert hall connected to Autumn Ramp Park, with two amateur classes competing on Friday and the pro class competing on Saturday, followed by a party in The Foundry. 

We are encouraging flatland riders of all ages and skill level from all around the world to register for flatland's debut at Jomopro and be a part of history. Registration is now open online at http://www.jomopro.net/registration.html.

Sign up early to make sure you don’t miss out on your opportunity to compete in one of the best flatland events the Midwest has ever seen.

Event Details:
Date: April 3-4, 2009
Location: Autumn Ramp Park/The Foundry, 3405 S. Hammon Blvd. Joplin, MO 64804
Cost: Spectator $10 (day), $25 (weekend pass) - Intermediate - $25, Expert - $50, Pro - $100
Classes: Intermediate, Expert, Pro (Strict limit of 50 riders per class.)
Pro Purse: $3000*, paying the top 10 riders
(*All entries fees from each flatland class will go directly into the pro purse. Prize money will increase in relation to how many riders enter.)

Flatland Contest Schedule:
Friday, April 3:
10am-1pm - Open practice for amateurs
1pm-2pm - Intermediate competition
2:30pm-4:30pm - Expert qualifying
5pm-5:45pm - Expert finals
Saturday, April 4:
10am-1pm - Open practice for pros
1pm-3pm - Pro qualifying
7pm-8:30pm - Pro finals

Format:
Intermediate:
Each rider gets one 60 second run. The average of three judges' scores is the rider's score for their run. There is no qualifying/finals for Intermediate.
Expert:
Qualifying - Each rider gets one 60 second run. The average of the three judges' scores is the rider's score for their run. If more than 25 riders enter Expert, 8 will compete in finals. If less than 25 riders enter Expert, 6 will compete in finals. If less than 15 riders enter Expert, there will be no finals. The average of three judges scores will determine who qualifies.
Finals - Each rider gets one 90 second run with an option for a last trick or combo. The average of three judges' scores is the rider's final score.
Pro:
Qualifying - Each rider gets one two-minute run and the option for a last trick or combo. The average of five judges' scores will determine who qualifies. The top 12 riders move to finals.
Finals - The pro finals will run a single-elimination bracket-style format. During each battle, the riders will take turns—each with a total of two one-minute runs and one last trick or combo. Immediately after the last tricks, the two riders will stand in the middle of the floor with the announcer. The five judges will each hold up a flag indicating which rider they think won the battle. The rider with the most votes from the judges will move on to the next round and the losing rider is eliminated from the contest.

Judging:
Judges will not be announced prior to the event. There will be three judges for the amateur classes and five for the pro class. Each judge has been selected by the event organizers based on their qualifications. During qualifying, judges' scores will serve as a reference, not a definite number. The judges may talk amongst themselves and review each other's scores after all qualifying runs are finished to make any adjustments they feel are necessary and select who will be in the finals.

Travel Information:
Hotel:
Holiday Inn Joplin has created a special rate for anyone attending Jomopro. The rate is $59.00 a night and they will donate $5 of that back to The Bridge. You can reserve rooms by calling Holiday Inn at (417) 782-1000 and asking for the Jomopro/Bridge rate.
There are also several other hotels in the area within a short driving distance and a few within riding and walking distance. You can use Google.com or YellowPages.com to search for hotels in Joplin, Missouri.
Airfare:
Joplin has a small airport, but most find it easier to fly into Springfield, Missouri or Tulsa, Oklahoma and rent a car. It is a little more than an hour from both of those airports to the venue and an easy drive to Joplin using the Interstates. You can use Kayak.com to help search for a flight and rental car.
Local:
While Joplin doesn't offer a lot as far as nightlife or tourism, there are plenty of affordable restaurants, fast food chains, and grocery stores nearby the contest venue to make eating on the go a breeze.

List Of Riders:
Pro:
Matthias Dandois
Matt Wilhelm
Justin Miller
Chad Johnston
Raphaël Chiquet
Alex Jumelin
Ron Monis
Brian Rybak
Cory Fester

Am:
Alex Poirier
Prasheel Gopal
Josh Duffek
Addison Moore
Tyler Gilliard
Bryan Huffman
Isaiah Jordan