MNSS RACER RYAN VILLOPOTO SECURES A THIRD CONSECUTIVE SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE WITH HIS NINTH WIN OF THE SEASON AT SALT LAKE CITY SX

The Sports Syndicate’s Ryan Villopoto secured his third consecutive Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, in front of a crowd of 43,149 inside Salt Lake City’s Rice-Eccles Stadium. Villopoto earned his 450SX Class-leading ninth win of the season, and the 33rd win of his career. In the main event the champion wasted little time in making a pass for the lead and then set a torrid pace over the opening laps to open a two-plus second advantage. Villopoto withstood the pressure and the difficulty of getting through lapped traffic to lead all 20 laps and clinch the title on a high note. “It’s unreal,” said Villopoto, who tied his career best total of nine wins in a season. “It was a crazy race and the track was really technical. Any little mistake would make it anyone’s game. We started the season off really rough and had a lot of stepping stones to overcome, but we did it as a team and we did it well.” Villopoto became the fifth rider in Monster Energy Supercross history to win three championships, joining Bob Hannah, Jeff Stanton, Jeremy McGrath, and Ricky Carmichael. He also joined Hannah, McGrath, and Carmichael as the only riders to win three titles consecutively. Congrats to Ryan on his history making third consecutive Supercross Championship! Monster Energy Supercross will bring the 2013 season to a close next weekend from Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, May 4.
 

MNSS FMX RIDER ANDRE VILLA TAKES SPEED & STYLE SILVER MEDAL AT X GAMES FOZ DO IGUACU

The Sports Syndicate’s Andre Villa made quick work of fellow competitor David Rinaldo in the opening round of head-to-head competition in Speed & Style at X Games Foz Do Iguacu. With Villa’s win he headed to the Semi-Final, where he faced off against Mat Rebaud. Villa didn’t have trouble the second time against Rebaud, and he dominated his semi-final, which sent him to the final to face off against Lance Coury. This time, Villa had his work cut out for him. Villa believed his tricks were better than Coury’s, but he didn’t want to rely on that to win the event. On the last lap, Coury made an error in the rhythm section just when Villa was about to triple out of the section, as he was the only rider to do that all night. In order to avoid landing on Coury, Villa went flying off of the track, through the plastic retaining wall that surrounded the circuit. Coury fell, too, in the melee, but was quick to get up and get going again. Coury took the win, but Villa won a lot of fans with his go-for-broke move on the final lap. Villa was awarded the silver medal in his first attempt at Speed & Style. “That was a lot of fun,” Villa said. “I’m going to dedicate myself to Speed & Style and I want to start winning these. I think I could’ve won tonight, and if I dedicate myself to this, I think I can win a lot.”
 

MNSS SNOWBOARDER CHAS GULDEMOND WINS HEAVENLY'S HIGH ROLLER HOLD'EM EVENT

At Heavenly's High Roller Hold ‘Em slopestyle contestants were challenged to the luck of the draw at the card table and also their skills on the snowboard jump to earn an entry to the five-man final table. The last eight athletes entered a second three-hand round, with The Sport Syndicate's Chas Guldemond’s Cab double cork 1260 taking the first hand and Mark McMorris winning a hand with a frontside double cork 1080. Guldemond guaranteed his spot at the final table as the highest chip winner in Round 2. Chas came out on top at the final table by collecting a $23,000 chip pot in the second hand of the final after drawing the king of diamonds and also by landing a backside double cork 1260 for the win. Congrats to Chas on his solid winning results!
 

MNSS RACER RYAN VILLOPOTO WINS HIS EIGHTH SUPERCROSS OF THE SEASON DOMINATING AT HOUSTON SX

Inside Reliant Stadium, The Sports Syndicate’s Ryan Villopoto won his fifth consecutive Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, race in front of 49,438 fans. Villopoto gained the lead on the opening lap, and held his position during the entire race to the checkered flag for the win. The race marked Villopoto’s second-consecutive win at Reliant Stadium and he extended his points lead to 21. “It was tough out there tonight,” said Villopoto. “The track was breaking down out there, and there were several variables that we had to deal with. You had to move quickly out there tonight, and that is what I did in the early part of the race. I wanted to establish a lead before the lapped riders would begin to play a factor in the race.” AMA Supercross racing resumes next Saturday, April 13 at Minneapolis’ Metrodome

MNSS RACER RYAN VILLOPOTO WIN STREAK GROWS TO FOUR WITH HIS SEVENTH VICTORY OF THE SEASON AT TORONTO SX

For the seventh time this season, The Sports Syndicate’s Ryan Villopoto took the checkered flag, increasing his lead in the 450SX Class Championship while also extending his current winning streak to four races. Villopoto claimed the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot Award, but momentarily lost the lead shortly thereafter. On lap 3, Villopoto moved into second and set his sights on Millsaps out front. On Lap 11 just after the finish, Villopoto slipped inside Millsaps and was able to take over the position. Once out front, Villopoto pulled away for his 31st career 450SX Class victory and became the first rider to win back-to-back races in Toronto. “It was unbelievable,” exclaimed Villopoto. “Davi is riding really well and he was riding exceptionally well. I got around him with about halfway to go and I was able to get a little bit of a gap. Everybody up here is unbelievable and it shows how fast we really are when we run a pace like that on a track that was so difficult.” Villopoto now carries a 12-point lead going into the 13th race of the season. Monster Energy Supercross will return to action on Saturday, April 6, from Houston’s Reliant Stadium.

MNSS SNOWBOARDER MARK MCMORRIS EARNS SILVER MEDAL IN SLOPESTYLE AT THE EUROPEAN X GAMES IN TIGNES FRANCE

The Sports Syndicate's snowboarder Mark McMorris took the Silver medal on the Jeep Slopestyle course at X Games Tignes 2013. Mark's friend and fellow competitor Sebastien Toutant remarked, "Mark's been killing it this year. I've known him since I was little and you know he proved himself a lot," Toutant said, after the competition, trading high fives with McMorris. McMorris said. "It was my last slopestyle run of the year contest-wise, and to end it like that I'm happy. That's the way I wanted to ride and whatever happened happened." Toutant landed the first clean triple cork of the competition in his second run, followed by a stomped Cab 1260, earning a score of 95.0. That left all eyes on McMorris, who improved his score to 94.0, one point shy of Toutant, with a run that included a Cab 1260 double cork and a backside triple cork.

MNSS RACER RYAN VILLOPOTO EXTENDS MONSTER ENERGY SUPERCROSS POINTS LEAD WITH WIN AT INDIANAOPLIS SX

The Sports Syndicate’s Ryan Villopoto won his sixth 450SX Class Main Event of the season in front of 60,312 fans at Lucas Oil Stadium. From the start Villopoto moved into third place on the opening lap. Villopoto passed Millsaps on lap three but Millsaps answered back and moved into second place. Three laps later Villopoto moved around Millsaps and held the position. On the same lap, Stewart stalled his bike and Villopoto took over the lead. Villopoto, who earned the 30th win of his career, became the first rider to win four races in Indianapolis and extended his points lead to nine. “Lucas Oil Stadium has been great to me; it’s an amazing stadium and I love coming here, said Villopoto. Dungey was able to make up some time on me here and there, but I just kept pushing hard until the end. Racing resumes next at Toronto’s Rogers Centre.

MNSS RACER RYAN VILLOPOTO CARRIES A TWO-RACE WIN STREAK AND BECOMES THE NEW SERIES POINTS LEADER AT THE DAYTONA SX

The Sports Syndicate’s Ryan Villopoto had a dominant outing at Daytona en route to his 450SX Class-leading fifth win of the season and surpassed Millsaps atop the championship standings with a two-point lead. Villopoto grabbed the holeshot and opened a slight gap early, only to lose traction in his rear wheel. He dropped to third following the incident, but worked his way back into the lead by lap four. Once back out front, Villopoto pulled away from the field for perhaps his most convincing effort of the season and now has posted at least five victories for four consecutive seasons. “We’re in a good place,” said Villopoto following the race. “The track was so tough, you just had to keep on your toes and be ready for anything. We didn’t expect to be back in the points lead this fast, but from here we will try to keep the wins coming.” Next, the Indianapolis SX will mark the first time Villopoto has carried the red number plate, which signifies the current championship points leader, since the opening race in Anaheim, when it signified Villopoto as the defending Monster Energy Supercross Champion. The timing to reclaim his possession of the red plate couldn’t be better as Lucas Oil Stadium could very well be considered Villopoto’s favorite venue, taking the checkered flag for three consecutive past seasons.

MNSS SNOWBOARDERS MARK MCMORRIS, TORSTEIN HORGMO & CHAS GULDEMOND SWEEP THE PODIUM FOR 1ST, 2ND & 3RD IN SLOPESTYLE AT THE U.S. OPEN AT VAIL

The Sports Syndicate's snowboarders Mark McMorris, Torstein Horgmo and Chas Guldemond swept the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place slope style podium positions at the 31st annual Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships at Vail Mountain. While snow fell steadily all day, the riding level remained high with competitors working hard under tough conditions. Mark McMorris took his first ever US Open men's slope style victory with a winning run that included a wall ride to gap to lip slide, gap to backside lip slide, double backflip indy grab, frontside 1080 mute grab to a backside 1080 mute grab. Coming in second was Torstein Horgmo, who arguably had the best rail trick of the day, and rounding out the podium in third was Chas Guldemond. "Winning the US Open is one of the highlights from my season, and I think everyone is psyched to see it in Vail," said Mark McMorris. "Conditions were a little rough, but I kept my speed up, and these are the best jumps ever built in slope style. I'm having more fun than I've ever had and to be sharing the podium with my good friends is really fun." Mark's win also made him the World Snowboard Tour Slopestyle Champion for 2013, and he claimed his trophy at the US Open award ceremony in Vail. Congrats to Mark, Torstein and Chas on their dominance in slopestyle at the U.S. Open!

MNSS RACER RYAN VILLOPOTO PICKS UP WIN NUMBER FOUR OF THE 2013 SUPERCROSS SEASON AT THE ST. LOUIS SX

The Sports Syndicate’s Ryan Villopoto won his fourth Monster Energy AMA Supercross race at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. The race was stopped due to a red flag on lap three, and the field had to be re-started but by on lap five, Villopoto had moved into third. Villopoto continued his charge, passing Barcia for second place. During Laps 9-11 Stewart and Villopoto traded places several times, and Villopoto successfully moved into the leader position for the win. "It was a crazy night out there," said Villopoto. "I made a costly mistake on the first start, so I knew my work was cut out for me. I was able to make things happen on the second start and get out in front after some wild racing. It's coming down to crunch time and we were all able to make it happen tonight." Racing resumes on March 9th at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.

MNSS RACER RYAN VILLOPOTO EARNS HIS THIRD VICTORY OF THE 2013 SUPERCROSS SEASON INSIDE COWBOYS STADIUM

The Sports Syndicate’s Ryan Villopoto posted a dominant effort en route to victory aboard his Monster Energy Kawasaki, leading every lap of the Main Event. At the start of the 450SX Class Main Event, Villopoto narrowly missed the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot Award but a little more momentum helped Villopoto slip into the first position just a few feet later. Villopoto moved into sole possession of third in the championship point standings with his 27th career 450SX Class victory. "Starts are definitely important," said Villopoto, who now has the most wins in the championship. "I've had a target on my back this year, everyone knows that, and it's stressful. I'm just trying to have fun with riding again. If we get third, it's on the podium, and if it's second, that's good too. Davi has been riding really good this year, so we have to just chip away at it. It's going to take a while." Monster Energy Supercross continues Saturday, February 23, in Atlanta GA.

MNSS RACER RYAN VILLOPOTO DOMINATES WITH HIS 2ND WIN OF THE 2013 SUPERCROSS SEASON AT OAKLAND SX

  The Sports Syndicate’s Ryan Villopoto raced to his second-consecutive Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX Class Main Event win at O.co Coliseum before a record crowd of 46,896. Villopoto jumped out to an early lead, scoring the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot Award. By Lap 3, Villopoto established a 7-second lead which he increased to over 10 seconds before the checkered flag on his way to a first place finish. “The points race is what we are going after, and winning the holeshot gives you a great advantage,” said Villopoto. “We made some changes to the bike today that I think really helped us out there tonight, so hats off to my team. It is a long season, and we are going to keep plugging away.” Monster Energy Supercross will continue on February 2, at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA.

MNSS SNOWBOARDERS TORSTEIN HORGMO & MARK MCMORRIS TAKE GOLD AND SILVER IN BIG AIR AND MCMORRIS ALSO REPEATS GOLD IN SLOPESTYLE AT THE X GAMES IN ASPEN

  With two previous Golds to his name, four-time event medalist, the Sports Syndicate's Torstein Horgmo opened the Snowboard Big Air competition with its first triple. But in the waning minutes, the 25-year-old Norwegian scored a perfect 50-point run with a switch backside triple cork 1440, the first ever landed in competition, to claim the Gold. "I can't believe it," Horgmo said. "I tried it a week ago and I thought I'd give it a shot here. Any of the other podiums I've been on ever, this was the best one for sure. This was the craziest level of riding that I've ever been a part of." The Sports Syndicate's Mark McMorris also nailed a critical triple on his final hit of the night, a cab triple underflip 1440, a trick he had never tried before Friday night, and no one has ever landed in competition before. The judges awarded him with a score of 48, which was not enough to overtake Horgmo, but allowed him to nab the Silver medal. "Torstein is a boss! What can I say," McMorris said of his friend's victory. "He just absolutely changed the game of snowboarding, and I'm very, very glad I could be a part of it." McMorris's final triple tied his score at 94 with Horgmo, but it was the Norwegian's next-best score that flawless 50-pointer that broke the tie. McMorris also defended his 2012 Gold medal in Slopestyle, posting that event's top two scores and winning with his third-run 98.00, the highest score in X Games Slopestyle history. McMorris raised the bar when he could have coasted down the course on a victory lap. He added a difficult cab double cork 1260 to his last run, which bumped his score from 94.66 to 98.00. "I came here to do the cab 12 and I just felt like it needed to be done," McMorris said. "The course was too good not to do that run. I'm so glad it's over," said McMorris, "I proved myself the way I wanted to and I'm just a happy camper. I landed a run I don't think I've ever done, really." Congrats to both Torstein and Mark on their dominance on the mountain at X Games Aspen 2013!
 
  Mark McMorris Winning Run - Snowboard Slopestyle Final

MNSS RACER RYAN VILLOPOTO CLAIMS FIRST WIN OF THE 2013 SUPERCROSS SEASON AT ANAHEIM 2

  The 2013 Monster Energy AMA Supercross made its return visit to Anaheim Angel Stadium in front of a crowd of 37,789 fans. The Sports Syndicate's Ryan Villopoto emerged victorious for the first time this season. Villopoto came out of the first corner in sixth but quickly began to make his move forward. On Lap 4, Villopoto made the pass on the leader, for second and set his sights on first. Villopoto positioned himself to make a pass for the lead and made an aggressive move on Lap 5 just before the finish line. Once out front, Villopoto logged fast, consistent laps to open up a healthy lead and win by nearly seven seconds. “The season didn’t start like we wanted it to,” said Villopoto, “I had a decent race in Phoenix and the team made good changes to the bike this week. We’ve finally got the ball going in the right direction and are digging ourselves out of the hole. Once I got into the lead, I was just trying to click of the laps and keep it consistent. The track was really slippery tonight, but I still tried to keep the pace up.” Monster Energy Supercross will continue on January 26, in Oakland, CA.

MNSS SNOWBOARDER KYLE MACK PLACES SECOND IN BOTH SUPERPIPE AND BIG AIR AT 2013 O'NEILL EVOLUTION

  The Big Air final at the 2013 O’Neill Evolution exploded into something that will go down as a watershed moment in snowboarding history. 15-year-old Sports Syndicate snowboarder Kyle Mack, scored a world first by putting down the first contest-landed frontside triple rodeo. If you haven’t heard the name Kyle Mack before, hear it here, and hear it now. The 15-year-old uber-ripper-in-waiting dropped into his second of three runs only to suffer the worst slam of the contest following a failed attempt at the unprecedented frontside triple rodeo. Mack picked himself up from his horror slam and dropped into this third and final run. Stomping a never-seen-before-in-contest triple rodeo 1440 indy, and went on to backside lipslide and frontside noseslide to fakie the rail section. Nervous moments ensued before the judges returned a 95.00 points score, which awarded Mack a solid second place finish. The results also saw Kyle Mack move into second in the Overall rankings.
 

  Also in the Men's Superpipe final, it was again left to 15-year old wunderkind, Kyle Mack, to shake up the podium positions in the last run of the event, with a super-technical run that included a frontside 900 mute, and frontside 1080 tail to cab 720 mute Kyle climbed into another 2nd place finish for the 2013 event.
 

MNSS SNOWBOARDER MARK MCMORRIS EARNS SECOND PLACE IN SLOPESTYLE AT FIS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

  In Men's Slopestyle at the FIS Snowboard World Championships in Stoneham, Canada the Sports Syndicate's Mark McMorris, who was the first slopestyle World Cup winner in history, had to settle this time with a Silver medal. However, McMorris was ok with the result. “I was really excited about landing a first run as it was good to get that one out of the way. Other than that I'm really happy with the way I rode. That's what I come to contests to do, ride the best I can. I'm psyched.”

MNSS SNOWBOARDER CHAS GULDEMOND TAKES FIRST IN SLOPESTYLE AT COPPER MOUNTAIN FOR THE US GRAND PRIX

  The Sports Syndicate's Chas Guldemond swept the slopestyle finals at the Paul Mitchell Progression Session at the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain. Despite snowy conditions that made for slow in runs, Guldemond was able to float his signature double 1260 that earned him a winning score of 92.50. The Grand Prix marked the first opportunity for athletes to garner Olympic qualifying points and 5Star World Snowboard Tour points. The event also doubled as the U.S. Snowboarding Championships with Guldemond taking the national slopestyle title. Chas commented, "My first run was for the U.S. Snowboarding team and my second run was for me. As always I try to have a good time snowboarding no matter what. It feels so good to be on top and start the Olympic qualifying period. It’s my goal to continue this success to the best of my abilities. The weather was tough, but back home in New Hampshire I grew it with this kind of weather and it makes you tough. I have really been working hard to perfect my run and it is going well so far, I am happy with how my dub 12 is coming together."
 

MNSS SNOWBOARDER MARK MCMORRIS FEATURED IN ESPN THE MAGAZINES ANNUAL NEXT DOUBLE ISSUE

  You might already know their names; you might not. But ESPN is telling you right now. The faces in the Annual NEXT issue are the ones to watch. Every year since 1998, ESPN The Magazine has recognized an elite group of emerging athletes to watch in the year ahead, athletes dubbed NEXT. They are competitors not only on the cusp of stardom, but on the verge of transcending their sports. ESPN The Magazine’s “NEXT” issue features profiles of young athletes on the brink of greatness, including The Sports Syndicate's pro snowboarder Mark McMorris among others. A complete list of 2012 NEXT athletes and an article with Mark McMorris is available at www.espn.com/next and in ESPN The Magazine.