Monster Energy’s Dave Mirra plays host to the ina...

 

By Pat Schutte

 

Photos courtesy of Tyler Northrup/espn.com

 

CORONA, Calif., (Dec. 15, 2009) – Monster Energy’s Dave Mirra hosted one of BMX’s more unique and certainly best-sponsored contests of the year this past weekend, featuring 16 of the world’s top stars of the sport - hand-picked by Mirra himself – in an inaugural event dubbed “King of the Animal House.”

 

Mirra was more than pumped with the way things turned out, citing the not only the high-level prizes from companies like Subaru and DC, but the overall presence Monster Energy enjoyed at this first-ever contest at Mirra’s indoor Greenville, N.C. – aka “Protown” - BMX compound.

 

“I can’t begin to explain how happy I am with the way things went this past weekend at the King of the Animal House,” said Mirra. “Most importantly the riders were super, super stoked at the end of it. I put a TON of time into this and, considering I’ve never put on a contest before, it was just really cool to see everything come together the way I’d imagined it in my head.

 

“Subaru, DC – they were stoked with the way things turned out. But this was a Monster theme for sure.”

 

The contest opened on Friday night with what Mirra dubbed a “Cash Jam” format. Here the riders would look to put up the burliest trick, or “a web clip,” as Mirra put it. The big winner on Friday night, as Mirra had earlier predicted, was Morgan Wade. The hard-hitting Texan threw a turndown over the park’s biggest gap and into the quarter pipe. And Wade pulled this gnarbuckle trick with a separated shoulder he’d popped the day before in practice. Add that to a jacked ankle and Wade was hobbling all weekend, even at the stellar awards banquet held at downtown Greenville’s LA Lounge.

 

“BMX riders feed off each other and Dave (Mirra) knows this. There was 16 guys competing at this event that are all friends, and when you see a buddy throw something big it forces you to step up your own game,” said Monster Energy’s Zack “Catfish” Yankush, MC for King of the Animal House. “One guy throws down with something insane and the riding level literally goes through the roof.”

 

With the amplitude level pinned and Catfish whipping everyone into a frenzy on the mic, Saturday’s contest blew up even bigger with a Subaru WRX – no doubt the biggest prize in the history of a grassroots backyard BMX contest such as Mirra’s – on the line, as well as a couple dirt bikes courtesy of DC and Yamaha. “We were looking for kind of a core feel with big prizes,” said Mirra. “And we organized everything with the riders in mind.”

 

“It’s one of the best times I’ve ever had at a contest,” said Monster Energy’s Ryan Guettler. “Definitely had that backyard feeling with all your friends there. The practice sessions were just as excellent as the contests, mucking around and joking with your buddies. It was a real good time.” Note: Guettler stepped off a high line on an under-rotated front flip and mushed his heel in the Cash Jam, which all but knocked him out of major prize contention.
 

 

Coming out on top was Dennis Enerson, who ripped all weekend. Enerson got the WRX, with veteran Ryan Nyquist pulling off 2nd – and a Yamaha dirt bike – while Craig Mast scored a bitchin’ Monster Energy edition Breitling watch for 3rd.

 

Regarding his plans for 2010, Mirra says he’s all for stepping up with the second annual King of the Animal House. “If I can get the sponsors interested in it like they were this year – or even more so – I’ll for sure do it again.”

 

Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it BMX, go-karts, pit bikes, MX, SX, mountain bikes, PWC racing, off road, rally, insane distance jumping, MotoGP, road racing, supermoto, FMX, skate, rock crawling, wake, surf, snow – name it – seems athletes and bands are rockin' Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out the types - Original Monster Energy, Lo-Carb Monster, Monster Assault, Monster's fruit juice hybrids dubbed Monster Khaos, Monster M-80 and Monster MIXXD, the ground-breaking Java Monster and X-Presso Monster premium coffee & cream drink line supercharged with Monster Energy's blend, 3 oz. Monster Hitman Energy Shooters, Monster Import, and the new nitrous oxide injected Nitrous Monster. Everyone at the inaugural King of the Animal House dug ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterarmy.com and www.monsterenergy.com