Third Year's A Charm: Red Bull Crashed Ice Qualifiers Kick Off In The US; Ice Cross Downhill World Championship Back To Saint Paul, MN Feb 20-22

SAINT PAUL, Minn., Nov. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Red Bull Crashed Ice is coming back to the US for the third year in a row, and the Ice Cross Downhill competition is seeking top competitors to take on a highly technical track in Saint Paul, reaching speeds of up to 40mph.  Starting today, registration is open for eight qualifiers across the US on www.redbullcrashedice.com. Contenders will be able to qualify for the national shootout and a chance at a spot in the main event through eight open qualifiers across the country.  After having their speed and agility skills tested, 100 elite athletes will come together in front of the iconic Cathedral of Saint Paul for the only stop in the USA.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131115/LA18276)

Athletes may come from a variety of disciplines - hockey, downhill skiing, speed skating, boardercross, and others – speed, agility, perseverance, toughness and courage are the ingredients needed for success. The United States has quickly become one of the world's leading Ice Cross Downhill powers, with Minnesota native Cameron Naasz taking a first-ever win for the United States in Switzerland last year and getting on the podium in three of five races to take third overall in the series, behind superstars Derek Wedge and Kyle Croxall.

The USA qualifiers are as follows:

St. Louis, MO: December 29th
Buffalo, NY: January 4th
Tampa, FL: January 4th
Denver, CO: January 17th
Chicago, IL: January 24th
Saint Paul, MN: January 26th
Detroit, MI: February 4th
Duluth, MN: February 9th

Go to www.redbullcrashedice.com for exact locations and registration process, as dates and times are subject to change.  Entrants must be US citizens and at least 18 years of age.  Qualifiers will have two identical obstacle courses and each skater will have to take on each course.  Each downhill passage will remain the same at each battle around the world, ensuring to define the best athletes. The best score will be used to identify the best of the best, which will produce the final list of participants for the US finale event in Saint Paul, MN Jan. 24-26. Three Americans and one reserve will move on to form Team USA 2013 and head to the three next stops of the World Championship. 

Can't make it to a city near you to qualify? This year, Red Bull Crashed Ice in partnership with Holiday introduces the 2014 Red Bull Crashed Ice Wild Card Program, an opportunity to earn one of ten spots to compete in the 2014 Red Bull Crashed Ice event in St. Paul, MN with a video submission. Elite athletes all over the country who can't get to a qualifying event, but deserve a shot to showcase their skills and abilities can submit there bid to be apart of the final ten qualifying spots. Video submissions should showcase an athlete's speed, control and stamina. Hopefuls can head to www.redbullcrashedice.com/wildcard to put forward their video detailing why they should be chosen. The winners will be announced on February 5, 2014.

About Red Bull Crashed Ice – Saint Paul
The world's fastest Ice Cross Downhill athletes are coming back to Saint Paul to compete in the toughest competition on skates: Red Bull Crashed Ice. Athletes will go four-at-a-time through a demanding, gritty, glacial downhill course full of turns, canals and chutes – all against the backdrop of the iconic Cathedral of Saint Paul. Back in the land of 10,000 lakes for the third time, this year's man-made ice track has been specifically designed for head-to-head battle, and will once again be the most technically challenging course this season. The action returns to the US on February 20-22, 2014 as the second stop on this year's Ice Cross Downhill World Championship tour.

With four athletes duking it out shoulder-to-shoulder down an intimidating and treacherous icicle in full ice cross downhill gear, the combatants will race up to 40 miles an hour down steep ice canals dotted with jumps, rollers, obstacles, banked corners and hairpin bends – until the first two cross the finish line and advance to the next round. This bracketed madness will continue until the final chapter when the four remaining competitors race to the bottom to crown the champ.

About Red Bull Crashed Ice 2014 Tour
The Red Bull Crashed Ice schedule for its 14th season in 2014 will also include a return to Finland and Russia and the annual stop in Canada. The race in Finland will be staged on one of a growing number of permanent tracks being built around the world in a reflection of the sport's growing popularity.

The Red Bull Crashed Ice 2014 calendar is as follows:

Points are up for grabs at each of the four stops of the Ice Cross Downhill World Championship: the winner collects 1,000 points and competitors all the way down to 100th (0.5 point) can collect valuable points. Whoever finishes the season with the most points after the four races is crowned champion. 

Ice Cross Downhill reached new heights in the 2012/13 season with nearly 300,000 spectators at the five races. The 2012-13 season was the biggest and most spectacular in the history of the sport with four winners in five different races on the longest and most challenging tracks ever built. Ice Cross Downhill evolved last season away from the dominance of former hockey players with athletes from a variety of different sporting backgrounds – everything from downhill skiing to mountain biking.

All four Red Bull Crashed Ice 2014 races will be broadcast across Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2 as part of a recent three-year agreement with FOX Sports to carry The Red Bull World Series. The networks will televise nearly 180 hours over three years of live (where available) and highlighted high-definition, season-long coverage of Red Bull events taking place at some of the most iconic and breath-taking sporting venues in the world.

For more information on Red Bull Crashed Ice, the US qualifiers and global stops, please visit www.redbullcrashedice.com.  For photography, footage and additional information on previous Red Bull Crashed Ice seasons, visit www.redbullcrashedicenewsroom.com.  Media Accreditation is also open via the News Room beginning today.

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SOURCE Red Bull