Action Sports Industry Comes Together to Support Mike Vincent
July 3, 2008 – 4:36 am PT by GregTags: Benefit, Mike Vincent —
A new auction has been set up to help support the recovery of Mike Vincent, a former pro BMX rider who was badly injured in an accident last January.
Vincent is a popular figure in the BMX scene and has served as a judge at most major events. He was struck by a car while riding his bike to work on January 18 and suffered major injuries including the possibility of loss of sight.
While there have been a number of local fundraisers held to raise money for Vincent, who did not have medical insurance, this is the first major coordinated effort to raise funds for his care and recovery.
The auction will be held on eBay and start on July 18, the six-month anniversary of his accident. Items from athletes and companies from across all action sports will be up for bid, including autographed items by Ryan Sheckler, Ryan Nyquist, Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg, Bucky Lasek, Jake Brown, Jeremy Lusk, PLG, P-Rod and Tony Hawk.
See a full list of the items up for auction here and check out the full press release after the flier.
Ebay Auction established to raise funds for injured Action Sports BMX Athlete Mike Vincent
LOS ANGELES (July 2, 2008) — On January 18, while riding his bike to work Mike Vincent, a former BMX rider who has been a prominent fixture in the sport for many years, was struck by a car. He sustained major head trauma and many bodily injuries, including the possibility of permanent loss of sight. Like many action sports athletes, Mike did not have any insurance at the time of the accident therefore payment for all of his treatment and future rehabilitation and surgeries, outside of a life-threatening emergency, will have to come out of his own pocket.
In addition to competing in BMX, Mike has worked as a judge for all of the major action sports competitions, including the X Games, LG Action Sports World Tour, AST Dew Tour, and the former Gravity Games. He has also been a part of most of the core BMX competitions, including Rebel Jam and the CFB events. During the off-season he worked as a professional caddy at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, in Gainesville, VA.
Over the last few months the industry has assisted Mike by participating in local fundraisers and donating their heart, time and money when needed. However, the need is greater than anyone could have ever imagined and the support must continue in every way possible. Realizing that at any time Mike’s plight could be their own, the industry has established an Ebay auction to raise funds for Mike’s current and future treatment. At the 6th month mark of Mike’s accident, an auction will be opened on EBay. On Friday, July 18th, at 12:00 PM EST the auction will go live online. Many athletes have graciously donated items for this cause. All items will be offered for only 10 days. Final bids must be completed by 12:00 PM EST on July 27th.
Some of the auction items include:
* DC x SE Quadrangle 24 in Cruiser: Limited Edition
* X Games 14 VIP Package
* Ryan Sheckler’s autographed Plan B 3D Skate Deck
* Haro Forum Pro Lite: autographed by Ryan Nyquist
* Chris Haslam’s autographed Almost Skateboards Deck
* Mat Hoffman’s autographed Bell helmet worn during X Games 13 Mega Ramp Contest
* Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg’s signed Thor Jersey worn during Moto X World Championships
For a full detailed list of auction items please go to: http://www.actionsportstour.com/mikevincent/benefits/ebayauction.html
For details and updates on Mike’s condition please visit www.actionsportstour.com/mikevincent/ or contact Olivia Elizandro at 310 738 0936 or via email at MikeVincentUpdates@gmail.com
The road to recovery will be a long one, but together we can make a difference.
Contriubutors:
Alien Workshop Skateboards, Almost Skateboards, Alpinestars, ASA Entertainment, Blind Skateboards, Bucky Lasek, Chris Haslam, Chris Reed, Coda Skateboards, Creative Deployment, Dakine, Darkstar Skateboards, DC Shoes, Duo BMX, Dwindle Distributions, Element Skateboards, ESPN, Gagosian Gallery, Habitat Skateboards, Haro Bikes, Helen’s Cycle, Herbivore Clothing, Hoffman Bikes, Ideology Productions, Indie Printing, Jake Brown, Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg, Jeremy Lusk, Jim Bauer, LAfixed.com, Mat Hoffman, Metal Mulisha, Odyssey BMX, Paul Rodriguez, Pierre-Luc Gagnon, Plan B Skateboards, Playboy, Robert Trent Jones Golf Course, Ryan Nyquist, Ryan Sheckler, Souney Media, Sweet Pea Bakery, The Bungalow Club, Todd Potter, Tony Hawk, Verde BMX, Wasserman Media Group LLC, Woodward Camp, X Games, Yanco Pads
