By MATT HIGGINS
Published: July 30, 2009

LOS ANGELES — Two weeks ago, Cameron Sinclair, a professional freestyle motocross rider from Australia, crashed hard during a competition in Madrid, hitting the dirt head-first after failing to execute a double back flip on his motorcycle. With serious injuries, and with no one among his friends, family or support staff who were present able to speak Spanish, Sinclair needed help.

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As he was whisked to a hospital in critical condition with bruising of his brain, a concussion, a ruptured liver and a fractured cheekbone and shoulder, members of the American Freestyle Motocross Association began to put plans into practice: Doctors in California who are fluent in Spanish soon called their counterparts in Madrid to consult on Sinclair’s care, and they translated for his fiancée, who was at the hospital.

Now that Sinclair’s condition has been upgraded to stable, a freestyle motocross association insurance policy will help defray the costs of a $190,000 air ambulance to his home in Melbourne, where he is expected to make a complete recovery.

“Those guys have been fantastic,” said Adam Bailey, Sinclair’s agent, who was in Madrid before returning to the United States last week to attend the X Games, where the freestyle motocross events began Thursday night here at the Staples Center. “Throughout the whole ordeal, we’ve never felt alone.”

In freestyle motocross, in which riders perform aerial maneuvers while soaring dozens of feet through the air while being scored by judges, competitors operate almost without a safety net, regularly flirting with danger and death. Although risk is a big part of the sport’s appeal, founders of the association are hoping to succeed where previous efforts have failed in trying to mitigate some of the risk by focusing on rider safety and assisting with medical care when things go wrong.
The association, a collective of riders and action sports industry figures, was formed almost six months ago after the death of Jeremy Lusk, 24, a top freestyle rider who won a gold medal at the 2008 X Games.

Lusk, of Temecula, Calif., died Feb. 9 after he crashed while attempting a Hart Attack back flip at a competition in San José, Costa Rica. Lusk failed to fully rotate while soaring more than 20 feet above the ground, landing on his front tire and crashing face-first into the dirt. He sustained severe head injuries and died three days later.

Riders say they believe he is the only professional to have died in competition.

Horrible crashes are part of the game in freestyle motocross. Brian Deegan, who has won more X Games medals in freestyle motocross than any other rider, lost a kidney — and nearly his life — after a crash in 2005 while filming a jump for a television program. He attributed the crash to windy conditions. He also said wind and a lack of adequate practice time were factors in Lusk’s fatal crash.

While mourning his friend in a Costa Rica hotel room last winter, Deegan hatched the idea of the American Freestyle Motocross Association. In addition to coordinating medical care, the association intends to create a unified voice to address safety at professional and recreational events and demonstrations.

“The sport of freestyle motocross is only 10 years old,” said Deegan, 34, who runs a freestyle team through his clothing brand, Metal Mulisha. “There’s so much money being thrown at it, but the riders are still on their own. There’s no voice for them.”

An offshoot of motocross, freestyle developed during the 1990s in Southern California when racers took to the hills to pull maneuvers while launching through the air. Soon small-scale competitions were organized. When freestyle made its debut at the 1999 X Games, the sport exploded in popularity.

Still, freestyle remained largely unorganized, with riders competing as independent contractors around the world.

Past attempts to unify failed, in part because of aggressive negotiating tactics by some athletes. Those efforts rankled promoters and cost athletes opportunities and money in a sport where many events are invitational. “At this point we’re going against the fact that a lot of people have tried and failed,” Deegan said.

The association hopes to build its membership through corporate sponsors and membership from professionals and recreational riders through its Web site, www.afmxa.com, while working with promoters.

Tim Reed, the senior director of sports and competition for the X Games at ESPN, said network officials believed that “we feel we have the proper stuff in place to make the athletes safe” at events like the X Games, like safe courses and proper medical care. But he said the association could help improve standards at smaller and newer events.

Travis Pastrana, who will compete Friday in the Moto X Best Trick event at the X Games, said a group like the freestyle association was not necessarily needed for the large, televised events, but was for smaller operations, where up-and-coming riders are pushing to prove themselves.
“This is a sanctioning body for the younger guys, who don’t have as much pull, and are afraid to speak up,” he said. “I think it’s a good time.”

At the 2007 X Games, Pastrana landed the first double back flip, leading to an exponential progression in tricks’ risk factor.

“It’s become more dangerous with people pushing the bar for the level of tricks that are being thrown now,” said Toby Bost, a member of the freestyle association’s board. “Somebody does a double back flip and then it’s, well, one-up that. Not only has it been dangerous, but it’s becoming more and more dangerous and that’s where we fit in.”

Bost is chief executive of the La Jolla Group, a licensing company for several prominent action sports brands. His involvement, along with that of an ESPN executive and two doctors on the freestyle association’s advisory board, should give the association the kind of credibility previous efforts have lacked.

The successful response to Sinclair’s injury, which occurred at one of the sport’s largest events — a Red Bull X-Fighters tour stop — has already demonstrated that the association can get things done.
“This is an example of what can go wrong,” Bailey said about Sinclair’s crash. “But this is a success story.”

NOTES
Two years after he made television highlights with a 45-foot fall from the mega ramp, Jake Brown of Australia won the gold medal in skateboard Big Air as the X Games opened. Brown and Bob Burnquist, the two time-defending champion, tied with a score of 94.0, but Brown won a tie breaker.

IRVINE — La Jolla Group, the action sports licensing company, will officially open its  new corporate headquarters today during a private party. The massive site, some 200,000 square feet, houses four of the most prominent brands in the industry, O’Neill, Lost, Metal Mulisha and Rusty.

I got a tour yesterday from Toby Bost, La Jolla CEO and chairman of the board. He told me that the company planned the $4 million in improvements to the facility before the recession hit, but that the company decided to stick with the goal of moving from its former campus-style site on Pasteur in Irvine. La Jolla is looking beyond the current bad economy, he said, and is working to attract “the 21st Century executive,” a 20- or 30-something employee who is dedicated to the surf and skating lifestyle.
“We definitely embrace the social aspect of the age group,” he said. “We wear what we make.”

Among the 13 conference rooms, four showrooms, photo studio and two warehouses was a room dedicated to marketing by social networks, which Bost said he believes will be a major business consideration for the future.  There’s also a fitness room, basketball court, model retail store and indoor skate park with quarter pipes and rail hits.

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Athletes and Action Sports Leaders Take Proactive Role in Promoting Safety Regulations and Cultivating Overall Growth in Freestyle Motocross and Affiliated Events

Irvine, CA (July 20, 2009) – The American Freestyle Motocross Association (AFMXA), a collective of Freestyle Motocross riders and action sports industry leaders, today announced its official launch as an organization established to manage, protect and develop the sport of freestyle motocross at both the professional and recreational levels. Inspired in memory of American freestyle rider, X Games gold medalist and Metal Mulisha team member, Jeremy Lusk, the AFMXA is dedicated to improving rider safety, preparation and education through programs and services that will assist athletes in improving their skills and experience in the sport. Additionally, the Association is committed to increasing awareness around medical treatment, emergency response planning and training at events worldwide.

With interest from recreational riders, corporate partners and action sports companies around the globe, the AFMXA was organized in an effort to create a unified voice at all sanctioned and non-sanctioned freestyle motocross events, parks, facilities and demonstrations; and implement a safer environment for athletes. The Association will encourage neck braces for riders; report on standards for suitable weather conditions and proper ramp landings at events; assist with providing trained on-site and on-call medical assistance; and prepare safety policies and emergency response plans. In addition to providing guidelines for safer practices, the AFMXA will host an annual awards ceremony to recognize top athletes and companies for their accomplishments and influence on the sport.

The Association’s advisory board consists of prominent figures in the action sports and medical industries, including Metal Mulisha founder and most decorated Freestyle Motocross rider in X Games history, Brian Deegan; CEO of La Jolla Group, Toby Bost; ESPN’s Lizz Leach; Ryan Hagy, Cameron Steele, Dr. Pete Katsyiannis, and Dr. Gus Gialamas, among others.

“With the tragic death of Jeremy Lusk, it became clear that this sport, which has grown significantly over the last few years, needed an Association to develop and oversee stricter safety guidelines,” said Toby Bost. “The AFMXA works to define racing rules and evolve the sport for athletes and supporters. As corporate sponsors, it’s our responsibility to do more than just put our product on riders. We need to be activists for the industry as a whole — and that means being proactively involved in establishing processes that enable freestyle moto to keep growing.”

“The AFMXA is the voice of all freestyle riders and the time has come for us to properly organize our sport — it starts with safety,” commented Brian Deegan. “It’s also about time that athletes and industry leaders are recognized for their achievements and dedication. I look forward to the positive changes this Association and its members are going to make for freestyle motocross.”

Earlier this year, the Lusk Legacy Foundation was established to help improve overall safety in the sport, protect the livelihoods of riders and their families, and provide them with legal, medical and financial consultation and representation. The Lusk Legacy Foundation has been named the official charitable organization for the AFMXA.

On July 30th at 5pm PST, ESPN will broadcast a special presentation on Jeremy Lusk and the AFMXA.

By DAN BEIGHLEY
Orange County Business Journal

Clothing maker La Jolla Group Inc. has made a big investment in a new Irvine headquarters.

The company, which makes clothes under the O’Neill, Lost, Rusty and Metal Mulisha brands, recently consolidated operations in Irvine, where it used to be spread among five buildings.

La Jolla now operates from 200,000 square feet of space at 14350 Myford Road near Tustin, where it has 150,000 square feet in one building and 50,000 in an adjoining one.

About 140,000 square feet of warehouse space makes up the bulk of the operation.

La Jolla employs about 350 people in Irvine.

The new space is double La Jolla’s old headquarters in the Irvine Spectrum.

The company sells clothes inspired by surfing, skateboarding and motocross through J. C. Penney Corp., Pacific Sunwear of California Inc., Macy’s Inc. and other retailers.

La Jolla has revamped its Irvine building to include skateboard ramps, a gym, an indoor basketball court, a 2,000-square-foot store as well as 6,000 square feet of conference and showroom space.

Chief Executive Toby Bost, clad in jeans and a T-shirt, declined to say what the company spent on the improvements.

“We built the building around action sports,” he said.

La Jolla Group has yearly sales of more than $200 million. Last year, sales grew 15% in a tough economy, Bost said. In 2007, they were up 30%.

Sales last year were helped by La Jolla’s opening of six of its own stores in California and Las Vegas, as well as a flagship O’Neill store in Anaheim.
The stores employ about 100 people.

Half of La Jolla’s business comes from its O’Neill brand, which it licenses from brand owner O’Neill Trademark BV under a “long-term” contract, according to Bost.

The other half of La Jolla group’s revenue is split evenly among its three other brands.

The company is feeling the clothing industry’s challenges, as shoppers pull back on purchases and stores such as Wal-Mart and Kohl’s have come up with their own lines of surfwear, Bost said.

“There’s definitely a recession going on in surf,” he said. “Fall is usually the toughest time for the industry. This one should be the toughest.”

For more on this story, see the July 6 edition of the Business Journal.