The second year of the BMX video contest known as The Hunt, dubbed "Gold Rush," premiered at the Art Theater in Long Beach, Calif. last night, and Latvian rider Ed Zunda walked away with the first place win plus a trip to Hawaii and $2500 in spending money.
Volume Bikes pro Drew Hosselton followed closely behind in second place, and Colony's Jourdan Barba finished in third place. In the best trick categories, Chris Hughes took home Best Park Trick for a body varial, while Albe's rider Cory Wiergowski took the Best Street Trick win with an uprail to barspin on a triple kinked rail.
The Hunt "Gold Rush" premiere
"There are so many parts that have great riding, filming and editing, so it was tough to narrow it down to the top three parts. I've watched all the submissions multiple times and took notes to make the tough decision of who should win The Hunt," said The Hunt head judge Will Stroud.
The final video featured the top 13 sections from all submissions, including a unique zombie-themed section from Mirraco's Chris Hughes, in addition to standout riding from Mike Gray, Justin Care, Pat Casey, Corey Wiergowski, Broc Raiford, Josh Perry/DiGerloma, Jake Ortiz, Joel Marchand and Daniel Martinez.
The Hunt also premiered bonus sections from "Gold Rush," which included riding from Rickey Mosely, Dylan McCauley, Drew Quinlan, Tanner Easterla, Tim Watson, Anton Anarson and Dan Setmeyer.
Started last year by Justin Kosman, The Hunt is a unique BMX video contest which allows for filmers and riders to work together on a video section, which is then judged by head judge Will Stroud, industry insiders and a selection of established BMX pros. In the end, it gives lesser known riders a chance to get exposure to a larger audience. It's almost as if The Hunt could be considered the next step to the idea of amateur BMX contests in the digital age of BMX video production. And the final DVD is a top-notch video of untapped BMX talent.
According to Kosman, "Even though we end up ranking the video parts, I really think the end product is more important than what place you get. This year's DVD is such a unique mix of original street and park riding that I'm sure it will not only influence the next generation of riders but be a big stepping stone for the riders who filmed for this video. Huge thanks to Monster, Vans, Odyssey BMX, Skullcandy and Pro-Tec for hooking the riders up with gear and prizes this year."
The Hunt DVD is now available, with a digital version arriving on iTunes later this week.
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