SEVEN SPRINGS, Pa. – Seven Springs Mountain Resort is pleased to present Kristi Leskinen’s invitational ski and snowboard event, Monster Energy’s Homecoming, March 13 – 15, 2009.

Leskinen, a pioneer in women’s freeskiing and native of Uniontown, Pa., took home a bronze medal at the Winter X Games IX in the Women’s Superpipe. Her career highlights also include: second place Slopestyle at the 2009 Aspen Open, second place Slopestyle at the 2008 North American Open, third place Slopestyle at the 2007 US and Japan Opens, first place Halfpipe in the 2005 Gravity Games, second place Halfpipe in the 2005 World Championships and in 1999 she was the first female to compete in the US Open.

"After traveling around the world to international competitions for the past 10 years, I'm thrilled to bring this contest to the resort where I grew up," said Leskinen, "We have an amazing group of athletes coming and Seven Springs is pulling out all the stops to make this event a huge success."

Top female skiers and snowboarders, including three-time Winter X Games gold medalist skier Sarah Burke; Tara Dakides, four-time Winter X Games gold medalist and two-time silver medalist; and Hana Beaman, three-time Winter X Games silver medalist, will join Leskinen at Seven Springs for the all-girls ski and snowboard slopestyle event and rail jam. The contest will be an opportunity for the girls to push themselves, progress the sport and raise awareness and interest in the sport among young girls and women.

Snow Park Technologies (SPT) will make a stop at Seven Springs on its way to the Burton US Open to build the course for the first annual event. The course will be created specifically for the purpose of showcasing the girls’ abilities and the sport. The event will be a rider-judged jam format encouraging the girls to go for their biggest tricks. The prize purse for the ski and snowboard contests will be $20,000.

There will be many opportunities for spectators to interact with the athletes, including clinics, autograph sessions and more. Steelers Super Bowl Champion Chris Hoke will also be on-hand for autograph sessions.

Practice sessions begin Fri., March 13 at 10 a.m. and will continue throughout the day. The first rounds of the competition will be at 12 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. with finals held at 2:45 p.m., Sat., March 14. On Sun., March 15, kids ages 10 – 16 will have the opportunity to ride with the pros from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Limited space is available for this event. Registration will be held in The Yurt from 8 – 9:30 a.m. An amateur rail jam will be held from 1 – 2 p.m. and a pro rail jam will follow at 2:30 p.m. For more information on Monster Energy’s Homecoming and a complete calendar of events, please visit http://www.7springs.com.

Event sponsors include Willi’s Ski & Board Shop, Rome Snowboards and Oakley. Freeskier Magazine is the event’s media partner.

Monster Energy’s Homecoming will be working with the Women’s Sports Foundation to promote healthy, active lifestyles for women and girls, and any proceeds from Sunday’s Ride with a pro session will be contributed to the organization.

“The Women's Sports Foundation is excited by new events that give women's sports greater visibility and give girls additional opportunities to play and become active,” said Women’s Sports Foundation CEO Karen Durkin. “In creating this event, Kristi Leskinen is not only expanding her own sport, but has once again demonstrated that she is a wonderful role model for girls and a great ambassador for women's sports.”

 

About Seven Springs Mountain Resort

Seven Springs Mountain Resort, located in Seven Springs, Pa., is the state’s largest ski and four-season resort and has been rated the number one resort in the mid-Atlantic region by the readers of SKI magazine for 14 consecutive years. Located within 200 miles of the major metropolitan areas of Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland and Washington D.C., Seven Springs is easily accessible from either exit 91 or 110 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. 

Each year the family-friendly resort hosts more than one million overnight and day guests who visit the resort for skiing, snowboarding, fly fishing, sporting clays, downhill mountain biking, mountaintop golf and more. With more than 60,000 square feet of meeting space available, Seven Springs also hosts more than 1,000 meetings, conferences and banquet groups per year.

Scheduled to open during the ski season of 2008 – 2009, Seven Springs’ Trillium spa will be a sanctuary unlike any other. The elegantly restored mountain chalet has been completely renovated and redecorated to create the perfect place to escape the stress and commotion of everyday life.

Seven Springs also boasts numerous restaurants and eateries featuring innovative and classic meal selections. With its unique atmosphere, Timbers serves up a variety of appetizers, entrées and desserts ranging from the truly classic to the completely unexpected. The incomparable Helen’s Restaurant provides delectable intercontinental cuisine perfectly paired with a large selection of fine wines. In the Slopeside Dining Room, families can enjoy a magnificent view of the slopes while dining on a fulfilling meal in a relaxing environment.

Seven Springs Mountain Resort can accommodate more than 5,000 overnight guests in its recently renovated 418-room, 10-story high-rise hotel, nearly 1,200 condominiums and town homes, eight cabins and 15 chalets.

For more information on Seven Springs, visit http://www.7springs.com or call (800) 452-2223.

About The Women’s Sports Foundation

The Women's Sports Foundation-the leading authority on the participation of women and girls in sports-advocates for equality, educates the public, conducts research and offers grants to promote sports and physical activity for girls and women. Founded by Billie Jean King in 1974, the Women's Sports Foundation builds on her legacy as a champion athlete, advocate of social justice and agent of change. We strive for gender equity and fight discrimination in sports. Our work shapes public attitude about women's sports and athletes, builds capacities for organizations that get girls active, provides equal opportunities for girls and women, and supports physically and emotionally healthy lifestyles. The Women's Sports Foundation is recognized worldwide for its leadership, vision, strength, expertise and influence.

For more information, please call the Women's Sports Foundation at (800) 227-3988 or visit http://www.WomensSportsFoundation.org.

About Monster Energy

Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it SX, rally, insane distance jumping, MX, MotoGP, road racing, supermoto, off-road, FMX, skate, MTB, rock crawling, wake, mini bikes, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, Monster’s fruit juice hybrid dubbed “M-80,” the party-friendly MIXXD, the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee and cream drink line supercharged with our Monster Energy blend, along with the new Monster Energy “Hitman” energy shot. Kristi Leskinen digs ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at http://www.monsterarmy.com and http://www.monsterenergy.com