Pro Diaries: Greg Minnaar – Downhill Mountain Bike World Champion

Aaron    The Professional's Arena     Greg Minnaar, Interview, Mountain Biking

We caught up with this year’s runner up and former UCI World Champion Downhill Mountain Biker – Greg Minnaar to see what he’s been up to this season, his journey so far and what a typical week is like for a Downhill Mountain Bike Champion!

Hi Greg, thanks for talking to us today. Firstly, congratulations on finishing the 2011 season on the podium! How did this race season compare to previous years?

You know, I’m happy with finishing 2nd in the World Cup, but it wasn’t really an exciting season for me. I felt I rode in ‘no man’s land’, I wasn’t able to catch Aaron Gwin and Gee Atherton was quite a bit behind me, so I felt like I was racing myself. Even though I lost the overall title to Gee last season, I had way more fun then as it was a much closer contest.
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Like us on Facebook to Win 1 of 10 Bungee Jumps!

Aaron    Experience Guides    

Of course you do! Well luckily for you, we’re giving away 10 free Bungee Jump vouchers that can be taken at any one of seven locations nationwide. All you have to do is hit Like on the Extreme Element facebook fan page and enter the sweepstake competition – and you could be one of the lucky winners!

Pro Diaries: Paul Swift – Stunt Driver

Aaron    The Professional's Arena     extreme sports, Paul Swift, Stunt Driving

To celebrate the launch of three new Paul Swift Driving Experiences, we caught up with the man himself to discuss his journey in the Stunt Driving World so far, including Guinness World Records, driving for Top Gear and filming THAT advert in the Audi R8 Spyder.

Hi Paul, Thanks for talking to us today. So what exactly is Stunt Driving, and what sort of things do you normally do for a show?

Stunt driving is taking driving to extremes. We are often asked to perform stunts in a car which could be perceived too dangerous or risky for an actor or member of the public to perform.

Most of our work includes performing manoeuvres such as J-turn’s, handbrake parking, donuts and balancing cars on two wheels.
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Hawaii Introduce Surfing to Schools

Aaron    Extreme News & Views     Carissa More, Hawaii Surf, Surf Lessons, surfing

Hawaii is set to become the first US state to include surfing as an official competitive sport in the School curriculum. This fantastic new format is set to encourage the best surfers from each school to compete against each other for the inter school title.

World Champion and local resident Carissa Moore (the youngest lady to ever win the Surf World Championships) announced the news next to the iconic statue of Duke Kahanamoku, the much celebrated ‘Father of modern Surfing’. Ms Moore said the sport had taught her life skills such as perseverance, and claimed that news of it becoming an extra-curricular school sport was “awesome”. Ms Moore went on:

“Surfing and riding a wave is so much like life,” she said. “You fall down over and over again, but you keep picking yourself back up until you ride one all the way to the beach.”
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