A team of three co-founders have come together to launch what they hope will be the next big thing in both hockey and extreme sporting, and they call it AirBlade Extreme Hockey. Mark Sendo, Fred Beal and Alaina Blake have founded the Ann Arbor, MI based company together, and are currently preparing for the AirBlade Extreme Hockey Championship on May 25th at Ford Field in Detroit, MI. This event will be broadcast live on Pay-Per-View.
To help fund their project, the creators of AirBlade Extreme Hockey and the AirBlade Extreme Pro Rink have launched a KickStarter campaign. They’re looking to raise $700,000 in a 30 day period to help with building the custom rink.
For complete details on the AirBlade Extreme Pro Rink and AirBlade Extreme Hockey, check out the press release below.
AIRBLADE EXTREME HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP ON MAY 25 AT FORD FIELD IN DETROIT TO BE BROADCAST LIVE ON PPV;
KickStarter To Provide Funding Platform
Retired Detroit Red Wings Players to compete in Alum Game as part of PPV broadcast
Detroit, MI, March 5, 2014 – AirBlade, the revolutionary, edgy cross between air hockey and ice hockey, will hold a championship tournament weekend from May 23 – May 25 at Ford Field, the home of the Detroit Lions, it was announced today by AirBlade founders Mark Sendo, Fred Beal, and Alaina Blake. The tournament will culminate in a May 25 championship game showdown to be broadcast live on PPV for the suggested retail price of $19.95. The broadcast will begin at 9 PM EST/6 PM PST and be distributed by MultiVision Media, Inc. Executive Producer Brian Ricco reports that it will be available in over 90 million households in the United States and Canada via cable and satellite, and will be available worldwide via streaming. Besides the Extreme Hockey Championship Game, PPV viewers will also watch an Alum Game featuring retired Detroit Red Wings players Joey Kocur, Darren McCarty, and Petr Kilma.
To fund their newest pro rink, AirBlade has launched a KickStarter campaign. (http://bit.ly/airbladerinks).
Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. AirBlade’s campaign with KickStarter offers sports fans and entrepreneurs the opportunity to participate in this Extreme Hockey event by pledging as little as $1 or as much as $10,000. Packages for KickStarter backers include AirBlade equipment and goodies, tickets to the test tournament, advertising on the rink, and even a private dinner with former Detroit Red Wings players Kocur, McCarty, and Kilma at the Championship test tournament.
“The delight on the faces of kids, adults and even pro hockey players when they see the rink is infectious,” said Sendo. “There is so much excitement around this sport that your first reaction when you see it is to reach for a pair of skates and a hockey stick and jump into the rink yourself.”
Extreme Hockey is the nation’s newest extreme sport, combining arcade game air hockey with ice hockey to create a blazingly fast experience. AirBlade will hold an 8-team, single elimination tournament on May 23-24 at a major Detroit arena yet to be announced. The winners of the tournament will then challenge for the Extreme Hockey Championship on May 25. Prior to the championship game Detroit Red Wings alums Joey Kocur, Darren McCarty, and Petr Kilma will play in an Alum Game.
The AirBlade Extreme Pro Rink, which debuts at the tournament in May, will be the most advanced rink ever made. It’s 85’x200’, with 2.2 million pressurized air holes like an air hockey table, creating a near-zero friction surface for the puck. The surface of the rink is translucent and LED illuminated, lights follow the puck, and highlight scoring players as well as sponsors. The air-pressurized surface creates high velocity shots and intense playing speeds while the rink ends are banked 6’ high, creating an 85’ half pipe behind each goal.
“Much anticipation is being drummed up over AirBlade’s launch as we announce plans to begin building prototype III, the full size, 85’x200’ air-pressurized rink in March of 2014,” said Alaina Blake. “With your help, we will make arcade air hockey come to life at a major Michigan venue in May 2014.”
AirBlade began with a $300,000 owner investment and has since successfully built two prototype rinks, and received intense attention from investors and players. Learn more about the KickStarter and get involved at http://bit.ly/airbladerinks.
Check out the shots of the AirBlade Extreme Pro Rink below and let us know what you think of this new concept of AirBlade Extreme Hockey. Drop us a note in the comments with your thoughts or questions!
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