“This is really top to bottom the best group of skateboarders in the world,” said Joe Maloof, Maloof Money Cup founder and owner of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. “The depth and breadth of this roster is the best yet for a Maloof contest – from the best rookie pros to the most dominating and respected pros over the last decade – it’s a wide open field and really anyone’s to win.”

MMC NY PRO STREET ROSTER (in alphabetical order)

“This year, we are unveiling a new head-to-head jam format,” said Mark Waters, newly named Director of Maloof Money Cup.  “It creates the fastest pace for the contest while still encouraging skateboarding progression. There is no penalty for missed tricks, but greater difficulty will result in higher scores.  Just like skateboarding on the street, with this format guys won’t be able to play it safe. They'll be constantly pushing progression and that’s why the energy of a Maloof contest, and the level of skating displayed, is like nothing else out there.”

Offering an increased first place cash prize of $160,000, the New York contest will take place on the pro skater designed street course featuring iconic New York skate spots that was built for the contest last year and left as a permanent skate park for the community after the event.  Tickets are on sale now at maloofmoneycup.com.  The Maloof Money Cup festival village will feature the most notable skate brands in the industry offering giveaways, activities for all ages and autograph signings.  The festival village will also feature DJs, food and a Jumbotron showing live video of the contest.   Admission to the festival village is free.

Cole to Skate for $1 Million in Orange County
Last year, Joe Maloof offered a $1 million bonus to any pro who could win four consecutive Maloof Money Cup contests.  Chris Cole will compete for the million dollar bonus at the Maloof Money Cup Orange County contest, which will include the Maloof All Pros, the skaters whose combined scores from  New York and Washington D.C place them in the top 16. If Cole beats the field, he’ll claim $250,000, the largest first place prize of any contest – plus a million dollar bonus – for a total payday of more than $1.25 million; by far the biggest payout the skateboarding world has ever seen.

“I’m excited to skate Maloof Money Cup Orange County for a shot at a million dollars,” said Chris Cole.  “It’s going to be a tough competition, but just to have this chance is unbelievable. This is such a positive thing for skateboarding. Something like this has never been done and I’m just grateful to the Maloofs for the opportunity.”

“Even though Chris signed an exclusive agreement with another contest, we felt that this is such a huge milestone for skateboarding that nothing else matters. This is an incredible opportunity and one we hope will bring attention to the skateboarding industry and these incredible pros who have dedicated their lives to skateboarding,” said Maloof.  “The only thing better than one skater going for a million, is two.  By moving Chris’ million dollar contest to Orange County, there’s an opportunity for another pro to win three Maloof Money Cup events this year, making them eligible to compete, alongside Chris, for the $1 million bonus in Orange County,” said Maloof.

Watch MMC New York LIVE
FUEL TV will broadcast at least two hours of live, HD coverage each day during the New York contest, from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 4 and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. EDT Sunday, June 5.  Fans can also tune in to maloofmoneycup.com to watch the live HD webcast leading up to the semi finals on Saturday and the finals on Sunday.

Maloof Skateboarding (www.maloofskateboarding.com) produces the Maloof Money Cup.  Presented by Vans, the Maloof Money Cup is the world’s greatest skateboarding event and the premiere showcase for amateur and professional skateboarding. In 2011, the Maloof Money Cup hosts three U.S. contests, returning to Queens, NY June 4-5 and Orange County, Calif. plus a new host city, Washington, D.C., on Labor Day weekend, September 3-4.  In addition to the U.S. contests, the Maloof Money Cup expands internationally this year with the first ever Maloof Money Cup World Skateboarding Championships in Kimberley, South Africa, September 30 – Oct 2.  Join our online community to share the competition experience with a global audience and be the first to know about exciting upcoming MMC announcements. Go to www.maloofmoneycup.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter:  @MaloofMoneyCup.