June 19, 2002, Trinity N.C. -- Wave Sport's first ever portable whitewater play hole, the Wave Box, will be a main feature at this weekend's Extreme Action Sports Show in California. The Wave Box is a 22,000 gallon pool with two large-scale, industrial electric pumps capable of moving 6,400 gallons of water a minute. The pumps create a pour-over style hydraulic, or rapid, perfect for kayaking rodeo tricks.

Wave Sport athletes Jamie Cooper and Toby Minear will be at the Extreme Action Sports Show all weekend to demonstrate tricks and provide instruction. Experienced kayakers will have a chance to play in the Wave Box's hydraulic while novice paddlers can learn basic kayaking techniques in Wilderness Systems sea kayaks. Ideal instructors, Jamie Cooper is an extreme kayaker who has done first descents across the world. She also teaches inner-city kids to kayak in her hometown, San Francisco. Toby Minear is member of Wave Sport's California team and a graduate student at UC Berkeley. James Sparks from Southwind Kayaks in Irvine will also be at the show to help instruct.

The first annual Extreme Action Sports (EAS) consumer expo which will be held June 21-23, announces interactive elements and show highlights. EAS will feature an incredible variety of sports, including such popular activities as skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, wakeboarding, freestyle motocross, street luge, mountain biking, kayaking, rock climbing, all-terrain boarding and more. With over 224,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor exhibit space, the show floor has been divided into four major sports groups: city, snow, mountain and water. All events will be happening Friday, Saturday and Sunday throughout the show unless otherwise noted.

Admission to Extreme Action Sports is $15. Tickets are available at the box office. Children under 4 are free. Coupons for $5 off are available at Val Surf and select retailers. Show hours are Friday, 4 p.m. - 10 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. ­ 10 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. For more information on attending, call the EAS hotline at (818) 734-9755 or visit www.extremeactionsports.com.

Confluence Watersports Company is the parent company for Mad River Canoe, Wilderness Systems, WindRider, Voyageur, and Wave Sport. Voyageur manufactures and distributes the industry's most complete line of canoeing and kayaking accessories including whitewater and other quality paddles, along with personal flotation devices, storage gear and apparel. Mad River Canoe is recognized as the quality leader in the canoe industry. Wilderness Systems manufactures top-quality fiberglass, Kevlar, and rotationally-molded kayaks. Wave Sport is one of the paddling industry's premier whitewater kayak manufacturers. WindRider is a unique line of sailing trimarans. The company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Confluence Canada, distributes all the brands in Canada.

— Posted by Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Staff