VASHON, WASHINGTON - Ride Snowboards is pleased to announce the additions of Janna Meyen and Mikey LeBlanc to the 02/03 Pro Team as they join Joel Mahaffey, Ali Goulet, David Aubry, Erik Leines, Arild Brun Kjeldaas, and J.J. Thomas.

With seven years of professional riding under his belt and ten cover shots on major magazines, Mikey needs no introduction. Voted the fourth best snowboarder in 2002 by Snowboarder and ranking number one for the most magazine coverage in 01/02 by TransWorld Snowboarding Business' Exposure Meter, Mikey has truly established a name for himself. "It's great to have Mikey back on Ride, and it'll be a privilege to work alongside him on future projects. He's a good friend and one of the greatest snowboarders of all time. The pints are on me, Mikey!" says Team Manager Matt Sickels.

And what does Mikey have to say about being back with Ride Snowboards after a five-year absence? "I know, I know, it's really big news. But don't worry; it'll be good for everyone. Peace, love, and happiness will overtake all the world's hearts as I hike hand in hand with the world's leaders for a symbolic pow run from the peak of Everest to seal my contract. But seriously, I am really happy about my new home, and I can't wait to work with all the cool people who work and ride for Ride. It's gonna be totally rad."

You can catch Mikey in Kingpin Productions' latest flick "Happy Hour" which debuted in September 2002, as well as past feature films such as Kingpin's "Destroyer," "Brainstorm," "Brown Trout," "Substance," and "Kingpin Chronicles"; Mack Dawg's "True Life" and "Decade"; and "Whiskey 2" and "Whiskey 3" by none other than Boozy the Clown.

Along those same lines, Janna, who is already considered a snowboarding veteran at the age of 24, doesn't require much of an introduction either. Since winning the '91 U.S. Open at the age of 13, she has appeared in numerous magazines including interviews in TransWorld Snowboarding first in '95 then in November 2001. With Ride's very own Joel Mahaffey and now Mikey as two of her biggest riding influences, she has played an integral role in the progression of technical riding over the years. Janna just recently returned to the contest scene and ended up taking second place at both the 2002 X-Games and 2002 World Snowboarding Championships in slopestyle. "Janna is the missing link on Ride's team. With a super comfortable style, a big bag of tricks, and a great attitude, Janna's the best! We are all very happy to have her on board," says Sickels.

"I'm stoked to be a part of Ride and their kick-ass teamŠ it's going to be a lot of fun. I like the direction Ride is going with their product and I'm ready to go kick some F#@%ING ASS!" says Janna. Janna will be featured this year in Mack Dawg Productions' new movie "Pulse" coming out in September, and as a character in "Amped," the new X-Box snowboard video game.

There's no doubt in any of our minds Mikey and Janna are going to have a fantastic time hanging with the rest of the Ride crew. To find out more about the Ride Pro and Am Teams or to check out the Ride Team Promo Video, go to www.ridesnowboards.com

— Posted by Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Gear Editor