The Big Air snowboarding and freeskiing event at Fenway Park on Feb. 11-12 will feature a ramp that "will rise 7 feet higher than the top of the light fixtures atop the Green Monster," a drop-in run that will be about 38 degrees steep and athletes "reaching speeds between 35 and 40 mph and then soaring from center field to around the pitcher’s mound," according to Matt Pepin of the BOSTON GLOBE. The event "was the brainchild" of USSA CMO Michael Jaquet, who "pitched it to Red Sox president Sam Kennedy, whom he’s known for years, a couple years ago." Kennedy "saw the event fitting right in" to Red Sox Owner Fenway Sports Management’s "vision for making Fenway Park home to more than baseball." USSA VP/Events Calum Clark said of the event, "It’s going to be iconic and special. We wanted to show to the world that this is going to not only meet the world at what they’re doing ... but we’re going to surpass it." Gold Medal-winning snowboarder Sage Kotsenburg: "It’ll be the coolest big air event I’ve ever been a part of, and I’ve been a part of a lot of big air events in my day." Pepin notes Big Air snowboarding will be among the additions to the '18 PyeongChang Games, and Kotsenburg said that the snowboarding community "is as eager for the Fenway Park event as it is for the Olympics"(BOSTON GLOBE, 9/23). USA TODAY's Rachel Axon notes the event "will come a year after Shaun White brought Air & Style -- an event that combines a big air competition with live music in major arenas -- to the Rose Bowl." Gold Medal-winning snowboarder Joss Christensen said, "Even though we’re not in the Olympics for big air, I still think that it’s huge for our sport. I don’t think the Olympics is a necessity for us for big air. It’s really spectator friendly, and the fact that they’re able to put it in these stadiums in downtown Boston, L.A., it’s huge for us" (USA TODAY, 9/23).
EXPANDING BEYOND THE DIAMOND: The Big Air event is the latest example of how the Red Sox, in Kennedy's words, have "pushed the envelope over the past 14 years in terms of doing different things." In Boston, Stephen Hewitt notes Fenway in November hosts the Notre Dame-Boston College football game "right before the popular Irish sport of hurling returns to the park for the first time" since '54. If Red Sox officials "are trying to make Fenway Park a must-play venue for all sports, they’re doing a good job, but Kennedy doesn’t necessarily see it that way." He said, "It’s more that we see Fenway as a community gathering place, and doing high-profile, blue-chip events outside of baseball season a couple times a year is an appealing thing for the community. ... It’s great to show Fenway’s versatility, whether it’s with outdoor ice hockey, whether it’s with soccer or football. This latest event with snowboard jumping will be an operational challenge." Kennedy said that going forward, there "aren’t any more big events in the works right now" (BOSTON HERALD, 9/23).
