One award at TransWorld SNOWboarding's Rider Poll Awards is an accomplishment. But four awards? That's a banner night, to say the least. That's exactly what happened for Travis Rice Wednesday night in Las Vegas as he swept the ceremonies with awards for Men's Rider Of The Year, Men's Video Part Of The Year, Men's Readers' Choice, and Standout Of The Year. That's four out of of the five men's awards. Wow.
Travis' 2008 was amazing. Yes, Travis had the usual contest wins and podiums, but what was really amazing about his '09 was the fact that he had his own contest (Natural Selection) and video (That's It, That's All). Contest wins and video parts are one thing -- having your own contest and video is another level. While still winning contests (including Big Air at Winter X last week), Travis is truly becoming an ambassador to snowboarding and solidifying himself as one of the greatest right now.
Huge congratulations also go to DC Women's global am Raewyn Reid, earning the prestigious nod as Rookie of the Year and accepting from the road. Add a slew of contest successes (including best trick at Roxy Chicken Jam) and a great video part out of the Runway Films camp to her immense courage (she's pretty much fearless on massive street rails), and you'll easily understand how this Canadian earned the pick.
The annual TransWorld Rider Poll awards are generally regarded as the most coveted in the biz. Why? Because winners are picked by those who know best: fellow riders.
Congratulations Travis! Congratulations Raewyn! For more coverage, check out transworldsnowboarding.com.