Kelowna, BC (June 21, 2011) – Center of Gravity 2011 is this summer’s hottest beach festival bringing together top headliners in music and sports on the sandy beaches of Kelowna’s City Park July 29-31, 2011. Alongside DJ shows and bikini contests, Center of Gravity is also presenting over 150 pro athletes competing in five sports: pro beach volleyball, freestyle mountain biking, FMX, wakeboarding, and basketball. With expected attendance of over 20,000 fans the beach festival is providing unprecedented exposure to the athletes and their sports.

The full athlete lineup will include past World and Canadian champions competing in the:

·   Dirt Zone: an intense mix of adrenaline and technique-featuring FMX and freestyle mountain bike shows hosted by mountain biking icon Steve Romaniuk. Known for pushing the boundaries with his dual suspension cowboy riding style, Romaniuk will keep a crowd of thousands on the edge of their seats. Other top riders include James Doerfling and Garrett Buehler who are competing for the fourth year at Center of Gravity, making them two of the original Pro riders; and shirtless bike warrior Dustin Greenall.  Action in the FMX shows will be lead by Reagan Sieg and Jeff Fehr.

·   Water Zone: features a wakeboard winch jam and lake jump where the freestyle mountain bike boys rip down a 20ft ramp on Hot Sands Beach and then launch off a 6ft kicker into the Okanagan Lake. The pro wakeboarders will showcase grinds, tricks, and flips off the massive rails of the winch jam. Feature riders include Dustin O’Ferrall,Chris Canuel, and Matt Bibby.

·   Hot Sands Beach: home to men’s and women’s Bud Light Lime Pro Beach Volleyball tournaments, where spectators will enjoy intense matches as the athletes complete for $11,500 in prize pool. Local volleyball star Tammy Thomas and partner Carol Hamiltonwill be part of the action fresh off their 2nd place win at the 2011 Santa Monica CBVA. On the men’s side top teams Zbyszewski/Marshall and Hatch/Schachter will definitely be teams to watch.

·   Hoop Zone: the home of the 4 on 4, full court competition that attracts Canada’s best players to compete for a $5,000 prize pool. Including Henry Bekkring, who is one of the best dunkers Canada has seen. Also, defending champ Scott Morrison and company will be back in action and looking for a repeat.

“We have something very special here. Many of the sports we feature do not normally get crowds this large on their own, but the combination of all the sports and music feed off each other. We’ve been able to create a stage for these athletes to perform in front of thousands of people in downtown Kelowna,” Scott Emslie, Wet Ape Productions founder explains. “Sports like freestyle mountain biking are often hidden in the backwoods, but our course is built where fans can watch top athletes compete in full view.”

A weekend pass is $98 until June 24th when ticket prices increase to $118; single day tickets range from $18-48. Kids 12 and under are free. View complete line-up, accommodations, and to purchase tickets, visit www.centerofgravity.ca
About Center of Gravity:
Center of Gravity takes place on the beautiful sandy beaches of Kelowna’s City Park along Okanagan Lake July 29-31, 2011. It features concerts each evening, DJs shows, 3 stages, beverage gardens, bikini contests, after parties each night, and over 150 pro athletes competing in 5 different sports: beach volleyball, freestyle mountain biking, FMX, wakeboarding, and basketball. The Center of Gravity is Canada’s hottest beach festival.

About Wet Ape Productions:
Scott Emslie founded Wet Ape in 2007. With a background as a professional volleyball player, Scott decided to produce a large beach volleyball event called “VolleyFest” (2007). The event was a success and Scott and his team were hooked on the thrill of creating cool new events. Since 2007 the team hasn’t looked back and Wet Ape is the proud owner of Canada’s hottest beach festival, Center of Gravity, which draws 25,000 – 30,000 guests a year. Wet Ape is also now producing large-scale arena shows with some of the biggest names in electronic dance music including Deadmau5, Calvin Harris, and Tiesto.

Center of Gravity’s Adrenaline-Filled Sports Lineup:

Saturday, July 30, 2011
9:00AM – 8:00PM Pro Beach Volleyball – Hot Stands
9:00AM – 8:00PM Pro Basketball – Hoop Zone
11:00AM – 12:00PM Wakeboard Winch Jam – Water Zone
12:00PM – 12:30PM Freestyle Motocross Round #1 – Dirt Zone
12:30PM – 1:00PM Freestyle Mountain Bike Jam Session – Dirt Zone
2:30PM – 3:00PM Wakeboard Winch Jam – Water Zone
3:00PM – 3:30PM Freestyle Lake Jump – Water Zone
4:30PM – 5:00PM Freestyle Motocross Round #2 – Dirt Zone
5:00PM – 6:00PM Freestyle Mountain Bike Best Line – Dirt Zone
6:00PM – 6:30PM Wakeboard Winch Jam – Water Zone
8:20PM – 8:30PM Mayhem Session – Dirt Zone

Sunday, July 31, 2011
9:00AM – 8:00PM Pro Basketball – Hoop Zone
9:00AM – 6:00PM Pro Beach Volleyball – Hot Stands
11:00AM – 12:00PM Wakeboard Winch Jam – Water Zone
12:00PM – 12:30PM Freestyle Motocross Round #3 – Dirt Zone
12:30PM – 1:00PM Freestyle Mountain Bike Jam Session – Dirt Zone
2:30PM – 3:00PM Wakeboard Winch Jam – Water Zone
3:00PM – 3:30PM Freestyle Lake Jump – Water Zone
3:00PM – 4:30PM Women’s Beach Volleyball Finals – Hot Sands (Live on Shaw TV)
4:30PM – 6:00PM Men’s Beach Volleyball Finals – Hot Sands (Live on Shaw TV)
4:30PM – 5:00PM Freestyle Motocross Finals – Dirt Zone
5:00PM – 6:00PM Freestyle Mountain Bike Best Trick – Dirt Zone
6:00PM – 6:30PM Wakeboard Winch Jam – Water Zone
6:30PM – 7:00PM Slam Dunk Comp – Hoop Zone (Live on Shaw TV)
7:00PM – 8:00PM Pro Basketball Finals – Hoop Zone (Live on Shaw TV)

Times subject to change.