FMBA adds female Rookie of the Year award and new Best Trick competition

Freeride Mountain Bike Association (FMBA) is stepping up is 2022 contests with the addition of a new award and a women’s category for the Rookie of the Year contest.

FMBA announced the new Trick of the Year award, which replaces the former Line of the Year contest, and the new women’s category for Rookie of the Year on Thursday.

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Rookie of the Year

First up is the addition of a women’s category for the Rookie of the Year contest. The Red Bull ROTY titles will be awarded to the #1 ranked Male & #1 ranked Female Rookie Athlete based on the year end 2022 Male and Female Rookie Rankings, as of September 25, 2022

Renata Wiese, 23-year-old Chilean rider and top competitor, shared how the award will support women in freeride: “It is a huge motivation (because of everything that you get if you win) to improve, to try new stuff, and to push yourself so you can get a chance to be the Rookie of the Year. Healthy competition is always a good time to improve. If I see someone landing a new trick, that gives me the motivation to try it!”

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The competition is especially important for bringing in new, younger rider.

“This brings [in] more brands interested in supporting you and the female scene as well, if they see more women participation,” Wiese added. “Which is awesome because younger riders are going to be able to start their careers in a better position.”

One rider that already knows the impact a ROTY title can have is Tim Bringer.

“Being the 2019 Red Bull Rookie of the Year was a big change in my mountain biking career. To be able to ride with the top riders on these huge jumps was definitely something crazy. Thanks to this opportunity, I’m now able to ride every Crankworx [World Tour] stop, which is the dream for a Slopestyle rider.”

The 2022 Red Bull Male ROTY will receive Wildcard entry into the first Crankworx Slopestyle event in 2023, with flights and accommodation included, as well as a 2023 FMB World Tour License, Red Bull ROTY trophy, and more.

The 2022 Red Bull Female ROTY will receive Wildcard entry to a 2023 FMB event of their choosing that has a Women’s category, with flights and accommodation included, as well as a 2023 FMB World Tour License, Red Bull ROTY trophy, and more.

Red Bull ROTY Award rules and regulations can be found here.

Trick of the Year

FMBA also introduced a new contest: Trick of the Year. The virtual competition allows riders to submit their best trick from a sanctioned FMB event in the 2022 season. Fans then vote for their favourite to determine winners. It replaces the outgoing Line of the Year contest.

There will be a Trick of the Year contest for both men and women in 2022.

“Many more Women are going to be encouraged to pick up their bikes and learn new tricks,” Gemma Corbera said of the effect this new contest will have. “I think girls we don’t know may show up. All over the world there sure are a lot of talented girls we haven’t seen yet; I can’t wait to see it! Women deserve to have the same opportunities to go to events and ride in great places. We love challenges, as all [riders] do!”

Harriet Burbidge-Smith, who just returned from Red Bull Formation in Utah, added that Trick of the Year is an opportunity for more new riders to shine.

“The Best Trick Award gives the opportunity to so many up-and-coming young riders in Women’s Freeride to showcase what they’ve been working on! The young talent around the world is so high and I can’t wait to see what the girls throw down!” said Burbidge-Smith. “The award gives the opportunity to young riders looking to build support and sponsorships! The more events and highlight content we have in Freeride and Slopestyle [will] inevitably build and progress the sport. Given the right events, you see so much progression.”

The new award will be given to the top voted video in five categories:

• Bronze Level Female  
• Bronze Level Male  
• Silver Level Female  
• Silver Level Male  
• Gold Level Male 

Best trick video submissions will be accepted from September 1, 2022, at 10:00 PST to November 30, 2022, at 23:59 PST. Fan voting will open the week of December 12, 2022, and the award recipients will be notified the following week of December 19, 2022.

Award recipients will receive a 2023 FMB World Tour License, EUR 250 (Bronze level), EUR 350 (Silver level), or EUR 450 (Gold level), and be featured on FMB and Crankworx social media channels.

Best Trick Award rules and regulations can be found here.