By Colleen Kane
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Cincinnati's third Mobile Skatepark Series event returns to Sawyer Point today through Tuesday, bringing with it nearly 90 professional BMX bikers, in-line skaters and skateboarders; plenty of live music and expos; and an expected weekend crowd of more than 60,000.

SKATEPARK SERIES

When: Today-June 1. Times: 8:30 a.m.- 8 p.m. today; 9 a.m.- 8 p.m. Saturday; 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday; 8:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Monday; noon-8 p.m. Tuesday. Online: Find a complete schedule at Cincinnati.Com. Admission: Free for spectators; $8 for any skateboarder, biker or skater who wishes to use the skatepark today and June 1.

Events begin at 11 a.m. today with the in-line amateur street qualifiers and vert finals. The first of two open skatepark sessions, during which anybody can ride the same course as the pros, also will be today, starting at 4 p.m. for skateboarding and in-line, 6 p.m. for BMX. The second session will be Tuesday. Amateur competition continues Saturday with the in-line street finals and Sunday with the skateboarding qualifiers and finals.

Some of action sports' top professional athletes also will compete for the $80,000 purse and spots in the Gravity Games and LG Action Sports Championships. Action begins Saturday with the in-line vert and street finals and continues Sunday with the skateboarding demos and best trick competitions.

New this year will be Monday's freestyle BMX street and vert competitions. In the first two years, Cincinnati held BMX demos and best-trick competitions, but the organizers moved toward a different format this year per request of some of the athletes, said Bryan Wright, of Strata-G Communications, which represents Cincinnati's MSS event.

"They wanted more opportunity to do full competition runs," Wright said. "That's what is expected of them at the X-Games and the Gravity Games, and yet so many events have gone to best-trick format."

Spectators also will see a new, more open street course, Wright said.

Four 2003 champions are confirmed to be returning this year - Allan Cooke, winner of the BMX street best trick; John Parker, winner of the BMX vert best trick; Danny Mayer, winner of the skateboarding vert best trick; and Eito Yasutoko, winner of the in-line vert competition. Chad Bartie, skateboarding street winner, and Brian Aragon, in-line street winner, will not compete, Wright said. It's uncertain if women's skateboarding street winner Anna Seal will return.

Booths; concerts by Premium, Hoodwink, Close to Home and Magna-Fi; DJs and breakdancing; and graffiti expos also will be on display this weekend.