Nate Adams, Robbie Maddison, and Blake Williams are the nominees for FMX Rider of the Year at the First Annual TransWorld Motocross Awards, to be held October 8 in Las Vegas, the night before the U.S. Open.

That's some fierce competition: Adams won the Red Bull X-Fighters series last month, Maddo wowed the world this year with his world record jump on New Years and his backflip over London's Tower Bridge (not to mention his episode of Firsthand last season), and Bilko won X Games 15.

Adams, Maddo, and Bilko also received TWMX Reader's Choice nominations, alongside FMX riders Brian Deegan, Travis Pastrana, Jeremy Stenberg, and Kyle Loza, and more than a dozen top MX racers. Click here to vote now for the TWMX Reader's Choice Award.  

Here's the full press release on the TransWorld Motocross Awards nominees via motocross.TransWorld.net :

Tustin, CA- September 21, 2009- TransWorld Motocross Magazine, the largest motocross publication, announced the nominees for the 1st Annual TransWorld Motocross Awards presented by Rockstar Energy Drink today. The winners will be named October 8, 2009 at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas the day before the 2009 U.S. Open begins.

The TransWorld Motocross Awards will take the five-year-running Rider Of The Year awards and turn them into a full award show honoring the top riders in the categories of Racer Of The Year, FMX Rider Of The Year, Female Rider Of The Year, Racer Rookie Of The Year, FMX Rookie Of The Year, Female Rookie Of The Year, Readers’ Choice, TransWorld Motocross Legend Award, and the Rockstar Lifetime Achievement Award.

“I’m thrilled to see our annual TransWorld Motocross Rider Of The Year Awards come to life,” said Editor-In-Chief Donn Maeda. “We’ve created several new categories to honor even more deserving riders, and the awards show is sure to be an amazing event. With Las Vegas and the U.S. Open serving as the backdrop, this is going to be a weekend to remember.”

The 1st Annual TransWorld Motocross Awards presented by Rockstar Energy Drink will bring the energy and personality of TransWorld Motocross Magazine to life. The event will be attended by industry guests and professionals, but there will also be special section designated for motocross consumers to purchase tickets to attend.

“I think the TransWorld Motocross Awards is a great platform to acknowledge all of our nominees and their accomplishments,” said Publisher Marc Fiore. “Our sister titles, TransWorld SKATEboarding, TransWorld SNOWboarding, and Ride BMX have achieved huge success with their awards shows, and it’s great to finally have TWMX stepping up for the motocross industry.”

In addition to the awards, TransWorld Motocross is pleased to host the world premiere of it’s newest full length video, Kickstart, featuring Chad Reed, James Stewart, Ryan Dungey, Justin Barcia, Brian Deegan, Josh Grant, Nate Adams, Jason Lawrence and Tarah Gieger.

The official nominees for the 1st Annual TransWorld Motocross Awards presented by Rockstar Energy Drink are:

RACER OF THE YEAR
Chad Reed
Ryan Dungey
James Stewart

FMX RIDER OF THE YEAR
Nate Adams
Blake Williams
Robbie Maddison

FEMALE RACER OF THE YEAR
Ashley Fiolek
Jessica Patterson
Sherri Cruse

ROOKIE RACER OF THE YEAR
Justin Barcia
Kyle Regal
Blake Wharton

FMX ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Jackson Strong
Levi Sherwood
Destin Cantrell

FEMALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Sara Price
Vicki Golden
Jackie Ives

READER’S CHOICE
Chad Reed
James Stewart
Ryan Dungey
Christophe Pourcel
Jake Weimer
Ivan Tedesco
Andrew Short
Davi Millsaps
Justin Barcia
Blake Wharton
Nate Adams
Brian Deegan
Travis Pastrana
Blake “Bilko” Williams
Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg
Robbie Maddison
Kyle Loza
Todd Potter
Ryan Villopoto
Matt Goerke
Ashley Fiolek
Ricky Deitrich
Mike Alessi
Josh Grant
Antonio Cairoli

We can't wait to see how the first AFMXA amateur event shakes out at Pala Raceway on November 7, and we're even more psyched to see what a by-the-riders for-the-riders FMX awards ceremony looks like. FUEL TV's own Pat Parnell, host of The Daily Habit will co-host the awards show at Pala Casino, alongside Meta Mulisha team rider Todd Potter, and we just got first crack at the nominees list:

The big one is the Lusk Legacy Rider of the Year award, and the nominees are X Games Gold Medalist (and 2009 TWMX FMX Rider of the Year winner) Blake "Bilko" Williams, Red Bull X -Fighters champ Nate Adams, and all-around awesome aerialist Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg, whose inclusion on that list is proof positive that the AMFXA is honoring guts and glory out in the great ride open at least as much as it cares about big contest results.

The award, of course, is a tribute to the life and legacy of Twitch's good friend and teammate Jeremy Lusk, and as Adams told us earlier this month, it's the one everyone in FMX is going to be chasing from now on.

"I think the Jeremy Lusk Legacy Award for Rider of the Year is going to be the most prestigious award in FMX, and it's a perfect tribute to Jeremy's passing and to the kind of rider he was, said Adams. "He was a real no BS type guy and he really pushed our sport and was a huge part of what freestyle has become. I think that would be the best award to win, for sure, and that was the intention: It was like, 'What can we come up with that would be bigger than X Games, bigger than X-Fighters, bigger than ASA, bigger than anything?' It's just going to be a tremendous honor to win that award, now and forever."

Lusk himself is nominated in two different categories: He's probably a shoe-in for Best Part in a Video for his role in Powerband Films' On The Pipe 5, up against Twitch in Hood Rich (VAS Entertainment) and Mike Mason (also from On the Pipe 5), and he's also up for Best Spread in a Magazine, against Bilko and Todd Potter. 

Since Lusk's legend status has already been cemented with the naming of the Lusk Legacy Rider of the Year award, look for Brian Deegan, Mike Metzger, and Travis Pastrana in the Legends Award category.

Go big or go homers Cam Sinclair, Robbie Maddison, and Travis Pastrana are nominees in the Mucho Cojones category; go big or go down trying types Beau Bamberg, Cam Sinclair, and Takayuki Higoshino are up for the dubious honor of Biggest Slam (I think its probably Higashino, hands down).

And the AFMXA reasserts its commitment to the rest of the sport with New Blood nominees Jackson Strong, Lance Coury, and Levi Sherwood, and an Unsung Hero award recognizing FMX park builder Dane Heron, orthopedic surgeon to the stars Dr. Gus Gialamas (only in FMX!), and ESPN's Athlete/Talent Relations Manager Lizz Leach (Gialamas and Leach are both founding board members of the AFMXA).

Here's the full news release from the AFMXA:

Irvine, CA (October 30, 2009) –  The American Freestyle Motocross Association (“AFMXA”), a governing collective of Freestyle Motocross riders and action sports industry leaders, today announced the nominees for the 2009 AFMXA Awards presented by FUEL TV, taking place at Pala Raceway and Casino in Pala, CA on November 7^th.  Established to recognize top athletes and companies for their accomplishments, commitment to and influence on the sport, the AFMXA sent out award ballots to over 40 professional FMX riders, and a winner in each category will be determined by highest number of votes.  An all-access show will air on FUEL TV on December 28^th at 8pm ET/5pm PT, and again at 11pm ET/8pm PT, in FUEL TV’s “Meet & Brotatoes” programming block.  Show coverage will also be featured on FUEL TV’s web site (www.fuel.tv) in HD quality, and on the Association’s site (www.afmxa.com) immediately following the broadcast.

Hosted by Metal Mulisha team rider and X Games Gold medalist, Todd Potter, and FUEL TV’s Pat Parnell from “The Daily Habit,” the AFMXA Awards will bring some of the biggest names in action sports together in one room to celebrate freestyle motocross and its talent.  With a variety of categories, including Best Spread in a Magazine and Biggest Slam, this year’s most dedicated rider will be recognized with the Lusk Legacy Rider of the Year award, in memory of fellow FMX gold medalist, Jeremy Lusk. 

The 2009 AFMXA Awards nominees are:  

Best Part in a Video

Jeremy Lusk - On the Pipe 5

Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg - Hood Rich

Mike Mason - On the Pipe 5

Biggest Slam

Beau Bamberg

Cameron Sinclair

Takayuki Higoshino

Best Spread In a Magazine

Blake Williams

Jeremy Lusk

Todd Potter

New Blood
Jackson Strong

                  Lance Coury

Levi Sherwood

Mucho Cohones

Cameron Sinclair

Robbie Maddison

Travis Pastrana

Unsung Hero

Dane Heron

Dr. Gus Gialamas

 Lizz Leach

Legends Award

Brian Deegan

Mike Metzger

Travis Pastrana

Lusk Legacy Rider of the Year

Blake Williams

Jeremy Stenberg

Nate Adams

The 1^st annual AFMXA Amateur Competition is scheduled to take place earlier the same day, and is shaping up to be filled with great young potential from around the world.  Riders from Japan, Mexico, Canada and across U.S. are registered to compete.  In order to qualify, riders must be at least 14 years of age and submit video entries to www.afmxa.com.  The deadline for submissions was October 20^th, and. the top 10 selections chosen for best execution, style and innovation will be invited to compete in the event.  The 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place titles will be decided by a judging panel that includes Brian Deegan, Ronnie Faisst, Jeremy Stenberg, Mike Mason and Nate Adams, among others.

To check out clips and photos from the events and see what the AFMXA is all about, go to www.afmxa.com.

Blake "Bilko" Williams has had a hell of a year, picking up a gold medal at X Games 15, nabbing the cover of the 10th Anniversary issue of Freerider MX, and winning FMX Rider of the Year at the TransWorld Motocross TWMX Awards last month. He's also been through hell, with a lifetime's worth of work at the orthopedic surgeon packed into the last few weeks (sing along, everybody: "head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes...").

This weekend he's focused on the future: As one of the founding members of the new American Freestyle Motocross Association, Bilko's helping to oversee the first AFMXA amateur contest and 1st Annual AFMXA Awards on Saturday 11/4. He's also a nominee, along with Jeremy Stenberg and Nate Adams, for the new Lusk Legacy Rider of the Year Award. We caught up with him this week on his way out to survey the scene at Pala Raceway.

[UPDATE 11/7/2009: Bilko wins Lusk Legacy Rider of the Year Award (click through for full list of AFMXA Awards winners]

How's everything shaping up for the AFMXA events this weekend?

It's looking really good. We've got a lot of good entries for the amateurs, so we're going to split them into two groups – Pro-Am and Am – because we had a ton of talent show up. The awards night is shaping up to to be really good, too: There's been a lot of positive feedback from the industry and I think everyone's really looking forward to having a freestyle-specific awards night. It was the only action sport left that didn't have one.

Why was it important for you to sign on with the AFMXA from the start?

I really support the cause, and this is my life, you know? Like Ronnie said, It's all kind of motivated from what happened to Jeremy Lusk, trying to make an awareness of rider safety and make safer conditions for all of us. Now we've got a 24-hour hotline so if we're overseas doing demos and do get into a medical situation in in a foreign country, we've got translators and doctors on standby, we've got Medivac flights to get you out of there if it comes to that. We've also been doing a lot of First Aid and CPR training with the riders so if you're out riding with your biddies in the hills and one of our friends crashes, you'll know how to stabilize him and stuff until help gets there. An ambulance or a helicopter could be an hour away, and just being able to take responsibility for each other is going to make it a whole lot safer.

Tell me about the amateur contest itself. Why was it important to you to start things off with this event?

Bringing up the amateur talent is going to be really good for FMX. It's always been hard to break into the freestyle scene and as an amateur you don't really have much of an opening. I know that firsthand, as someone who came over from Australia and really had to fight my way in. It's hard for people haven't made a name for themselves yet to get to those bigger contests, so this will be chance for some new riders to get in the spotlight, show their talent, potentially pick up some sponsors, and just help grow the sport. It's shaping up this weekend to be a pretty good contest: We've got a nice, simple course design and just a ton of great riders. We've got more talent this weekend than I think a lot of people even realized was out there, so it should be good.

For the AFMXA Awards show part of the night, you're nominated for the big one, the new Lusk Legacy Rider of the Year. Having just won the TWMX FMX Rider of the Year, what do those kinds of honors mean to you personally?

It's a good chance to party and it's nice to get a pat on the back from your fellow riders to show respect for what you've done for the sport. It shows they know you're pushing it and throwing it all on the line and it just feels really good to know that your peers are really in support of what you've done and they respect you for your riding. The Lusk Legacy Award is something that I'd really like to win, but I'm up against Twitch and Nate Adams and they're both great competitors, great riders, and really dedicated to what they do as well, so it could go any way. It's great just to be up for the nomination regardless.

Speaking of throwing it all on the line... You've had some injuries of your own this year.

I've had a couple of injuries, but, since we're talking about the AFMXA stuff, I should say that mine have been at major events like Dew Tour and X Games where there's a fully qualified medical staff and everything like that, and I got the best care I could have gotten. I think the main goal is to make things safer at these other events we do. Jeremy Lusk crashed in Costa Rica and didn't get the best medical attention from the very get go, from when he hit the ground. You know, you never know if it's going to make the difference or not, but you want to be in the best possible hands. Also Cam Sinclair, best friend, he crashed at Madrid X-Fighters and we had to find translators on the phone so the doctors could speak Spanish to English to his fiancee, trying to find a surgeon to perform life threatening surgery when there's internal bleeding and stuff like that. You want to know that they're in good hands or be able to get get them transported out of there to a better country. Until the last couple years when we've now had some serious injuries overseas I think people weren't really thinking of how huge it is, how far from home we really are a lot of the time, but when one of your friends falls off, it's time to take it really seriously.

How's your own recovery process going? I know you've been spending some quality time with the surgeon lately. 

The recovery process is going awesome, actually. I had my ACL fixed in my right knee, and I also had a shoulder that had been bugging me for a few years, so I figured if I was going to be out for 5 months for the knee, I'd go ahead and get that fixed, too. I had a couple of tears repaired in my shoulder and they found out my bicep was halfway falling off my shoulder so they reattached that too, about three weeks ago. I had a plate and four screws taken out of my foot from an injury in Mexico last year, and next week I go in to get some tendons in my toes in my left foot worked on. I'm getting everything I can fixed while I'm out so I can try and come back stronger next year. It really sucks with the time off:  You fall behind, you lose your confidence, you lose some of your tricks, and meanwhile everyone else is progressing right along, so I'll have to play catch up. It's really frustrating but I'm trying to make the best of it.

You've got a reputation as an all-or-nothing kind of guy. What motivates you to keep at it, knowing the level of risk and after having some of those kinds of injuries?

I think I had a mentality like, "I've got to prove myself." Well, now I've proven myself and I can back it off a little bit. The last three years I've other gotten first or crashed out at every event, pretty much. It's kind of like I've got to calm myself down a bit and take that step back to say "If I do this run I can probably podium and then I'll be at the next event" rather than trying to throw everything I can into it and then either win or get carted off. My goal is to finish a season off for once!

What do you think it will take?

I know it's getting dangerous, but there's a fine line between trying something that you think you can do and trying something absolutely stupid. I think losing Lusk brought that home for a lot of us, to be able to say: "I don't want to flop down any time soon. I've got too much I want to do." I know I've got to get more consistent now that I don't have as much to prove. I really had a feeling, coming from Australia, like, "I'm only here for a few months and if I do bad in this contest I'm going to go home and everyone's going to forget about me." That mentality kind of bit me in the ass and I ended up going home in an ambulance and flying back to Australia all busted up. Luckily my sponsors had faith in me and I was able to come back and prove myself. Now I think I'm at a level where I don't have to put as much on the table all year long. You know, X Games for sure I'm going to go for it, anything where it really matters, but I'm also going to work to make sure I'm at every contest all year long, keep pushing the tricks, and stay around a bit longer. 

(Blake Williams, winner of the 1st Annual Lusk Legacy Rider of the Year award. Photo courtesy DVS)

Blake Williams went straight from judging the American Freestyle Motocross Association's first Am/Pro Am contest yesterday to picking up the big one: Last night Bilko's peers in the AFMXA awarded him their top honor, the trophy for Lusk Legacy Rider of the Year.

The Lusk Legacy award is a tribute to FMX legend Jeremy Lusk, who died in a FMX accident in Costa Rica earlier this year. His death helped kickstart the creation of the AFMXA, a by-the-riders/for-the-riders association with a mission "to organize, protect, and develop the sport of Freestyle Motocross."

When we talked with Bilko earlier this week about all things AFMXA, he was honored just to be nominated for the award, alongside Jeremy Stenberg and Nate Adams, and said losing Lusk had helped him rethink his all-or-nothing approach to FMX.

Lusk himself won a posthumous award for Best Magazine Spread as TransWorld Motocross 2008 FMX Rider of the Year – click through and read it now for a classic interview and the last great photos of Lusk in action.  

Stay tuned for complete photo and video coverage from the event here at FUEL.TV. An all-access show from the AFMXA Awards will air on FUEL TV on December 28 at 8pm ET/5pm PT. Meanwhile, here's the full list of AFMXA Awards winners:

Best Video Part
Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg — Hoodrich

Best Magazine Spread
Jeremy Lusk — TransWorld

Biggest Slam
Cameron Sinclair

New Blood
Levi Sherwood

Mucho Cahones
Robbie Maddison

Unsung Hero
Lizz Leach

Lusk Legacy Foundation Rider of the Year
Blake "Bilko" Williams

The best thing to happen in FMX in 2009? No question: The formation of the new American Freestyle Motocross Association. FMX riders and the motocross industry responded to the death of Jeremy Lusk by coming together to celebrate and honor his life by establishing a new organization "to organize, protect, and develop the sport of Freestyle Motocross in a collective and collaborative manner."

In just a few short months the AFMXA has already trained its members in advanced First Aid and CPR, worked with promoters to improve rider safety conditions at most major FMX events, and held its first amateur contest to help ensure a future for the sport. The jewel in the crown? The 1st Annual AFMXA Freestyle Awards recognizing the best in FMX in categories like Best Video Part, Best Magazine Spread, Biggest Slam, Mucho Cojones, Unsung Hero, and Lusk Legacy Foundation Rider of The Year.

It's not much of a spoiler at all to note that the pic above is Bilko – surprise, surprise! – walking away with the night's top honors. You'll still want to tune in for FUEL TV's full coverage from the event this week and throughout the next month for the now legendary Ronnie Faisst/Nate Adams rap duo, full acceptance speeches from each of the winners, and video highlights from one epic year in FMX. Here's the details:

Airing Monday, December 28, at 8:00pm ET/PT, in Meet & Brotatoes and re-airing several more times over the next month, FUEL TV will showcase "AFMXA 2009 Freestyle Awards."

The American Freestyle Motocross Association (AFMXA) awards at the Pala Raceway and Casino in Pala, California recognized the best in FMX. Categories such as Best Riding Part in a Video, Best Spread in a Magazine, Biggest Slam, Unsung Hero Award, and Lusk Legacy Rider of the Year awards honored the unique riders of this insane sport. Nominees included Blake Williams, Jeremy Lusk, Todd Potter, Brian Deegan, and Travis Pastrana.

AFMXA 2009 Freestyle Awards Air Dates:

Monday, 12/28/2009                           8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT in Meet & Brotatoes

Monday, 12/28/2009                           11:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM PT

Tuesday, 12/29/2009                           9:30 PM ET / 6:30 PM PT

Wednesday, 12/30/2009                     12:30 PM ET / 9:30 AM PT

Wednesday, 12/30/2009                     1:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM PT

Thursday, 12/31/2009                         6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT

Thursday, 12/31/2009                         9:30 PM ET / 6:30 PM PT

Thursday, 12/31/2009                         10:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM PT

Tuesday, 1/05/2010                             1:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM PT

Wednesday, 1/20/2010                        1:00 AM ET / 10:00 PM PT

Thursday, 1/21/2010                           6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT

Monday, 1/25/2010                             8:30 AM ET / 5:30 AM PT

Thursday, 1/28/2010                           6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT

For more on the AFMXA, see our previous interviews with Board member Toby Bost, official spokesperson Ronnie Faisst, 2009 Lusk Legacy Rider of the Year Blake "Bilko" Williams, and founding member Nate Adams.