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"\"&lt;p&gt;Golden, CO &amp;#8211; June 16, 2004    We have heard the following statements far too often to have them ignored any longer:&lt;br \\/&gt;* &amp;#8220;INSURANCE?  WHO CAN AFFORD DECENT INSURANCE THESE DAYS?* &amp;#8220;THEY WANT ME TO JUMP OFF THAT; I&amp;#8217;ll DIE!*  &amp;#8220;&amp;#8230; SO, NOW HE&amp;#8217;S IN A WHEELCHAIR, HIS SPONSORS ARE ALL GONE AND HE&amp;#8217;S FREAKING!  HE&amp;#8217;S RUN OUT OF MONEY.* &amp;#8220;DO YOU KNOW WHERE I CAN FIND INFO ON HOW TO GET SPONSORED AND GO PRO?*  &amp;#8220;I DESPERATELY NEED HELP WITH TAXES!* &amp;#8221; I GOT HURT, BUT MY SPONSORS WON&amp;#8217;T HELP OUT AND I DON&amp;#8217;T HAVE INSURANCE*  &amp;#8220;OK \\u2026 SO I NEED AN AGENT, BUT HOW DO I FIND ONE?\\n&lt;p&gt;A void desperately needs to be filled within the hierarchy of action sports. The action sports industry needs an organization to help address the important specific needs and issues of the athletes and the participants that drive the sports.\\n&lt;p&gt;Introducing the International Action Sports Alliance!   This marks the beginning of a new era for action sports, as the International Action Sports Alliance (IASA) strives to empower and protect the individuals for all of the action sports by uniting everyone together under a single umbrella organization. The purpose of this coming together of the masses, or &amp;#8220;herding of cats as it has been appropriately stated, is multi-fold.\\n&lt;p&gt;The IASA, a non-profit association, was formed to provide a solid platform of benefits (insurance, dental discount plan, travel discounts, etc), to create an interactive community of members working together for the good of all action sports. The Alliance strives to remain neutral and to support the already established action sports associations, as well as athlete management groups, agencies and industry companies\\n&lt;p&gt;Primarily, bringing everyone together as a larger mass enables the Alliance to negotiate more and better benefits for everyone involved. A major accomplishment of the Alliance is the attainment of an accident plan for members through American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (AFLAC).  This plan is for residents in the United States, which may be purchased on a month-to-month basis. The Alliance is currently in negotiation for an International insurance plan to boost support for action sports athletes around the globe. Check it out on the Alliance&amp;#8217;s website www.iasasport.com.   \\n&lt;p&gt;In addition to the travel discount benefits &amp;#038; insurance policies, membership includes a self-promotional &amp;#8220;Spray Page on the IASA website (www.iasasports.com). The searchable Spray pages are designed to provide a centralized database for action sports, and maybe updated by the member whenever desired (new competition results, new photos, sponsors, whatever you want!).\\n&lt;p&gt;Another mission of the Alliance is the formation of an &amp;#8220;Athlete Board. The Board consists of athletes chosen by the member base as spokespeople and representatives, giving each sport an equal voice. Each sport has the support of the Board to increase leverage in adverse situations and further empower the group as a whole. Alliance Board Members include professional snowboarder Barrett Christy and professional skateboarder Mike Vallely.\\n&lt;p&gt;Step up and join forces with the Alliance to be a part of the first all encompassing action-sports association in the world! Created for and managed by the members; the individuals of the action sports community.\\n&lt;p&gt;Three different membership plans are currently available for Individuals and Families:&lt;br \\/&gt;* $19.95 Grassroots Membership   limited benefits* $59.95 Premium Membership full benefits * $129.95 The Family Plan\\/full benefits \\n&lt;p&gt;** AFLAC&amp;#8217;s policy premiums are not included in IASA&amp;#8217;s membership fees**\\n&lt;p&gt;Interested in a business membership?  Join our Locals Favorites Program!  Please contact Benefit&amp;#8217;s Director Jill Parker at jparker@actionsportsathletes.com\\n&lt;p&gt;Check out www.iasasports.com for more information about the Alliance! &lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;EMPOWER &amp;#8211; PROTECT &amp;#8211; UNITE&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n\""^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://snowboarding.transworld.net/news/the-international-action-sports-alliance-launches/>