Amid controversy, Team USA's MiRi Park wins the Air Guitar World Championships

September 2, 2004 -- After the celebrations, the cheers and the awards ceremony, MiRi "Sonyk-Rok" Park –- the 2004 US Air Guitar Champion – was awarded the 9th Air Guitar World Championship. Playing an inspired rendition of Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher," Brooklyn's Park beat last year's US and World champ David "C-Diddy" Jung in a much-hyped battle between master and pupil.

But in the days that followed the event, a judging controversy eerily reminiscent of this summer's Olympic men's gymnastics threatened to tear apart the very fabric of international air guitar competition. Upon reviewing in detail the scoring in the final rounds, the independent jury discovered that the New Zealand champion, Tarquin "The Tarkness" Keys, should have edged out Park for top honors.

In an unprecedented move, the jury has decided to share this year's first prize between the USA and New Zealand. Both are expected to return to Finland next year as defending world champions. This controversy may never die down until these two consummate professionals duke it out on the world stage once again.

Air Guitar USA would like to extend our congratulations to both MiRi and last year's champ C-Diddy for extending our remarkable dominance in this event. MiRi becomes only the 2nd female world champion in the history of international competition. Said MiRi, "the whole competition has been an amazing experience and I did not expect to win. It will be thrilling to see what the victory brings along. The main thing is that now I have shown that women can really rock!"

We look forward to seeing her on the world stage again as we gear up for the 2005 US Air Guitar Championships, which is coming to a city near you next spring and summer. The 2004 US Air Guitar Championships took place in New York, Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis and Los Angeles. Look for more cities, more fans and more "airsatz" action as the USA looks to pull off the first three-peat in history.

An official documentary about the US Air Guitar Championships is currently in the works. The documentary is being produced by DanCutforth and Jane Lipsitz of Magical Elves Inc., executive producers of HBO's "Project Greenlight" and NBC's "Last Comic Standing."

For more information about the event or to host a regional competition in 2005, visit www.airguitarusa.com





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