Pro Wakeboard Tour Set to Wrap-up Season
The top pro wakeboarders on the planet are set to battle it out on the waters of Sparks Marina in the greater Reno area of Sparks, Nevada on August 14-16 for the fifth and final stop of the 2009 MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour. Athletes will compete through a series of elimination rounds throughout the three-day event, judged on rail tricks and big-air manoeuvres.
In the Pro Men's division, 15-year-old rookie phenom Harley Clifford enters the final Pro Tour stop as the top-seeded rider in the contest. Should Clifford top the contest podium at Sparks Marina, the Aussie young gun will become only the second rider ever to win the Pro Tour title in his rookie year, behind wakeboarding legend Parks Bonifay. The Australian native will also become only the second international athlete ever to win the U.S. Pro Tour title, behind fellow Aussie Josh Sanders.
Although Harley Clifford is the front-runner in the contest, the rookie faces a tough field of competitors, who are also in contention for the Pro Tour title. Aaron Rathy, Phillip Soven and Andrew Adkison all have a shot at the overall title and will look to leave Clifford in their wake to win it.
Sparks Marina will also serve as the fourth stop in the Queen of Wake series for the Pro Women's division. The newly crowned U.S. national champion Dallas Friday paces the field of female rippers, but faces an unfavourable history of competing in Reno. Defending Queen of Wake titlist Nicola Butler and former wakeboard world champ Amber Wing look to take advantage of Friday's losing streak in Reno and dethrone the points-leader from the top spot, as both riders trail close behind her.
In the Jr. Pro Men's division, Bob Soven looks to follow in his older brother's footsteps by claiming his fifth consecutive win to sweep the Pro Tour season. Older brother Phillip Soven accomplished this feat in the Pro Men's division last year, on the 2008 Pro Tour. If Bob Soven wins at Sparks Marina, he will become the first rider ever to sweep the Pro Tour in the Jr. Pro Men's division.
Overall awards for the season and for fifth tour stop will be given out at the annual Pro Tour Awards ceremony held on Sunday, August 16 from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. in the Celebrity Showroom of John Ascuaga's Nugget.
First Major Event on the 2009/2010 TTR World Tour
Snow - Friday August 07/2009
The 2009/2010 Swatch TTR World Tour is officially underway with the first major event of the Southern Hemisphere leg will take place next week. The 5Star Burton New Zealand Open kicks off at Cardrona Alpine Resort on Tuesday, August 11th 2009 where riders will be greeted with a 22-foot pipe and a world-class slopestyle course giving competitors two opportunities to lock in a 2009/2010 Swatch TTR Ranking result.
The Burton New Zealand Open has served as the major TTR Tour kick-off event for the past four years and is a perfect opportunity for riders to get a jumpstart heading into the Northern Hemisphere winter. With 850 Swatch TTR Ranking points and a $50,000 USD prize purse up for the taking, riders from around the globe will be looking to secure a piece.
2008/2009 Swatch TTR World Champion, Peetu Piroinen, recently confirmed his attendance at the event and will be defending his World No. 1 position from the likes of World No. 2 Chas Guldemond (USA), World No. 3 Antti Autti (FIN) and World No. 6 Charles Reid (CAN). The tight-knight Frends crew, all of which are ranked in the Top 30 on the TTR Tour, will also be upping the ante at this year's New Zealand Open with Danny Davis, Luke Mitrani, Jack Mitrani and Mason Aguirre all slated to make an appearance.
The women's side of the competition field is stacked with some heavy Swatch TTR Tour competitors including 2008/2009 TTR World Champion and current World No. 1 Kelly Clark (USA) who will definitely be a standout in the 22-foot pipe. Current World No. 3, Jamie Anderson (USA), is back at the New Zealand Open looking to clinch her second-consecutive Slopestyle title. Norwegian rider and current World No. 2, Lisa Wiik, turned some heads last season on the tour and is sure to be a force at the event. European Top 10 TTR riders, Silvia Mittermueller (GER) and Sarka Pancochova (CZE) are all due to be present in New Zealand making for some strong competition.
The Burton New Zealand halfpipe finals will take place on Friday, August 14th and slopestyle finals on Saturday, August 15th 2009.
After the Burton New Zealand Open wraps up, the Southern Hemisphere leg of the Swatch TTR will continue in Australia with the 4Star Stylewars and the 3Star Boost Mobile Sno Sho. The Tour will return to New Zealand for the 3Star Billabong BroDown before turning to the Northern Hemisphere, which is only a short time away.
Daniel Ross Dominates at Relentless Boardmasters
Surf - Friday August 07
Competition entered its business end yesterday at Newquay with excellent four- to five-foot (1.2- to 1.5-metre) waves greeting the event's leaders as the first one-to-one battles got underway. While competition moved from the end of Round 2 through to Round 4 in good fashion, current ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) big names were able to deliver another lesson of competitive surfing with massive scores being posted throughout the day.
Current ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) ratings' leader Daniel Ross (New South Wales, AUS), 26, reminded everyone why he has been leading the international contingent for a couple of months now coming up with outstanding levels of surfing. Opening his three-man battle with an excellent 8.50 point ride, Ross was able to clinch his win after his second to last ride, a 9.33 pointer giving him the day's highest result of 17.83 points (out of a possible 20).
"It is really enjoyable to have fun waves here," Ross said. "The crowds are usually good and we've had great waves since the start so I had a great time competing today. That result is already a keeper for me and going over the 14.000 point mark so regardless of what anyone says, it should be fine for me to get back [on the ASP World Tour]."
Ross, who has developed solid heats tactics and mental strength since he got back on the ASP WQS in February, showed he was to be counted with in any kind of conditions, the renowned powerful big wave surfer taming the clean smaller waves easily.
"I am just doing what I can do and trying to have fun with it all," Ross said. "I've been working on my boards with Christian [Bradley] and it's made a big difference. I am trying to stay fit and keep that power there and it's been working well in the smaller stuff as well."
Ross's performances saw the Australian native secure his Quarterfinal berth later in the day, his win over former ASP Top 45 member Eric Rebiere (Biarritz, FRA) in Round 3 guaranteeing the 26-year-old athlete a minimum of 1300 points counting towards his overall ratings' point total. Ross will now meet with event youngest competitor though renowned Hawaiian John John Florence (Oahu, HAW), 15.
Advancing through to the Quarterfinals of the Relentless Boardmasters in association with Vans were current ratings' No. 11 Joan Duru (Ondres, FRA), 19, and defending champion Wiggoly Dantas (BRA), the Brazilian competitor easily ousting British legend Sam Lamiroy (Newle, GBR). Dantas, who has been rising heat after heat as a serious contender for the crown, which would be his second consecutive one, showed maturity and patience to get hold of the better waves, finishing the 25-minute encounter with an impressive 8.83 point ride to seal the deal.
"I am surfing well and it pleases me for sure," Dantas said. "I feel a bit more pressure still but being in the Quarterfinals is definitely already a good thing. I am just trying to approach my heats as if it was a free-surf and I hope I can keep it up tomorrow."
Dantas's solid run took him through two rounds of competition, the 19-year-old rising talent posting 17.00 points (out of a possible 20) en route to the Quarterfinals, a good confidence to remain focused on a big result to keep his ASP World Tour qualification hopes alive.
While Florence was securing his Quarterfinal berth for his best result to date in an ASP WQS main event, posting the event's best wave score was former Relentless Boardmasters champion Antonio Bortoletto (Durban, ZAF), 29. Bortoletto, despite losing in Round 4 to local boy and renowned British surfer Alan Stokes (GBR), scored the event's highest wave ride today, a near perfect 9.60 point scorer earlier in the day to leave his mark on the 2009 edition at Fistral Beach, an event where he reached his career best in 2005.
"I feel confident in Newquay, definitely one of my favourite places," Bortoletto said. "I was pretty stoked with the waves today. I have been staying home for the first half of the year and I am back in Europe and looking to get results. That 9th is a keeper."
With former ASP Top 45 surfer Travis Logie (Durban, ZAF) surfing on Friday first thing when competition resumes, the Relentless Boardmasters in association with Vans could see a champion crowned on the day as ten heats only remain.
