Tagged: Grant Roberts

THE ESTEEMED 53rd MASTERS CONCLUDES WITH A NEW TRICK RECORD AND FOUR NEW MASTERS CHAMPIONS

Pine Mountain, GA (May 29, 2012) – Yesterday’s conclusion of the 53rd Masters Water Ski & Wakeboard Tournament® at Callaway Gardens brought four new Masters Champions including Men’s Trick champion Alexandre Poteau, Slalom champion Nate Smith, Jump champion Ryan Dodd and Women’s Wakeboard champion Meagan Ethell plus a new course record in Women’s Trick pulled by the Ski Nautique 200.

In Women’s events, Natallia Berdnikava set a new course record in Women’s Tricks with a score of 9,520 points and claimed the Masters title followed by Iris Cambray and Whitney McClintock. Top seed Regina Jaquess skied a half a buoy more than Whitney McClintock to earn the Women’s Slalom title. Berdnikava claimed her second title of the day in Women’s Jump with a score of 173 feet with Jacinta Carroll and Marion Mathieu rounding out the podium.

In the Men’s disciplines, Alexandre Poteau from France tricked 10,560 points earning his first Masters Trick title. Nate Smith who was seeded second in the finals ran 5@39-off taking the lead and earning his first Masters Slalom title followed by Thomas Degasperi and Aaron Larkin. Defending Masters Champion Freddy Krueger who was last off the dock was no match for Ryan Dodd who jumped 225 feet earning his first Masters Jump title!

During the Wakeskate finals, the wind picked up drastically changing the conditions then the previous day, Grant Roberts had a good run and attempted the 540 which has never been tried in a contest but was unable to ride away from it scoring 65.00. Last off the dock was Defending Wakeskate Champion Reed Hansen making his destiny with a run of 70.00 and preserving his Masters title for the second year in a row.

Women’s wakeboarding finals was top level riding that has ever been seen in competition and Meagan Ethell was the first female to ever land a wake to wake crow mobe as her wild trick earning her first Masters Wakeboard title. During the men’s finals we saw some of the most progressive runs ever in a contest behind the all-new Super Air Nautique G23 and attempts at tricks that have never been tried before. Aaron Rathy set the bar but had two falls and did not allow him to complete as many tricks as defending Masters Champion Harley Clifford and Phil Soven. Clifford knew what he had to do but a fall in his pass put him in second as Soven had two flawless passes that included a whirly 7, amongst other technical tricks and spins earning the coveted Masters title.

For complete up-to-date scores of the 53rd Masters, please visit www.masterswaterski.com/standings/ or to view the action visit www.masterswaterski.com/video.

An invitation to compete in the Masters is universally considered an acknowledgement of achievement for reaching the pinnacle in a given watersports discipline – only the world’s most elite athletes compete at the Masters. This tournament is IWWF/USA Water Ski and WWA sanctioned.

9th ANNUAL ROCKSTAR BYERLY TOE JAM Presented by O’Neill

FINALS DAY

From 9 a.m. until well after dark on Saturday, April 21, the best wakeskaters in the world threw down everything they had at the Wake and Gap finals of the 9th Annual Rockstar Byerly Toe Jam presented by O’Neill.

Brian Grubb competed head-to-head against Brandon Thomas in what would be the closest showdown of the Wake event. BT came out slightly on top with various switch tricks, big spins and a 360 shove. Grubb had more toeside tricks in his run and an equal amount of hammers, but BT’s flow and execution is what made the difference, sending him to the finals against Grant Roberts, who beat Reed Hansen with ten hammer moves wake-to-wake.

BT’s hard work paid off, as he also topped Grant Roberts on his way to his first Toe Jam win since six years ago, when he swept all three events and the overall title in 2006. It could have been his new outlook that made the difference. “My whole thing was feeling more confident this year,” BT said. “And my run starts when I’m on the dock just hanging out. I don’t stress, I don’t think about my run. I just go do what I’ve been working hard on all winter, that’s what helped me in particular this year.”

And there is no doubt the task was not easy. “The top guys are riding so well, and I feed off that,“ BT said. “They’re doing lines up and down the lake that I thought would never be done. It takes a different rider to hang behind the boat. And the Nautique Byerly boat was on point. It gets up quick, makes tight turns and delivers a perfect wake with perfect speed. And the consistency of everyone’s riding proved how good of a boat it is.

BT also reflected on his relationship and motivation from the Godfather himself. “Scott Byerly has never given up. That’s the biggest thing he’s inspired in me. When I lose, or am not riding well, I think how he never gave up and it keeps me going to do the same. And we always want to ride well in front of him. Everything revolves around him in my outlook and daily routine. To win his event is the ultimate. It doesn’t get any better.”

As the action shifted to the Gap event, the Saturday crowd filled in and posted up for quite a show. The final round saw a stacked lineup with Danny Hampson, Nick Taylor, Ben Horan, Reed Hansen and brothers Andrew and Austin Pastura. The Arnette Best Trick would be awarded to the best trick all day, going to Reed Hansen for a perfect 360 kickflip in an earlier round. Other big tricks were:

Danny Hampson: Frontside bigger spin
Ben Horan: Back tail shove, frontside flip over the rail
Nick Taylor: Frontside flip
Andrew Pastura: Big spin front board to fakie

Top honors went to 16-year-old Austin Pastura, who lined up a back lip shove off the dock into a front tail front big off the down rail. All the riders celebrated into the night at the awards ceremony immediately following and Byerly honored the best riders in the sport “These guys gave everything they had,” Byerly said. “They all pushed the sport once again and I’m looking forward to the rest of The Wakeskate Tour. It was awesome having their help at Toe Jam and they are going to kill it the rest of the season.” For more info on the remaining four events, go to TheWakeskateTour.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Toe.Jam.Wake.Event
Twitter: @TheByerlyToeJam

Wake Final Results
1.) Brandon Thomas
2.) Grant Roberts
3t.) Brian Grubb
3t.) Reed Hansen

Gap Final Results
1.) Austin Pastura
2.) Ben Horan
3.) Andrew Pastura
4.) Nick Taylor
5.) Reed Hansen
6.) Danny Hampson

Girls Division Final
1.) Jen GilanFarr
2.) Renee Jaquess
3.) Cassandra Scott
3t.) Krista Burns

Scott Byerly would like to thank Rockstar Energy Drink and O’Neill for their undying support of the Toe Jam as well as Arnette, Nautique and The Projects.

Day Three at Wake Games in the Books, Pro Champions Crowned Tomorrow

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Orlando, Fla. — The world’s best wakeboarders descended upon the Orlando Watersports Complex for the third consecutive day to battle it out on massive wakes generated by Nautique’s new G23 boat in hopes of advancing to tomorrow’s final rounds of the 2012 Wake Games.

Showcasing highly technical rail tricks and larger-than-life aerials, riders in the men’s pro division set the standard today by performing some of the sport’s most difficult maneuvers. At the top of their game were the Soven brothers Bob and Phillip (Longwood, Fla.), who had stellar performances under the pressure of an MTV camera crew documenting his every move for the network’s upcoming series, Wake Brothers. Both Soven’s won their heats and will advance to tomorrow’s semi final round. Last year’s King of Wake defending champion, Harley Clifford, also won his heat today and will look to stay on top of the rankings with a Wake Games win tomorrow.

“There is some insane talent on tour this year,” commented Bob Soven. “Add that to the wake the G23 is pumping out and we are seeing some really tight heats. It was great to be out on the water today and I can’t wait to get back out there tomorrow.”

The feel good story of the Nautique Wake Games continues to be the comeback of Orlando-native Dallas Friday, who won her women’s pro heat today to advance to tomorrow’s finals. Friday, the most accomplished female athlete in the history of the sport, is returning to competition for the first time since 2010 after suffering series of grueling knee injuries.

In the Overton’s Junior Pro Men’s Series, Mike Dowdy looks to be the guy to beat. After putting in a near perfect performance in yesterday’s quarterfinals, Dowdy kept his momentum going with another heat winning performance in today’s semi finals. Dowdy will go for the division crown in tomorrow’s final against a stacked field of three other Junior Pro riders.

Adding to the one-of-a-kind format at the Nautique Wake Games, 10 preselected pro men wakeboarders served as team captains last night and hosted a draft, consisting of the 90 remaining athletes who advanced past the initial qualifying rounds. Based on today and tomorrow’s results, the athletes, which are separated by age, sex and skill level, will contribute points toward a team score based on their individual placement in that division. The team with the highest collective score will win the overall title. All 23 divisions will crown an individual winner as well. At the end of Day three, Team Austin Hair currently sits ahead of the nine other teams.

The Nautique Wake Games, presented by Rockstar Energy Drink will wrap up tomorrow April 14. Gates will open at 11 a.m. Tickets are available at the gate: $13 (adult); $5 (ages 6-12); free (ages 5 and under); or $7 (adult) if purchased online.

Following Saturday’s men’s pro final Nautique will sponsor two specialty events, a double-up contest and expression session. Both events will be broadcast live via webcast.

In addition to all the action on the water, on land the Nautique Wake Games features great food and music, athlete autograph signings, chances to win freebies, and shopping at the most cutting-edge stores offering water-sports equipment including boats, wakeboards, wakeskates, sunglasses and the latest in wakeboarding and surfing fashions.

For information on the Nautique Wake Games, presented by Rockstar Energy Drink, visit www.kingofwake.com.

The Nautique Wake Games, presented by Rockstar Energy Drink is organized by World Sports & Marketing of Orlando, Fla., and has the support of the following sponsors: Correct Craft, Rockstar Energy Drink, Overton’s, Peavey, Mona Vie, Fox, Hyperlite, CWB, Ronix, Liquid Force, Byerly, Oakley, PCM Marine Engines and TransWorld WAKEBOARDING magazine.

Congrats to our Straight Line riders Danny Hampson, Grant Roberts, James Balzer, Amber Wing, Bob Soven, and Steel Lafferty for all doing a great job at the Wake Games!!

Nautique Wake Games Day Three Results:
Amateur Women – Finals
1. Carolina Rodriguez 70.00
2. Brook Grassman 66.67
3. Becky Hall 43.33

Girls (13 and under) – Finals
1. Sofia Mendez 70.00
2. Marla Fay 53.33

Junior Boys Beginner (9 and under)- Finals
1. Carter Mather 76.67
2. Thomas Herman 66.67
3. Benjamin Brown 50.00

Junior Boys (9 and under) – Finals
1. Hunter Henderson 80.00
2. Kevin Duffy 63.33

Women’s Masters – Finals
1. Sigrid Beachler 80.00
2. Joy Manning 63.33

Amateur Wake Skate – Finals
1. Austin Polterock 76.67
2. Craig Buss 68.33
3. Seth Cathy 60.00
4. Cristobal Mendez 43.33

Women’s Pro Wakeskate – Finals
1. Jen Gilanfarr 76.67
2. Kristine Gagnier 60.00

Pro Wakeskate Men’s Semi Finals – Heat 1
1. Danny Hampson 93.33
2. Brian Grubb 86.67
3. Stu Shinn 60.00
4. Ollie Moore 45.00

Pro Wakeskate Men’s Semi Finals – Heat 2
1. Reed Hansesn 88.33
2. Brandon Thomas 78.33
3. Grant Roberts 65.00
4. George Daniels 63.33
5. James Balzer 43.33

Veteran Womens – Final
1. Paula Fay 81.67

Veterans (40 and over) Men Finals – Heat 1
1. Matt Vermillion 68.33
2. Ben Uncle 58.33
3. Darren Holsey 40.00

Junior Women (14-18) Finals
1. Larisa Morales 86.67
2. Shelby King 66.67
3. Mallorie Henry 56.67
4. Gianna Dinatale 43.33

Junior Men (14-18) Finals
1. Juan Mendez 88.33
2. Yangsu Kim 75.00
3. Mac Schramm 61.67
4. Nick Vaccari 56.67
5. Eduardo Meyers 45.00
6. Juan Martin Velez 33.33

Masters (30-39) Finals
1. Jeremy Baker 80.00
2. Brian White 63.33
3. Kevin Michael 43.33
4. Eric Miller 26.67

Overton’s Junior Pro Series Men’s Semi Finals Heat 1
1. Mike Dowdy 94.50
2. Joshua Twelker 89.25
3. Tony Iacconi 82.25
4. Robby Holihan 72.50
5. Kennan Allen 48.00

Overton’s Junior Pro Men’s Semi Finals – Heat 2
1. Freddie Wayne 92.00
2. David O’Caoimh 86.00
3. Kyle Evans 77.50
4. Christian Primrose 76.50
5. Jacobb Valdez 68.00

Pro Women Semi Final – Heat 1
1. Dallas Friday 76.67
2. Meagan Ethell 66.67
3. Nicola Butler 53.00
4. Taylor McCullough 50.00
5. Abby Delgoffe 40.00

Pro Women’s Semi Final – Heat 2
1. Mellissa Marquardt 66.67
2. Rami Merritt 60.00
3. Amber Wing 56.83
4. Miku Asai 56.67
5. Ashley Leugner 45.00

Pro Veterans Finals
1. Ricky Gonzales 71.67
2. Chad Lowe 58.33

Pro Men’s Quarter Finals – Heat 1
1. Bob Soven 86.67
2. Steel Lafferty 73.33
3. Adam Fields 65.00
4. Kirby Liesmann 56.57
5. Adam Wensink 51.67
6. Tony Carroll 40.00

Pro Men’s Quarter Finals – Heat 2
1. Aaron Rathy 71.67
2. Rusty Malinoski 66.67
3. Daniel Powers 58.33
4. Jimmy Larich 53.33
5. Shawn Watson 48.33
6. Jason Bannatyne 38.33

Pro Men’s Quarter Finals – Heat 3
1. Shaun Murray 78.33
2. JD Webb 66.67
3. Dean Smith 65.00
4. Jefferson Langley 58.33
5. Shane Bonifay 46.67
6. Dante Digangi 30.00

Pro Men’s Quarter Finals – Heat 4
1. Phillip Soven 80.00
2. Raphael Derome 75.00
3. Adam Errington 68.33
4. Kyle Alberts 50.00
5. Danny Thollander 41.67

Pro Men’s Quarter Finals – Heat 5
1. Harley Clifford 85.00
2. Andrew Adkison 68.33
3. Shotta Tezuka 61.67
4. Olivier Derome 56.67
5. Sam Crane 50.00
6. Kyle Rattray 43.33