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2024 Malibu Boats Rider Experience Series

The World Wake Association (WWA) and Malibu Boats are thrilled to unveil the return of the world’s premier regional amateur development event series. Reimagined for 2024, the Rider Experience Series returns with three stops across the U.S. Each stop will bring three action-packed days on the water.

Building on the success of previous events, this year’s series offers a fresh take, combining the excitement of the Malibu Boats Just Ride Tour and two days of amateur competition for a full three-day weekend of fun. The Rider Experience Series features divisions in wakeboarding, wakeskating, and foiling as well as expanded wakesurf divisions for participants of all ages and ability levels. The WWA and Malibu Boats are excited to showcase the sport’s new and growing talent and continue the sport’s exponential growth with two days of engaging competition as the Rider Experience series heads into its twelfth season.

Divisions

Divisions of Competitions – Divisions of competitions are broken down by sex and age brackets, with the exception of the Adaptive, Ability Based, Open and Pro divisions.  Age as of January 1 of the current year will be used to determine age bracket.  All athletes must compete under their sex assigned at birth. The only time an athlete can ride in another division is if they move to a harder division of competition. Both the Chief Judge and Event Organizer must approve the move to another division. Athletes can only compete in one division per discipline.  Divisions may be created or merged at the sole discretion of each contest director. All divisions except pro are considered amateur age group competitions.

Wakeboard

  1. Jr. Girls Wakeboard (9 & Under)
  2. Jr. Boys Beginner Wakeboard (9 & Under, No inverts or spins over 180)
  3. Jr. Boys Wakeboard (9& Under)
  4. Girls Wakeboard (10-13)
  5. Boys Beginner Wakeboard (10-13, No inverts or spins over 180)
  6. Boys Wakeboard (10-13)
  7. Jr. Pro Women Wakeboard
  8. Jr. Pro Men Wakeboard
  9. Jr. Women Wakeboard (14-18)
  10. Jr. Men Wakeboard (14-18)
  11. Amateur Women Wakeboard (19-29)
  12. Men’s Wakeboard (19-24)
  13. Men’s Wakeboard (25-29)
  14. Men’s Wakeboard (30-39)
  15. Women (30-39) Wakeboard
  16. Women (40 & Up) Wakeboard
  17. Men’s (40 & Up) Wakeboard
  18. Adaptive Standing Wakeboard
  19. Adaptive Sitboarding Wakeboard

Wakeskate

  1. Amateur Womens Wakeskate any age
  2. Amateur Mens Wakeskate Any Age

Wakesurf

  1. Open Men Wakesurf
  2. Open Women Wakesurf
  3. Open Men Skim
  4. Open Women Skim
  5. Men’s Beginner Wakesurf (up to one 360, no airs off the wake, ollies okay)
  6. Women’s Beginner Wakesurf (up to one 360, no airs off the wake, ollies okay)
  7. Surfin’ Mom’s Wakesurf (Must have a child competing to enter)
  8. Surfin’ Dad’s Wakesurf (Must have a child competing to enter)
  9. Girls Surf (13 & Under)
  10. Girls Skim (13 & Under)
  11. Boys Surf (13 & Under)
  12. Boys Skim (13 & Under)
  13. Jr. Women Surf (14-18)
  14. Jr. Women Skim (14-18)
  15. Jr. Men Surf (14-18)
  16. Jr. Men Skim (14-18)
  17. Women’s (19-29) Skim
  18. Women’s (19-29) Surf
  19. Men’s (19-29) Skim
  20. Men’s (19-29) Surf
  21. Women’s (30-39) Surf
  22. Women’s (30-39) Skim
  23. Men’s (30-39) Surf
  24. Men’s (30-39) Skim
  25. Women’s (40-49) Surf
  26. Women’s (40-49) Skim
  27. Men’s (40-49) Surf
  28. Men’s (40-49) Skim
  29. Women’s 50+ Wakesurf (Skim & Surf Combined)
  30. Men’s 50+ Wakesurf (Skim & Surf Combined)
  31. Adaptive Sit Wakesurf
  32. Adaptive Stand Wakesurf

Foil

  1. Amateur Women Foil – Strapped
  2. Amateur Women Foil
  3. Amateur Men Foil – Strapped
  4. Amateur Men Foil
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“We are witnessing the evolution of our sports. In recent years, the WWA Regional Championships have outgrown the daylight we have in a day. Reimagining the Regionals to three events will put the focus on elevated levels of competition. More divisions and disciplines will make this the largest Regional events in history. Along with these big changes at the regional level, the WWA has developed State Championships to feed these regional events while opening more local, grassroots and approachable events to all ability levels”

Shannon Starling
WWA President

2024 Malibu Boats Rider Experience Regions

The highlight of each WWA Regional Championship will continue to be the Jr. Pro Women and Jr. Pro Men’s divisions. These young up-and-coming riders will compete at each stop of the series for a piece of the $5,000 in travel scholarships that Malibu Boats is awarding to the overall winners to be used towards the WWA Wakeboard National Championships and WWA Wakeboard World Championships. The WWA Regional Championships will continue to qualify and seed riders for the 2024 WWA Wakeboard National Championships.

MALIBU RIDER EXPERIENCE F.A.Q.

What is the Regional Championships? Who can enter?

Don’t let the name of the event intimidate you! This is a grassroots amateur event; anyone is eligible to enter, even if you don’t live in the region. We have divisions for wakeboard, wakeskate, adaptive, wakesurf skim and surf style as well as foil. Each year without fail we see this event be the very first contest ever for many, many competitors!!

Do I need to compete in Regional to qualify for Nationals?

If you’re looking to qualify for Nationals, you must do that through your respective region which out can find outlined HERE, however you’re able to ride for fun in all of the Regional Championship events.

How do I know if I’m good enough to compete?

Without a doubt you’re good enough to get out there! Multiple times we’ve seen riders learn during one of the demos and love it so much they enter their first contest the following day! These contests are about getting out on the water together and having FUN. If you’re willing to get out on the water and have fun, you’re good enough. We see a little bit of all ability levels at each and every event – which is one of the things we love so much about these. We invite you to enter and join us on the water!

How do I know what division to enter?

Almost all of our divisions are divided up by age and gender. Each division goes off of the rider’s age as of January 1st so you don’t need to change divisions mid-season. 

For a few divisions you’ll notice a “beginner” option, those divisions allow all 180’s but no inverts or 360s. Outside of that, divisions are anything goes – total freedom out there on the water.

For all divisions, we reserve the right to combine divisions based on the number of entries.

The majority of our divisions are not skilled based, so anything goes, however, we see a wide range of skill levels. It is not uncommon for each event to host a rider in their first contest. 

Do I bring my own equipment?

Yes, you can bring all of your own gear – board, rope, vest. We provide the Malibu Boat to get behind.

What does it cost to enter?

The Regional Championships entry fee is $125. A WWA Membership is required to enter the contest, you’ve got the option for a one event membership or an Annual Membership if you plan to compete more. (Note – an Annual WWA Membership is required to compete in the WWA National or World Championships)

Do we need tickets to watch the event?

No tickets required to come out and watch all of the action on the water – in fact, we encourage you to join us for this! *Parking or park entrance fees may apply where applicable.

Does the WWA have Membership numbers?

The WWA does not have Member numbers. If ever needed, you can use your receipt where you purchased your membership as proof, however, all of our event organizers are provided an up-to-date membership list and should have record.

Will the event be filmed?

We’ll have our drone pilot at these events filming each and every rider that we’ll upload in WWA Rideline a few weeks after the event. This allows you to watch back the footage of your contest pass at the coolest angle.

What is WWA Rideline?

WWA Ridelie is the WWA’s app that is available in both the App and Google Play Stores. This app hosts event registration, rider profiles, results, rankings, live feeds and content. Amateur to pro, this is about us, our global wake community and where wake can take you.

About Malibu Boats, Inc.

Based in Loudon, Tennessee, Malibu Boats, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBUU) is a leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer of a diverse portfolio of recreational powerboat brands. A preeminent innovator in the industry, the company’s products serve those whose passion for boating is a key component of their active lifestyles. For more information, visit malibuboatsinc.com

About The WWA:

Developed for riders by riders, the World Wake Association stands as a global network of passionate representatives dedicated to the growth of wakesports. Since 1989 our mission and values remain true to the core of our community. Our position as the authority on competitive standards has been earned through consistent development, sanctioning, and production of more than 15,000 worldwide events and counting. We are the only organization solely focused on the sport’s best interests, spearheading a collective movement on the journey to discover where wake takes you. The WWA owns and operates the WWA Wakeboard World Series, WWA Wake Park World Series, WWA Wakeboard National Championships, WWA Wake Park National Championships, WWA Wakeboard World Championships, WWA Wake Park World Championships, WWA Wake Park Triple Crown, WWA Pro Card, and WWA Rider Experience. For more information on the World Wake Association, check out thewwa.com

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