The Chevrolet WWA Collegiate
Wakeboard Challenge
Press
Release April 12, 2004
The Chevrolet WWA Collegiate
Wakeboard Challenge once again kicked off the 2004 wakeboard
season. If this event is any indication of what the
season awaits us – it’s going to be a great
summer for wakeboarding! Over 70 riders from colleges
and universities all over the United States came to
the event at an attempt to take home the cup and be
recognized as the number one school in wakeboarding.
Schools from as far away as Washington and Arizona rose
to the occasion to show their school’s hunger
for wakeboarding. The teams were aggressive this year
with some teams bringing as many as 16 riders! Spectators
came out of the woodwork to cheer for their favorite
schools, who were competing in Men’s, Women’s,
and Wakeskate divisions as well as overall school placing.
With a camera on at
all times TV was on hand shooting the competition and
Spring Break festivities. “This is the best vibe
I’ve had at a contest in the past ten years”
said Todd Weatherill who was one of hosts for the event;
and with a fifteen-year history one of the leading TV
hosts in the industry. Spring Break in Panama City Beach
sounds like a good plan now mix in some wakeboarding
and you’ve got yourself a great plan. Not only
was the competition heating things up at Lake Powell
but the beach venue was certainly attracting a lot of
attention. CWB, Hyperlite, and Liquid Force showed their
school spirit by donating boards to be given away to
beach goers who entered the drawing and were capable
of spelling their name and remembering their address.
Three boards were given away daily. Cranking the tunes
was Chevrolet’s rig which was wrapped with a bigger
than life photo of the new Chevrolet SSR. Also on the
beach a display boat from Malibu Boats, Nautiques, Supra
Boats, Vortec engines, and the 2004 Chevrolet line including
the new Colorado.
Putting aside all the
partying that is synonymous with Spring Break, the riders
showed up with force. One school in particular had the
pressure on them since they were there to defend their
championship title from last year – University
of Florida that is. They held their position of first
place throughout most of the competition but right at
their heels was Western Washington determined that they
would not settle for anything other than first place
this year. Even though University of Florida did some
killer riding and had an incredible team, that included
Joel Cahill who won the Men’s individual competition,
it wasn’t enough to stop the Western Washington
crew.
University of Florida
ended up with a respectable second place after the Men’s
finals, with Florida State coming in right behind at
third place. While Western Washington ended up with
the Chevrolet WWA Collegiate Wakeboard Challenge Cup
held high over their heads. The Western Washington team
came to the event with a plan of attack, including two
female competitors this year – Kathleen Penny
and Kirsten Mathers. The rest of the team was made up
by the Ennen brothers Mike and Nick, Greg Young, and
another set of brothers Bret Van den Heuvel and Matt
Van den Heuvel. Florida Southern College also took part
in the celebration with Lauren Bowman taking home the
first place in Women’s finals. Through the incredible
support of Chevrolet as the title sponsor and industry
support of Vortec Engines, Malibu Boats, Nautiques,
and Supra Boats the top three winning teams and individual
winners will receive a total of $10,000 in wakeboard
scholarship prize money.
For those who are kicking
themselves for not coming to PCB to check out the event
– don’t fret you can catch it all on Outdoor
Life Network as the Vortec Power on the Hour, and Core
Culture and Fusion both on Fox Sports Net. Be on the
look out for dates and times and visit our website at
www.thewwa.com for more information and scores.
The WWAU would like
to extend a sincere thank you to all the sponsors and
teams who participated in this memorable event.
