On April 7-10 Texas Ski Ranch will be hosting the Chorpus Christi Challenge as part of the Texas International Boat Show. This unique wakeboard event will showcase four of the top wakeboarders in the world as they compete for the title at the third annual event. Unlike most events TSR hosts, the Corpus Christi Pro will not be pulled by a MasterCraft X-Star or a Rixen Cable system. Because the event is held in the Corpus Christi Marina we will be using Sea Doo watercraft to pull the wakeboarders over ramps made specifically for this event. The setting proved to be challenging but also very rewarding due to the close proximity to the crowd that can line up on all sides of the course.

In the previous two events Tom Fooshee and Gabe Lucas finished first and second respectively. This year TSR will add a little twist to the event that will showcase just four riders broken into two teams. Cable Riders vs. Boat Riders behind a PWC. While all four of these riders kill it behind all pulling devices, we will pit Tom Fooshee and Cody Johnson vs. Gabe Lucas and Joey Bradley. By leveling the playing field, we are expecting a really fun event that pits these good friends against each other. The 2011 event will be sanctioned by the World Wakeboard Association (WWA)

The Texas International Boat Show, presented by American Bank, will take place from April 7^th-10th, 2011, at the Corpus Christi Downtown Marina. Buyers and sellers from across Texas, the USA and Mexico, plus exhibitors from around the world, will come together to create a unique marketplace offering a relaxed and leisurely environment in which to meet during this four-day event. Hundreds of boats, from 10’ to 100’, will be on display, both in the water and on-shore, many ready to demo! Add to this live music from The Bahamas, fun fashion shows and entertainment for the whole family, and you have an unforgettable experience for both buyers and sellers enjoying four days of fun in the sun. For more information on the Texas International Boat Show please goto www.TXINTLBOATSHOW.com

Athletes

Currently Ranked 15th in the World Standings

Cody Johnson Boosting off of the TSR Kicker

Tom Fooshee takes off!

About The WWA

The WWA owns and operates WWA Wakeboard World Series, WWA Wakeboard National Championships, WWA Wakeboard World Championships, WWA Wake Park World Series, WWA Wake Park Triple Crown and WWA Wake Park Nationals. With 27 affiliate countries worldwide, the WWA is the global leader in the sport of wake. The WWA is a rider-formed organization dedicated to promoting and growing wake sports worldwide. It is the leading source for riders, event organizers and competitive standards. For more information on the WWA and its events, check out www.thewwa.com.

The World Wakeboard Association (WWA) is naming the Extremity Games (eXG) as a qualifier for the new Adaptive Standing and Adaptive Sit-Boarding Divisions for the 2011 Air Nautique WWA Wakeboard National Championships. Extremity Games, which is set to take place June 24-25 at Texas Ski Ranch in New Braunfels, Texas, is an extreme sports competition for individuals living with limb loss or limb difference. The WWA and Extremity Games are fired up about this new partnership. Like the Athletes with Disabilities Network says There is No Replacement for the Competitive Spirit™.

Extremity Games
June 24-25
Texas Ski Ranch
New Braunfels, Texas
www.extremitygames.com

The two new WWA adaptive divisions are gearing up to hit the water this upcoming season. Click here to read the previously released article about the debut of the WWA’s two new adaptive divisions.

“The WWA is looking forward to our new partnership with Extremity Games and expanding our divisions at the 2011 Air Nautique WWA Wakeboard National Championships,” comments WWA President Shannon Starling, “The level of wakeboarding that the riders in both of our two new adaptive divisions are able to accomplish is fascinating.”

“We look forward to providing the opportunity for adaptive athletes to compete at the next level,” says Beth Taylor, Executive Director of Athletes with Disabilities Network, organizers of Extremity Games, “While you can brace a limb or replace a limb, there is no replacement for the competitive spirit. It’s great to see the athletes pushing themselves further every year.”

About the WWA

The WWA Wakeboard National Championships and the WWA Wakeboard World Championships are the solely owned property of the World Wakeboard Association (WWA). The WWA also owns and operates the WWA Wakeboard World Series, WWA Wake Park World Series, WWA Wake Park Triple Crown, WWA Wake Park National Championships, and WWA Wake Park World Championships. With 27 affiliate countries worldwide, the WWA is the global leader in the sport of wake. The WWA is a rider-formed organization dedicated to promoting and growing wake sports worldwide. It is the leading source for riders, event organizers and competitive standards. For more information on the WWA and its events, check out www.thewwa.com.

About Extremity Games

Extremity Games, organized by Athletes with Disabilities Network, is an extreme sports event including competitions, instructional clinics and exhibitions for individuals living with limb loss or limb difference.  Organized to raise awareness of the abilities of athletes with limb loss or limb difference to compete in extreme sports, Extremity Games allows participants to demonstrate skill, persistence and passion while competing for cash and other prizes.  You can brace a limb, replace a limb, but There is No Replacement for the Competitive Spirit™. For more information about Extremity Games, please call 248.829.8353 or visit www.extremitygames.com.

The host of the Worlds is throwing a “Turkish Night” on Friday, the 1st of October, complete with typical Turkish food, a special Turkish Show and of course, Belly Dancing. A Rider’s Party will follow the Awards Ceremony on Saturday, October 2nd, and the Party’s theme is “White Sensation,” with riders, judges, and special guests adorned in white. An amazing DJ-set and Go Go- Girls are expected to bring the house down!

Stay tuned to the WWA for more Worlds event updates.

Thanks to our friends at WWA-Europe for the info!

Mens Poolgap Finals from Abu Dhabi Wakestock from Tim Royle on Vimeo.

Alliance UK and the WWA were proud to play host to the first ever Wakestock Abu Dhabi over the weekend. The first class event was held at Corniche Beach in Abu Dhabi, and $50,000 in prize money was passed out to the worlds top wakeboarders. During the three day festival that included live performances by Maximo Park and De La Soul, the top riders competed in boat, system 2.0 and rail contests.

The rail jam kicked off on Thursday with 20 riders in the qualifying round, and most were just getting acclimated to the rails set up by the Alliance UK crew. The top 16 out of that qualifying round moved on to Friday, where the format then went to head-to-head battles. The crowd saw some of the best rail riding in the sport in the 8 head-to-head heats, with some stand out hits by Parks Bonifay, Aaron Rathy and JD Webb.

Due to heavy winds and a mild sand storm, the boat portion of the event on Friday was postponed until Saturday. Instead, everyone rode in a system 2.0 best trick contest. The boys went out and faired the conditions and had some of the most fun of the weekend. Three riders came away with the best tricks of the session, with JD Webb landing his first ever Pete Rose, Adam Errington landing a switch double s-bend to blind, and Padiwat Jaemjan of Thailand landing a massive tail grab front to blind.

Saturday was the most action packed day of the event, and the quarter final round behind the boat took twenty riders down to ten. The semi finals then knocked it down to the top 4 finalists. It was Harley Clifford that wound up on top of the podium on the main stage before De La Soul’s headline set. Rusty Malinoski, Phil Soven, and Aaron Rathy followed respectively. The finals for the Pro Women put Dallas Friday on top, Amber Wing in second place and Nicola Butler in third.

The Rail Jam on the System 2.0 pool gap was the round up for the entire event Saturday night. The head-to-head semi finals saw JD Webb battle it out with Aaron Rathy, and Parks Bonifay going against Marc Rossiter. In one of the closest heats of the event JD edged out Aaron Rathy, and the cinderella story Marc Rossiter took out legendary Parks Bonifay. The final saw the best trick of the entire weekend by Webb when he did a switch toeside 270 to back lip, gap to front board on the angle to angle rails.

Check out all the video from the contest on the Alliance UK site.