Team OWC Wins the 2012 National Points Championship!

Over 225 registered riders, from 14 different parks, converged at BSR Cable Park in Waco, Texas for the largest wakeboard event in the United States. Throughout the 2012 Summer Series 700 riders competed at parks across the country to qualify for a spot to compete in the Championship event both for individual and team honors. The best of the best enjoyed the Texas Hospitality from BSR Cable Park, one of the finest cable parks in the world. Pro riders fought for their share of the $10,000 in prize money while amateur riders were awarded wakeboards from the event sponsors: Liquid Force, Jobe, CTRL & O’Brien. In the end one team champ and seven individual champions were crowned but everyone had a wonderful experience!

The beginner and intermediate were the largest divisions both nationwide and for the championship event. The riders participating in these divisions had a longer and tougher fight than other divisions. For this reason the Points Chase will be adding a novice division in 2013 to help spread things out. The beginner division podium consisted of Clayton Greer 1st (Cowtown), Tyler Worral 2nd (OWC) and Brock Baker 3rd (Cowtown). The riding from not only these three young guns but all of the beginner riders was mind blowing. The intermediate division was equally exciting. The top riders in this division looked almost ready to compete with the pros at times. Blaine Allen (KCW) took top honors barely edging out the field in the closest overall final from any division. All six finalists rode amazing and made the judges work extremely difficult! Jason Rich (Rixen) and Chase Russell (McCormicks) also found spots on the podium in the intermediate division.

Wakeskate was broken into two divisions, Pro and Amateur. Amateur riders took to the water first where two riders from South Florida dominated the event. Jamie Foy (Ski Rixen) improved from his second place finish in 2011 to take the Championship this year. His teammate, Marcel Mullet, utilized an all or nothing competitive mentality in the final that unfortunately didn’t work out and finished fourth. Sandwiched in the middle were two accomplished wakeboarders double dipping Dylan Branch 2nd (WakeZone) and Kelbey Huebner 3rd (TSR). Due to the division’s popularity in 2013 the amateur wakeskate will most likely lose it’s tag as an exhibition division and will also be part of the team scoring.

Pro Wakeskate had a familiar name on top. Bret Little (TSR) regained his title after an off year by beating out two fellow Texans. Ty Morlang 2nd (BSR) rode extremely well making his way back into the event through the LCQ by unveiling his transfer, a trick normally reserved for wakeboarders only. Then added a backside 270 out for the finals. Bret’s TSR teammate and summer series champion Collin Gee rode well in all three areas to take his spot on the podium as well as his portion of the cash prize.

The Advanced Wakeboard division was affectionately renamed Semi-Pro by Tom Fooshee who is not only the “King of Cable”, but was also one of the weekends judges for the lower divisions. Two riders distanced themselves from the competiton, but in the end Tampa rider Bammer Rehn’s ability in all three areas (kickers, sliders & air tricks) gave him the title over Hydrous’s Zach Poehler. Max Pierson (KCW) rounded out the podium. Many of the top riders showed the ability to compete in the pro division with tricks such as 720’s, Whirely Birds, Tootsie Rolls, Mobes, S-Bends to Blind and more.

The traditional cable comp ended with Tom Fooshee winning his third consecutive title. Tom’s riding was down right scary hitting both a double half cab roll and a heal side 1080 in the same run. Both Tom and second place finisher Julian Cohen (OWC) battled all weekend long and lived up to their high rankings in the WWA World Wake Park Series. The big surprise was Keenan Allen (OWC) who also made his way onto the podium by dominating and winning the kicker portion of the judging. The other finalist were Jade Whirley 4th (Hydrous), Jon Dickey 5th (McCormicks) and Cody Johnson 6th (Hydrous). The top three riders were all rewarded with cash prizes presented by Parson’s Roofing.

After the end of the traditional cable comp, the officials tallied the team scores for one final time. This year the scores from the top ten teams were closer than ever before. The days of one or two teams dominating this event are gone and will probably never return. TSR, winner of the initial two events had to relinquish the title to Orlando Water Sports Complex. Without a single overall champion OWC was able to win the team title with teamwork and strong showing by the entire team. Seven different riders mad the finals for OWC ensuring their team would come out on top. TSR made a strong push in the final two events with winners in both Pro Wakeskate and Wakeboard, but in the end it was just not enough. Cowtown Wakepark rocketed out to an early lead with strong riding in Beg, Int and Adv and was able to hold off the field for their first ever top 3 finish.

1. OWC 1830 points
2. TSR 1760 points
3. Cowtown 1460 points
4. Hydrous 1435 points
5. McCormicks 1365 points
6. Ski Rixen 1320 points
7. WakeZone 1285 points
8. Wake Nation Houston 1235 points
9. BSR 1095 points
10. KCW 920 points
11. Revolution 260 points
12. Wake Nation Cincy 255 points
13. Hexagon 40 points

The last event of the weekend was the Structure Only Pro wakeboard competition. This division began with 49 riders that excelled in four areas. (Kickers, Rooftop, Steeze Section and Rails/Transfers) Tom Fooshee won three of the four areas taking home his second title of the weekend. The only thing Tom didn’t win this weekend was his fantasy football matchup! They don’t call him the King of Cable for nothing! Jade Whirley had been training all season long for this point and it paid off handsomely. Jade stated “I’ll take second to the king any day” and easily held off the rest of the very talented field for a second place finish. Keith Holley also earned a spot on the podium. All six riders that made the finals took home a portion of the $7500 that was up for grabs in this event alone.

The Top Ten Non Wakeboarding Memories from 2012
10.   The Band Thursday night floating in the lake while riders circled under the lights.
9.    BSR Live Web cams for the public to watch the action online, and the Judges even getting in on the action with a closed feed for a portion of the course that had an obstructed views from the trees.
8.    Instagram #pointschase going from 248 photos to 700 photos and announcer Dano getting about 50 more followers!
7.    The First ever Feet on Fire under the wire competition won by Royal Wiseman. Dano gave it a valiant effort, but lack of cable training showed.
6.    The friendliness between all the parks! And Finding Hunter’s Knee Brace in the bottom of the lake.
5.    Tailgating and Tents down the first stretch.
4.    The Banquet at the Waco Convention Center and Team Videos
3.    Saturday Nights Birthday Bash for the King of Cable!
2.    The weather on Thursday and Friday.
1.    The HOT TUB Saturday and Sunday!

Be sure to look for Dano’s blog at iWake.com for more updates on how much fun this event was. For a quicker look at the recap of this weekends event just search #pointschase on instagram! The National Points Chase would like to thank BSR and the sponsors that helped make this year’s event the best ever! (Photos courtesy of Dano the Mano.)

2012 National Points Chase at BSR from Sam Moser on Vimeo.

About the WWA
The World Wakeboard Association (WWA) is the sanctioning body for the 2012 National Points Championships at Barefoot Ski Ranch. The WWA owns and operates the WWA Wakeboard National Championships, WWA Wakeboard World Championships, 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 the advancement and progression of 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.