Last weekend was the “Relentless/Encore” weekend at the KC Watersports. Phillip Basino, Tino Santori, Melissa Marquardt and a few others in the LF crew, as well as some celebs from Alliance were on hand to christen the LF rail, and to hang out with the locals. Sitzmark Sports helped put on the event with KCW and they did a great job. The place was packed on Saturday, as riders from the entire Midwest came out for a day of fun. Kids from as far away as Texas made it for the event. The day started with a relatively unknown rider from Texas, named Stephen, successfully hitting the LF rail from start to finish, on his wakeskate. He was rewarded by Jamie from Sitzmark, with a brand new Impulse skate. The kid rides at the Texas Ski Ranch and other Austin area lakes and will definitely be one to watch soon. He rips and is a super nice kid. Look for a feature on him in an upcoming issue of Alliance Wakeboard Magazine. Congrats to Stephen for doing what most of us tried all weekend and couldn’t accomplish! The day at the park ended with a local contest that was full of great action. The festivities moved at sundown to a local watering hole called “Curly Brown’s”. After some food and drinks, the crowd of over 200 gathered to watch the “World Premier” of Encore. The crowd was stoked to watch the new film, expected to be in stores soon, and seemed to be most impressed with Tino’s part, as well as the LF Pool sessions. All in all, it was a great weekend with the KCW crew. If you ever have the opportunity to ride there, you definitely should. Mike, Earl, Carter, and the rest of the crew have a good thing going! Thanks to everybody that made the event so fun. For more info on the park, check out www.kcwatersports.com.
Since we mentioned Encore and the World Premier, we can’t forget about the premier that happened that same night in Georgia…
Henshaw, Collin, Watson, and the TAA crew were in Georgia, hanging with the gang from Ambush this past Saturday and had their own day of fun riding that ended with a viewing of Encore. Chuck and his Ambush/Buywake crew hosted local riders and customers to a party in the parking lot of their Kennesaw store. According to local LF Rep, Matt Long, the crowd had a blast. Check out the attached photos and you’ll see that they were all definitely having a great time. Events like these are what make the sports of wakeboarding and wakeskating so different than most. The riders are so accessible. It’s rare that the fans get to spend an entire day with the pros in other sports. Wake riders are lucky to have shops like Ambush and pros like Watson and the others that spend their entire year going to, and putting on events like this. Thanks to everybody that helps make wake events happen, and thanks to the fans. If it weren’t for you, none of us would have so much fun on the road! For more photos and stories about the Ambush event, be sure to check out www.liquidforce.com and go to the TAA section.
Speaking of TAA…
The first edition of “Road Tripping”, by Captain Jaret is online. If you’ve had the opportunity to hang with the LF Crew at any of the TAA events, now’s your chance to see if you’re famous. Jaret’s tales and photos from the first 2 weeks of the TAA are online now. Go to www.liquidforce.com, or www.alliancewake.com to check out “Road Tripping”. Stay tuned for future updates.
Now on to team riders in the news…
Phillip Soven has been the talk of the industry since he took home the title at the pro tour in Orlando. The kid looks virtually unstoppable and best of all… he’s having more fun than anyone.
Melissa Marquardt has also been getting her share of press. She’s probably the hardest working girl in the sport, as she’s constantly traveling the globe going to events and demos. Occasionally, though, she gets to spend some time at home. Recently, while hanging at home in Canyon Lake, she was asked to do an interview by one of her local mags, and found her way to the cover (see attached image). If you’re a So Cal local, be sure to get a copy of the May issue of ISM and check out her interview.
Back to Events…
It seems like all of the places that are having the coolest events lately are cable parks in the Mid-West. This weekend is no exception. The Texas Ski Ranch (TSR) is hosting their summer kick-off event, CableStock. CableStock, which is in its third season, is a true festival for Action Sports Enthusiast. The event will include a Boat Wake Contest, Cable Wake Contest, a mini Moto race, a skate contest, live music from 9 bands, a car show, and the ever popular bikini contest. Most importantly, the public is able to participate in all activities throughout the weekend. While one event’s going on, the other facilities will still be open to the public. Look for local LF riders like Cody Kidder and Joey Bradley to be on hand, as well as the now famous wakeskater, Stephen. TSR sponsors will have plenty of giveaways, and promise loads of fun for everyone. Look for the event to be featured in an upcoming issue of WakeBoarding Magazine, as Editor Matt Hickman will be on hand to enjoy the festivities. As an official LF test site, you know we’re stoked on the place… now you just have to get down there and experience the fun for yourself. To learn more about CableStock, or any future TSR events, check out www.texasskiranch.com.
One final plug for Encore…
If you live in Virginia, or anywhere near, be sure to get yourself over to Glass and Powder this Saturday, May 14th. Scott and his staff will be hosting the TAA this weekend, and will be having their own showing of Encore, Saturday night. Here are the exact details…
Carytown, VA… 8PM @ Glass and Powder. Tino Santori, Kevin Henshaw, and the LF Trip Across America RV will be in attendance. For more details, be sure to check www.glassandpowder.com or call 877-We-Go-Big.
Last, but definitely not least…in LF office news…
We’d like to officially welcome Scot Leverett to the crew. Scot has been helping the art department for some time now, and has officially become a member of the LF Family. Working with Art Director, Ray Cruz, Scot’s been pumping out the LF ads, the TAA RV graphics and has also been working hard on the finishing touches for the 06 line. Scot grew up in Texas and came into the LF Scene as a regional rider for then rep, Chad Stanley. It’s great to have one of our riders stepping in and filling a much needed “in-house” role. Welcome to the team Scot!
That’s it for this week… be sure to check back next week for more of what we call… “The Truth”.
Last weekend was the “Relentless/Encore” weekend at the KC Watersports. Phillip Basino, Tino Santori, Melissa Marquardt and a few others in the LF crew, as well as some celebs from Alliance were on hand to christen the LF rail, and to hang out with the locals. Sitzmark Sports helped put on the event with KCW and they did a great job. The place was packed on Saturday, as riders from the entire Midwest came out for a day of fun. Kids from as far away as Texas made it for the event. The day started with a relatively unknown rider from Texas, named Stephen, successfully hitting the LF rail from start to finish, on his wakeskate. He was rewarded by Jamie from Sitzmark, with a brand new Impulse skate. The kid rides at the Texas Ski Ranch and other Austin area lakes and will definitely be one to watch soon. He rips and is a super nice kid. Look for a feature on him in an upcoming issue of Alliance Wakeboard Magazine. Congrats to Stephen for doing what most of us tried all weekend and couldn’t accomplish! The day at the park ended with a local contest that was full of great action. The festivities moved at sundown to a local watering hole called “Curly Brown’s”. After some food and drinks, the crowd of over 200 gathered to watch the “World Premier” of Encore. The crowd was stoked to watch the new film, expected to be in stores soon, and seemed to be most impressed with Tino’s part, as well as the LF Pool sessions. All in all, it was a great weekend with the KCW crew. If you ever have the opportunity to ride there, you definitely should. Mike, Earl, Carter, and the rest of the crew have a good thing going! Thanks to everybody that made the event so fun. For more info on the park, check out 
Henshaw, Collin, Watson, and the TAA crew were in Georgia, hanging with the gang from Ambush this past Saturday and had their own day of fun riding that ended with a viewing of Encore. Chuck and his Ambush/Buywake crew hosted local riders and customers to a party in the parking lot of their Kennesaw store. According to local LF Rep, Matt Long, the crowd had a blast. Check out the attached photos and you’ll see that they were all definitely having a great time. Events like these are what make the sports of wakeboarding and wakeskating so different than most. The riders are so accessible. It’s rare that the fans get to spend an entire day with the pros in other sports. Wake riders are lucky to have shops like Ambush and pros like Watson and the others that spend their entire year going to, and putting on events like this. Thanks to everybody that helps make wake events happen, and thanks to the fans. If it weren’t for you, none of us would have so much fun on the road! For more photos and stories about the Ambush event, be sure to check out 
Melissa Marquardt has also been getting her share of press. She’s probably the hardest working girl in the sport, as she’s constantly traveling the globe going to events and demos. Occasionally, though, she gets to spend some time at home. Recently, while hanging at home in Canyon Lake, she was asked to do an interview by one of her local mags, and found her way to the cover (see attached image). If you’re a So Cal local, be sure to get a copy of the May issue of ISM and check out her interview.
