ABILENE, TEXAS – Amateur wakeboarders and wakeskaters around the world have the opportunity to unseat the world’s top professional riders at the 2005 Tigé U.S. Pro-Am at Marathon Key, Fla., on October 21-23.
By staging the event in the Florida Keys, Tigé continues its tradition of hosting amateurs and professionals in the final event of the season in an exotic location. Tigé towed the U.S. OPEN in Kauai, Hawaii, in ’04 and in Orlando, Fla., in ’02.
The Tigé event continues to set industry trends this year as in years past. Innovators at Tigé introduced the head-to-head rider elimination finals format to the wakeboarding world in Kauai in ’04, a format that was so well-received by all competitors that every event in the sport has adopted it this season.
The goal of the Tigé U.S. Pro-Am is to showcase the top professional riders in the industry as well as pit them against up-and-coming amateurs who are looking to break out in the sport. In ’02, TeamTigé rider Tino Santori matched up against the best professionals and came home with his first professional win at the U.S. OPEN.
“Marathon Key, Fla., is a perfect location to host the Tigé U.S. Pro-Am,” TeamTigé manager Chris Bischoff remarked. “We wanted a tropical setting where everyone can have a great time as well as get in some great riding. We changed the name to the Tigé U.S. Pro-Am this year in hopes that we’ll get a lot more amateurs to come challenge the pros. As wakeboarding is growing in popularity, we’re seeing many more amateurs who have the ability to compete every week with the best wakeboarders in the world. The Tigé U.S. Pro-Am sets the stage for these amateurs to make a name for themselves and really break into this industry with a full head of steam. That’s what makes this event unique.”
The purse for the ’05 Tigé U.S. Pro-Am has been set at $30,000. Entry fees for the event are $150 per rider. Please check tige.com soon for more information.
Tigé Boats Inc. is headquartered in Abilene, Texas. It manufactures eight direct drive and sport V inboard models ranging from 20 to 24 feet in length and all are backed by the Tigé LifePlus lifetime replacement warranty. Tigé has more than 80 dealers in 10 countries.
For more information, please contact Media Relations Coordinator Dustin Clark at (325) 676-7777 or at dclark@tige.com.
