Wakeboard King and Queen Share the Throne for the First Time
Press Release
Date: 10-6-2008
Orlando, Fla. - In the realm of professional wakeboarding, it may only be the fourth time in history the King of Wake series has crowned a winner for the world's most elite pro wakeboarding circuit, but for the first time the king is sharing the throne with a female counterpart, the Queen of Wake.
Since its inception in 2005, the King of Wake series has made waves on the water, establishing itself as the most prestigious pro wakeboarding circuit in the world, bringing together the sport's top events into one ultimate season-long points chase. The King of Wake has proven to be so influential within the sport that in just three years after its inauguration, the mirrored female version, the Queen of Wake series, was created.
During the 2008 season, the two nine-event series each hit the water for the Air Nautique Wake Games, the Tige Pro-Am Wakeboard Championships, the Air Nautique WWA Wakeboard National Championships, presented by Rockstar Energy Drink, five stops on the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour and the Rockstar Energy Drink WWA Wakeboard World Championships, presented by Supra.
After six intense months of competition, the two series came to a close, dubbing the men's top points-earner, 19-year-old Phillip Soven of Longwood, Fla., the King of Wake, and crowned the women's top points-earner, 16-year-old Nicola Butler of Bournemouth, England, the Queen of Wake. As the winner of the King of Wake series, Soven claimed the $25,000 cash prize, while Butler took home the $10,000 bonus for winning the inaugural Queen of Wake series.
For Phillip Soven, the 2008 crown marked his second consecutive King of Wake title.
"It's an incredible feeling to win the King of Wake again; I never would have thought something like this was possible," said Soven. "For me, competing against some of the guys I grew up watching and admiring is an honor, but to be ranked the top rider among them is really a dream come true."
UK standout Nicola Butler will go down in history as the first rider ever to win the Queen the Wake series and proved to be a contender for future titles, as she won seven on the nine events in the inaugural series, including the first six contests of the Queen of Wake. Butler's six-contest winning-streak in the most any pro female or pro male rider has won in either series.
"All the girls stepped up their riding this year, which pushed me to be better," said Butler. "It's an honor to be part of the Queen of Wake, it's the first time us girls have had something like this and I'm just stoked that I won it."
In 2009, many riders will look to dethrone the reigning King and Queen of Wake, but until next season, Soven and Butler plan on enjoying their time as royalty on the pro wakeboarding scene.
To catch all the wakeboarding action from home, tune in to FUEL TV. For exact air dates, visit www.KingofWake.com.
FUEL TV is a 24/7 action-sports lifestyle network for wakeboarding, skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, BMX and freestyle motocross. A unit of Fox Cable Networks, FUEL TV was launched July 1, 2003, and is seen in 25 million U.S. homes. To subscribe to FUEL TV, call 877-4-FUEL-TV. For program times and other information, visit www.Fuel.tv.
WakeBoarding, published by Bonnier Corp., is the official magazine of the King of Wake series. WakeBoarding is the definitive source on all things wakeboarding, with expert coverage of professional instruction, gear, boats and the latest news.
