Orlando, Fla. - The top wake athletes from throughout the globe hit the waters of the Orlando Watersports Complex in Orlando, Fla. today for the opening rounds of the 2010 Air Nautique Wake Games, presented by ROCKSTAR. The four-day pro-am contest kicked off today with qualifying rounds for the Pro Men, Pro Women and Pro Wakeskate divisions.
Those advancing past the opening rounds today earned an invitation to the Team Draft and will move on to the next round of the contest within their respective division.
At the Draft on Friday, 10 preselected captains will select qualifying athletes to field a team. Athletes will contribute points toward a team score based on their individual placement within their respective division. The team with the highest total score will take home the team title.
Nearly 50 wakeboarders competed today in the Pro Men's division qualifiers. Only the top-two riders from each of the 10 heats qualified through to the Draft and on to Saturday's quarterfinals. Rookie sensation, Bob Soven posted the high score of the day with a 78.33.
The Pro Women's division featured four heats of four, with only the top-two riders from each heat advancing. Raimi Merrit, Amber Wing, Nicola Butler, and the defending Wake Games titlist, Dallas Friday, each led their respective heat today.
The Pro Wakeskate division had 10 shredders qualify through today. All ten wakeskaters will head to the Draft tomorrow evening and Brian Grubb is still on the hunt to pull the five-peat at the Air Nautique Wake Games.
The Air Nautique Wake Games, presented by ROCKSTAR will continue tomorrow, April 29 with 15 amateur divisions hitting the water before the Team Draft later that evening.
To catch all the high-flying, rail-sliding, water-sports action of the 2010 Air Nautique Wake Games, presented by ROCKSTAR on television, tune in to FUEL TV on June 29 at 8 p.m. EST.
Thursday, April 29 Results:
PRO MEN
Qualifying -- Heat #01
1 Kyle Rattray 70.00
2 Jefferson Langley 61.67
3 Erik Ruck 56.67
4 Jason Bannatyne 50.00
PRO MEN
Qualifying -- Heat #02
1 Ben Greenwood 68.33
2 Marcelo Giardi 53.33
3 Shaun Murray 45.00
4 Nick Weinacker 35.00
PRO MEN
Qualifying -- Heat #03
1 Kyle Alberts 66.67
2 Sam Carne 58.33
3 Sam Thomson 53.33
4 Scott Stewart 46.67
5 Brad Spencer 36.67
PRO MEN
Qualifying -- Heat #04
1 Robby Carter 68.33
2 Danny Thollander 63.33
3 Collin Harrington 58.33
4 Jeff McKee 43.33
5. Travis Cook 31.67
PRO MEN
Qualifying -- Heat #05
1 Chad Sharpe 66.67
2 Josh Palma 60.00
3 Kevin Henshaw 58.33
4 Tony Carroll 40.00
5. Glenn Valentine 33.33
PRO MEN
Qualifying -- Heat #06
1 JD Webb 71.67
2 James Hines 58.33
3 Paul Hernaez 51.67
4 Gavin Hicks 40.00
PRO MEN
Qualifying -- Heat #07
1 Nick Jones 61.67
2 Austin Hair 55.00
3 Danny Burnstein 53.33
4 Kirby Liesmann 45.00
5. Erik Nikstad 38.33
PRO MEN
Qualifying -- Heat #08
1 Phillip Aslinger 61.67
2 Bryan Hutton 60.00
3 Adam Wensink 50.00
4 Derek Grasman 41.67
5 Andy Milovanovic 30.00
PRO MEN
Qualifying -- Heat #09
1 Bob Soven 78.33
2 Keith Lyman 68.33
3 Shawn Watson 60.00
4 Andrew Shearer 51.67
5 Fletcher, Clay 41.67
PRO MEN
Qualifying -- Heat #10
1 Dean Smith 66.67
2 Anthony Hollick 55.00
3 Dylan Miller 51.67
4 Jimmy Trask 43.33
5 Matt Dettman 21.67
PRO WOMEN
Qualifying -- Heat #01
1 Raimi Merritt 61.67
2 Ann Hajek 43.33
3 Miku Asai 41.67
4 Melissa Marquardt 30.00
PRO WOMEN
Qualifying -- Heat #02
1 Amber Wing 73.33
2 Hayley Smith 61.67
3 Bec Gange 53.33
4 Barrett Perlman 48.33
PRO WOMEN
Qualifying -- Heat #03
1 Nicola Butler 73.33
2 Meagan Ethell 58.33
3 Corrie Dyer 48.33
4 Caroline Djupsjo 35.00
PRO WOMEN
Qualifying -- Heat #04
1 Dallas Friday 66.67
2 Emylee Wright 51.67
3 Tarah Mikacich 41.67
4 Ashley Leugner 40.00
PRO WAKESKATE
Qualifying -- Heat #01
1 Reed Hansen 73.33
2 Andrew Fortenberry 61.67
3 Brandon Thomas 56.67
4 Steven Campbell 40.00
5 Chris Kallas 30.00
PRO WAKESKATE
Qualifying -- Heat #02
1 Stuart Shinn 65.00
2 Brian Grubb 63.33
3 James Balzer 53.33
4 George Daniels 43.33
5 Matt Hayden 33.33
PRO WOMEN’S WAKESKATE
Semifinals -- Heat #01
1 Jen GilanFarr 63.33
AMATEUR WAKESKATE
Semifinals -- Heat #01
1 Jim Branton 60.00
2 Ben Pierce 56.67
3 Forrest Risner 46.67
4 Travis Sitzberger 40.00
For information on the King of Wake and the Air Nautique Wake Games, presented by ROCKSTAR, visit www.allisports.com.
The Air Nautique Wake Games, presented by ROCKSTAR is organized by World Sports & Marketing of Orlando, Fla. and has the support of the following sponsors: Correct Craft, Rockstar Energy Drink, Overton’s, Fox, Oakley, Hyperlite, CWB, Ronix, Liquid Force, PCM Marine Engines, FUEL TV and Allisports.com.
About ROCKSTAR
ROCKSTAR is the world's most powerful energy drink. Enhanced with the potent herbal blend of Guarana, Ginkgo, Ginseng and Milk Thistle, ROCKSTAR is formulated to provide an incredible energy boost for those who lead active and exhausting lifestyles - from athletes to rock stars. ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK is available in thirteen amazing flavors: Original, Sugar Free, Zero Carb, Juiced Mango Orange Passion Fruit, Juiced Guava, Juiced Pomegranate, Tropical Punched, Punched Citrus, Roasted Mocha, Roasted Latte, Roasted Light Vanilla, Cola, and Recovery. ROCKSTAR ENERGY SHOTS are available in Wild Berry and Tropical Punch flavors. ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK is available at convenience and grocery retail outlets across the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Spain, The Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, and throughout the United Kingdom.
About FUEL TV
FUEL TV is the action sports lifestyle network for skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, BMX, motocross, and wakeboarding. Through its original and commissioned series and specials, short-form content, films, and prestigious event coverage, the channel features action sports athletes, emerging musicians, celebrities, and breaking news. FUEL TV was launched July 1, 2003 and is seen in more than 30 million U.S. homes. FUEL TV has networks in Australia (FUEL TV Australia) and Portugal (FUEL TV Portugal) and its content is viewed in more than 50 countries around the world.
About King of Wake
The King of Wake is the world’s elite pro wakeboarding series, attracting the sport’s top athletes from throughout the globe. Over the course of a season, athletes compete for the ultimate wakeboarding crown in a series points race of eight events throughout the United States to see who rules the wake. The 2010 series consists of the Wake Games, the WWA Wakeboard National Championships, the WWA Wakeboard World Championships and all five stops on the Pro Wakeboard Tour. The King of Wake is organized by World Sports & Marketing – the leading wake-events producer since 1988.
About Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports
Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports, is a global business that encompasses national and international action-sports tours and events, multimedia production and a consumer-facing lifestyle brand. The Alliance includes: the King of Wake series, Dew Tour, Winter Dew Tour, China Invitational, Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship and Gatorade Free Flow Tour. Alli Productions creates original content, produces and presents content with partners and distributes Alli content through a variety of channels. Alli is owned by NBC Sports and MTV Networks and represents a network of athletes, fans, brands and properties. Its mission is to facilitate the momentous growth of action sports, through competition and lifestyle, for a new generation of fans and athletes.
