A record-breaking 70 competitors and well over 500 spectators were on hand to kick off the second season of the North American Cable Wakeboard Tour May 10th at Ski Rixen in Deerfield Beach, Florida and provided for some spectacular riding by some of the top riders in the World!
The crowd was treated to what is fast becoming a truly international event, with riders coming from as far as Canada and Great Britain to show off innovative tricks rarely seen behind the boat such as the switch Double S-Bend, S-Mobe, S-Bend to Blind, 911 Blind 360, 313, Hoochie to Blind, 90210, and to-the-moon KGB.
2002 Overall Champion Donald Shelbrick proved once again that he is the man to beat this year. In one of the most intense, nail-biting finishes the Tour has seen to date, Shelbrick threw down a flawless technical run to emerge the winner in the elite Open Men division. Ben Hitch of Great Britain and Keith Lidberg of Orlando, both masters of style in their own right, answered with amazing runs to finish second and third respectively by less than a point!
Wakeskaters took advantage of the many obstacles at Ski Rixen to show off their style and innovation in this rapidly growing sector of the sport, impressing the crowd with high platform dock starts and 360 shuvits off the kicker.
2002 National Champion Brandon Thomas edged out 2002 Tour Overall Champion Ty Benfield for the top spot, while Kyle Hyams, another consistent podium finisher, came in third.
Junior Men, another powerhouse division, saw Jeff Pollack showing a clean fluid style that earned him the top spot, while Nick DeLaurie took home the honors in Boys. Also victorious were Christine Packard in Open Women, and Maggie Hyams in Juniors.
Loren Levine, always a top contender on the Pro Wakeboard Tour, proved the beneficial crossover between boat and cable by taking home first place in the Mens Division, while Doug Schumacher earned the top spot in Masters, and David Cornwall in Veterans.
The Cable Wakeboard Tour would like to thank all our sponsors for their generous support. 2003 Sponsors include: Ski Rixen of Quiet Waters Park, Tommy’s Slalom Shop, Rinker Materials, Smart Warranty, Great Bear Automotive of Boca Raton, Maroone Ford of DelRay, AAA Car and Scooter Rentals, What’s Hot magazine, Hyperlite, Liquid Force, Vikingsextreme, Riva Yamaha, Oakley, Jet Pilot, Schnauzer Eyewear, and WAKEtv!
The next Tour Stop will be July 19-20 at Texas Ski Ranch in New Braunfels, Texas, which will also be the 2003 US Cable Wakeboard National Championships, followed by August 3-4 at the world-famous Beach Club in Montreal, Canada, and
September 20-21 at OWC in Orlando, Florida. The Tour is open to everyone! To register to ride in the next or any event in the Cable Wakeboard Tour, or to be a part of this series contact David Cornwall at david@davidcornwall.com or 407-256-3312, or visit www.cablewakeboardtour.com.
If you are visiting or live in South Florida, call Ski Rixen of Quiet Waters in Deerfield Beach at 954-429-0215, or visit www.skirixenusa.com for more information on how you can join in on the fun!
FINAL RESULTS
Juniors
1 Maggie Hyams
Boys
1 Nick Delaurie 54.64
2 Ryan Sullivan 46.70
3 Scott Halperin 39.65
4 Zander Raywood 31.00
5 Justin Brown 19.68
6 Tyler Hyams 12.50
7 Timothee Yeramian 11.00
8 Alex Seaman 10.00
Junior Men
1 Jeff Pollack 66.00
2 Greg Heunis 62.00
3 Sascha Peschl 51.99
4 Chris Kennedy 31.70
5 Nick Valliere 30.00
Men
1 Loren Levine 50.00
2 Todd Kucinski 45.34
3 Sean Greeley 41.99
4 Jared Kling 30.99
Masters
1 Doug Schumacher 64.67
2 Patrick Duffy 57.36
3 Dean Lavelle 50.65
4 Alex Emmermann 45.99
Veterans
1 David Cornwall 52.41
2 Dave Draper 21.70
3 James Tetrault 16.35
Wakeskate
1 Brandon Thomas
2 Ty Benfield
3 Kyle Hyams
4 Scott Halperin
5 Zander Raywood
6 Daniel Mavre
Open Women
1 Christine Packard 37.37
2 Jillian Moss 31.33
3 Jackie Brown 27.00
4 Taylor Zevesky 24.64
5 Michelle Gallo 20.33
Open Men
1 Donald Shelbrick 79.32
2 Ben Hitch 77.00
3 Keith Lidberg 76.34
4 Chad Forrest 57.33
5 Nick Vidulich 51.66
6 Rob Mapp 50.67
7 Daniel Mavre 49.67
8 Brad Federspeil 46.00
9 Campbell Smith 44.00
10 Rob Jacques 42.00
11 Kenny Sampson 39.66
