TSR - New Braunfels, TX – The first annual CableStock weekend at Texas Ski Ranch was a bigger success than anyone could have predicted. The main focus of the weekend was to bring together all types of action sports and music together into one big party, however there were three competitions held on the water to make things interesting. Keith Lidberg of Orlando, FL won the Double Up competition on the boat lake and placed second in the Cable Sickest Trick competition, breaking all notions that a rider must choose between the cable or boat. Continuing that trend, former WWA world boat champion Donald Shelbrick won the Cable Sickest Trick competition with a flawless Double S-bend to blind. In the most fun and possibly most entertaining competition of the weekend, The WakeSkate Shoot Out, Brandon Thomas went bigger, and launched off of his wakeskate and the kicker with more style than any other competitor.
The weekend had fun competitions & lots of action on the beach but even better parties. The diversity of eight different live bands and five DJ’s kept the music pumping for three straight days. Coconutz Bar & Grill, the newest addition to TSR, which opened Friday morning, was the hot spot until the early hours of the morning! Night photo shoots on the cable which were shot by 4 film crews (Project Detention of FOX sports, Telemundo TV out of Mexico, WakeTV and Dept 13 films) and many professional photographers, were great to watch from the huge restaurant balcony over looking the lakes. Local BMX riders held exhibitions performing incredible back flips over the newly created dirt jump. Girls from all over Texas competed for the $1000 first place prize in the bikini contest! The MasterCraft X2 was running all weekend long on the boat lake. Skaters, Inliners and BMX riders all played on the skatepark. This weekend saw top performers in many extreme sports riding and playing along side with the public that were often amazed to be riding with the pros. This weekend proved to be even more fun than TSR had hoped!
The competitions kicked off Friday with the WakeSkate Shoot Out, which saw ten athletes launch themselves over a 4 foot kicker ramp and off their skates. Many top wakeboarders that are known for going big (Rob Mapp & Chris Ramirez who took second and third respectively) entered the event, figuring they could load the line and launch higher and farther than any wakeskater. In the end Brandon Thomas proved them wrong hitting the center of the furthest ring while throwing what most resembled a hoochie glide Ole 313.
The event next focused on the new boat lake at TSR, where 16 riders hit the Double Ups formed by the MasterCraft X2, trying to win the first ever boat pulled competition at TSR. The double up competition pulled most of the top Texas riders out as well as some competitors that made the trip from Florida. Two Austin natives, Matt Lockwood and Billy North took podium spots beside Keith Lidberg who took top honors and the $1000 first place prize with a nice handle pass KGB.
The final competition of the weekend saw the best Cable Wakeboarders in the country take three tries to pull off the Sickest Trick! On his first attempt Donald Shelbrick landed a Double S-Bend to blind setting the level that all other competitors would try to beat. This marks the first time a double S-Bend to blind has ever been landed in the United States. Donald would not be able to top his first trick but didn’t need to win the competition and the $1000 prize. Keith Lidberg finished second by sticking a rarely seen Ole KGB, and Rob Mapp as usual went huge with his patented handle pass KGB to take third.
For more information about CableStock, Texas Ski Ranch and future events please log onto www.texasskiranch.com.
TSR would like to thank the CableStock sponsors for 2003. Without all of them this weekend would not have been possible! Red Bull, The Board Shop, Obrien, Gravity Wake & Skate, Joyride, Trick Boardz, Burger King, FOX, Dept 13 Films, WakeTV, Coconutz, San Marcos Toyota, McQueeney Bikin Co., O’Neill, Spy, Outback, Von Zipper, 3 Thirteen, Off Axis, Current VM, Body Glove, Soak the Skin, Jet Pilot, Straight Line, Dragon, Liquid Lube, Truckin Texas, I’m Game, Split, Truckin, Texas, Orthopedic Store & Mastercraft.
You can see more photos taken at CableStock by checking out the Photo Album.
