Wasaga Beach, Canada: The sand is heating up as Wasaga Beach gears up for four jam-packed days of live music at Canada’s largest action-sports and beach festival known as Wakestock – an annual summer highlight for over 20,000 participants.
“There are tons of exciting, new elements at this year’s event,” says Steve Jarrett, Wakestock director. “Foremost is Wakestock’s expanded live music lineup, featuring 10 bands, headlined by Goldfinger and Gob at the festival site, and Choclair at The Dard nightclub.”
Music Lineup Announced
Canadian hip-hop star Choclair will perform at The Dard on Friday, August 8th, while Canadian punk rockers Gob and L.A.’s legendary Goldfinger are lined up to electrify the crowd during a Saturday twilight concert onsite in the park at Wakestock. Support bands for this Extreme Music Series include Not By Choice, The Salads, and ClarkNova.
What’s Happening in 2003?
Wakestock’s calendar of events has expanded:
Extreme Music Series onsite at Wakestock, with headliners Gob and Goldfinger, and continuing at The Dard with Choclair and the Legendary Beach Bash.
The world’s leading Wakeboarding World Cup, including the largest railslide course on the planet, and the who’s who of wakeboard pros vying for over $30,000 cash.
The nation’s top pro skateboarders ride the Mars Bar skatepark – Canada’s largest portable skateboard park, expanded to include an intermediate course for amateur skaters to jam alongside the pros.
A massive freestyle motocross show, with five of Canada’s top riders thrilling the crowd over an 80-foot gap jump. Presented by Nintendo.
Kiteboarding, the newest and most extreme of action sports, will be demonstrated by the world’s leading pros performing 40-foot aerials over Georgian Bay.
Action-sports film premieres, featuring this year’s newest wakeboard release: Metronome, by Cadmium Films.
One of Wakestock’s most popular events, the bikini contest has been elevated to host the Miss Reef Canada Finals on Saturday, August 9th.
Wakeboarding’s Finest
The list of talent registered to perform at this year’s Wakestock is extraordinary. Eighteen of the top 20 riders on the World Cup Tour will compete for $30,000 in cash. This impressive group of athletes represents Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S. Defending World Cup champion Darin Shapiro (FL) returns to Wakestock to compete with the likes of Shawn Watson (FL), Brett Eisenhauer (AUS), Parks Bonifay (FL), and Erik Ruck (FL) – all top-five contenders in the 2003 World Cup season.
Canada holds its own in the World Cup wakeboard arena, with a number of Canadian pros to watch for at Wakestock, including Chad Sharpe (BC) and Steve McKinley (BC). McKinley grabbed the Open Men National title in 2002 with an astonishing run that left the shoreline crowd speechless. McKinley also finished third at Worlds in the highly competitive Junior Men’s division. With an impressive bag of tricks and smooth style, McKinley could be the next Canadian pro to gain international recognition.
A multiple Canadian champion and past winner of Wakestock World Cup, Chad Sharpe is emerging as one of the sport’s most progressive and prolific athletes. A runner-up for 2002 Wakeboarder of the Year (Alliance magazine), Sharpe has become a top contender on the U.S. Pro Tour. He is considered one of the best riders on sliders, where he has a reputation for being fearless, tough and gnarly. Sharpe is the only Canadian with a pro-model signature wakeboard, the Hyperlite TFD.
Legendary wakeskate and railslide rider Scott Byerly (FL) will also join Wakestock’s elite pro rider crowd. Byerly, one of wakeboarding’s foremost innovators and stylists, rarely rides contests, preferring to showcase his incredible skill and style through film and photo shoots.
Wakestock is proud to host Canada’s largest amateur wakeboard competition. As always, this year’s tournament is a sellout, with 170 competitors ranging in ages 8 to 55. Wakestock is the only event in the world where rank amateurs have an opportunity to qualify for a World Cup and compete against their pro heroes. For 2003 the top two amateur competitors will earn a berth into the Wakestock Pro World Cup competition. Last year’s amateur winner, Scott Duke, qualified himself all the way to the Pro Railslide semifinals and established himself as a remarkable up-and-coming talent.
For more information, including media registration, please visit our website at www.wakestock.com
or contact Marnie DiGiandomenico, media relations, by phone (416) 406-2400, ext. 294, fax (416) 406-0656, or e-mail marnie@wakestock.com.
