Orlando, Florida (October 3, 2003) - Ten World Champions were crowned at Orlando WaterSports Complex on Friday in the Mountain Dew WWA Wakeboard World Championship, final stop in the 2003 Vans Triple Crown of Wakeboarding™ Series.
The ten champions represent the best competitive wakeboarders in the world ranging in age from 6 to 50 years old. Coming into the final rounds on Friday, many international competitors earned a chance at world championships. But in the end, the strength of American wakeboarders was displayed as eight of ten world champions are from the United States.
International competitors made strong showings in the women's competitions. In the Junior Women's Finals Canadians took the top two spots with Sunni Anne Ball taking the world championship. Japanese competitors made a strong showing in the Amateur Women's competition, taking third and fourth place with Tristan Seley of Florida, the 2003 National Champion, adding the world championship. In the other women's division, the Girls Finals, Patty Hicks of Illinois took the top spot.
Canadians flexed the muscle in the Open Men's Final where they took the top three spots to sweep the world championship. Steve McKinley took the top spot in this division.
In other men's divisions starting with the youngest, the Junior Boys division went to Jacob Valdez of California. In the Boys division two central Florida natives, took the top spots with Reed Hansen winning the world championship and Robert Soven taking second.
In the Men's I division Adam Wensink of Ohio took the world championship. Matt von der Ahe of California took the Men's II division. Billy Garcia of Texas took the Masters division world championship and Pat McElhinney won the Veterans division world championship.
With the amateur world championships concluded, the pro men and women are now ready to hit the water. The pro women's semifinals will begin on Saturday at 9:30 a.m.
Mountain Dew WWA Wakeboard
World Championships
Orlando, FL
October 2 - 5, 2003
Jr Men Quarterfinals
(top 3 advance to Semfinals)
Heat # 1
1 Jonathan Nadolski (FL) 96
2 Olivier Derome (CAN) 94
3 Justin Sellers (NC) 90
Jimmy Wolf (AZ) 88
Braden Price (CAN) 85
Chase Andrews (GA) 84
Heat # 2
1 Kevin Henshaw (CAN) 96
2 Scott Hopkins (FL) 95
3 Rob Jacques (FL) 90
Jeffrey Price (CAN) 87
Hank Carter (TX) 86
Mike Brady (FL) 83
Enrique Lascurain (MEX) NS
Jr Boys Finals
1 Jacob Valdez (CA) 73.59
2 Daniel Powers (FL) 53.95
3 Harley Clifford (AUS) 44.72
4 Gus Shuler (WI) 40.00
5 B J Hoekstra (IL) 36.68
6 Daniel Pate (NC) 29.48
Boys Finals
1 Reed Hansen (FL) 67.50
2 Robert Soven (FL) 67.35
3 Ryan Anderson (OK) 49.40
4 Ryan Mocerino (FL) 40.93
5 Robert Southworth (LA) 31.96
6 Anthony M Racinelli JR (AZ) 30.19
Open Men Finals
1 Steve McKinley (CAN) 60.91
2 Rusty Malinoski (CAN) 49.58
3 Daniel Mavrey (CAN) 47.12
4 Austin Langston (NC) 42.33
5 Luiz Fellipe Carvalho (BRA) 37.90
6 Mike Schwenne (CA) 30.80
Men I Finals
1 Adam Wensink (OH) 69.34
2 Adam Fields (NC) 66.14
3 Peter Stewart (GBR) 51.25
4 Brad Buskas (CAN) 49.00
5 Yoshio Oka (JPN) 48.89
6 Kazunori Uechi (JPN) 42.12
Men II Finals
1 Matt Von der Ahe (CA) 49.48
2 Sam Wideman (UT) 45.13
3 Dave Tsuyuki (CAN) 34.03
4 Matt Hickman (FL) 29.48
5 Jonathan Vander Velde (FL) 16.67
6 Manabu Hanada (JPN) 7.78
Masters Finals
1 Billy Garcia (TX) 60.00
2 J B (Jeff) Barton (NJ) 59.01
3 Jeremy Leonard (NJ) 51.69
4 Robert B Moore (TX) 37.90
5 Ronnie Romero NE) 36.68
6 Anthony Monaco (FL) 28.01
Veteran Men Finals
1 Pat McElhinney (TX) 59.90
2 Mark Norwell (IL) 53.26
3 Ito Yonosuke (JPN) 38.58
4 Takao Okubo (JPN) 26.35
