Portland, OR – It came down to the last two riders off the dock to determine the U.S. Pro Wakeboard Tour Women’s Season Champion at Portland’s Blue Lake Park. In the end, Emily Copeland rode away as the winner of the Portland Pro Tour stop and the season title.
Both Copeland and Dallas Friday sat tied in first atop the Indmar Pro Tour Season Standings, and something had to give. Friday went off just before Copeland in the Women’s Finals on Sunday, but fell twice during her run, leaving the door open.
Copeland went out and stood up her run, to walk away with her second season title. Her first season title came in 1999, her rookie season.
''I just have a permanent grin, I don’t think it will go away,'' said Copeland. ''This really means a lot to me. I’ve been working hard all season to get back to where I was in 1999. This makes me feel like I’m there.''
Friday and Copeland split the four Pro Tour stops in 2001, Friday winning the first two and Copeland winning the second two.
After winning the initial two stops of 2001, Friday was a little disappointed in her performance in Portland.
''I really thought I could do it. It was right there in front of me, but I didn’t perform,'' said Friday. ''I’m really happy for Emily, though. I’ll just take this and try to build for next year.''
In the Men’s Wakeboarding Final, Parks Bonifay made it three Pro Tour victories in a row on Sunday, taking home the victory in Portland. Bonifay will add this to his victories in High Point, North Carolina and Indianapolis, Indiana, to give him a firm hold on the Pro Tour Men’s Wakeboarding Season Championship.
Coming into this event, Bonifay trailed Darin Shapiro but with the victory and Shapiro’s exit from the event due to injury, Bonifay looks like the favorite to win it all going into the last stop of the season in Abbotsford, British Columbia next week.
To add to Bonifay’s good fortune, he also walked away with top honors in the Sea Doo Slider X Competition, a best trick contest on the Fun Box, pulled by a Sea Doo.
