ABILENE, TEXAS – November 5, 2004 – TeamTige riders Daniel Watkins, Tino Santori, Erik Ruck, Keith Lyman, Nick Weinacker, Rusty Malinoski and Cathy Williams are competing in the 2004 Tige U.S. OPEN which is sanctioned by the American Wakeboard Association and will be held on the 1,000-acre Wailua River State Park on the Wailua River in Kauai, Hawaii, on November 13-14. Notably, Watkins, Santori and Ruck are three of the eight invited wakeboarders who will receive a semifinal round bye and automatically qualify for the finals.
Parks Bonifay, Shawn Watson, Danny Harf, Chad Sharpe and Jeff Weatherall round out the remaining eight invited riders. All amateur and professional wakeboarders are invited to compete, and admission is free to spectators. The official purse for the Pro Men and Pro Women divisions has been set at $25,000. All 16 finalists in the Pro Men division will receive prize money. Additionally, a Junior Men division has been created for amateurs who are 18-years-old and younger.
An open competition provides a setting in which amateurs and professionals can compete against each other. The 2002 Tigé U.S. OPEN served as a breakthrough into the sport for TeamTigé rider Santori. In his first event as a professional, Santori ran away from the competition and took home his first championship. After a very successful year, Santori is looking forward to traveling to Hawaii for the Tigé U.S. OPEN.
“The 2002 Tigé U.S. OPEN was my first event as a professional,” remarked Santori. “The win helped put me on the map as a pro and gave me a boost of confidence. This event is very special to me because of my history in this competition. I love the chance to go to a place in the United States that I’ve never been to and wakeboard and surf. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I can’t wait to get to Kauai and see the Wailua River. I’ve heard it’s a perfect site.”
The Tigé 20V will tow the competition.
Tigé Boats Inc. is headquartered in Abilene, Texas. It manufactures eight direct drive and sport V inboard models ranging from 20 to 24 feet in length and all are backed by the Tigé LifePlus lifetime replacement warranty. Each boat features the patented Tigé ConvexV hull and TAPS2 technology. Tigé has more than 80 dealers in 10 countries.
For more information or to register and pay a $145 entry fee for the ’04 Tigé U.S. OPEN, please visit http://www.tige.com/tige2003/news/mediainformation/08-2-04.htm. Or contact Janifer Ellis at World Sports and Marketing via janiferellis@aol.com or 863-984-3260. For airfare and lodging packages, call Apple Vacations at 1-800-367-1371, ext. 3110 or 3127.
2004 Tigé U.S. OPEN SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday, November 12
5:00-6:30 p.m. Welcome reception at Radisson Resort
Saturday, November 13
9:30 a.m. Junior Men Round 1
10:45 a.m. Pro Men Qualifying
1:45 p.m. Pro Women Round 1
2:45 p.m. Pro Men Semifinals Round 1
Sunday, November 14
10:30 a.m. Junior Men Round 2
11:15 a.m. Pro Men Semifinals Round 2
12:45 p.m. Pro Women Round 2
1:45 p.m. Pro Men head-to-head competition
Awards reception immediately following at Wailua Marina Restaurant
