It's that time again, time for LF to bring your dose of "The Truth". Once again, we're bringing you the latest news, notes, and happenings involving our team and the company we like to call Liquid Force.
This week has been a busy one, so there's plenty to tell. We'll start off in the world of Pro Wakeboard Events...
The "Truth" is, Phillip Soven dominated this past weekend's Pro Tour event in Orlando and looks poised to do so all season long. If you
could bet on Wakeboarding in Vegas, the smart bet would be Phillip Soven. Over the weekend he managed to win every heat he was in, and do
so without falling once. The most impressive part of his performance was his consistent dominance in Sunday's "head to head" rounds. The Pro Tour has adopted a new format and it definitely appears to fit Phillip's style perfectly. He took down Danny Harf in round one... then one upped Chad Sharpe's toeside 9 off the double up with a HUGE heelside 9 of his own, taking down Chad in the "final four". That left only one rider, Josh Sanders, in between Phillip and his goal of Pro Tour Stop #1 Champion. While Josh put up a good fight, Phillip ended up beating him
and taking home the title. Other LF riders had great starts to the season, as well. Kevin Henshaw, entering his first season as a pro, had a solid performance, earning himself a spot in Sunday's competition. He started the event off by winning his heats in day 1 and 2 and barely missed making it into the finals. Not bad for a rookie! Collin Harrington also had a great weekend, as he earned himself a spot in the "elite 8" where he narrowly lost out to Chad Sharpe. This was Collin's first ever finals on the Pro Tour. Look for Collin to have a great, breakout season on the tour.
Melissa Marquardt made it to the finals and had a solid second place showing. She will definitely be in the
running for this year's title. Also placing on the podium for LF was Phillip Combs. The rider out of Oregon placed 3rd in the Jr. Men's division. It was nice to see him riding well to start the season.
Last but not least... the LF wakeskating team had a podium showing, as well. Phillip Basino, last season's pro tour champion, placed second and looks poised to challenge, once again, for the tour title. For official results, be sure to check out www.prowakeboardtour.com.
In other Pro events happening in Florida...
Shawn Watson, Shane Bonifay, and Phillip Soven were squaring off against 9 other invitees to the "Double or Nothing" contest that was being held today out in Lake Alfred, FL, at Shane's mom's house. We're hoping that Shane took advantage of the "home court advantage. Riders were given 15 minutes to hit as many double ups as they wanted to in a "free-ride" format. Shane Bonifay and several other videographers were going to be filming the events, collecting footage for the judges. The winners will be determined from this video footage and will be analyzed and judged this week by the media and riders, with results being announced at a party on Friday. Rumors about riders that were going to be trying 1080's were floating around the event all day. At the time that this was written, none had been landed yet... It's worth noting that Shane and Phillip hadn't ridden... By the time you read this, history may have already been matched. Both riders were aiming for the 1080.
In non Florida event news...
The Relentless/Encore weekend at Kansas City Watersports is quickly approaching. Tino Santori, Melissa Marquardt, Phillip Basino and others from LF will be at the KC cable park this upcoming weekend, May 6th-8th. The weekend will start Friday afternoon and will be filled with non stop activities through Sunday. Highlights include the World Premier of Encore which will be held Saturday night, May 7th. Besides the movie premier, LF and KCW will be opening up the LF Relentless rail to the public for the first time. As we mentioned last week, Sitzmark, LF, and
KCW will be giving away a wakeskate to the first person to successfully skate the entire rail. Be sure not to miss the action! Who knows... attend this event and you may end up in next week's edition of "The Truth". For exact details of the event, check out www.kcwatersports.com/relentless/index.html.
In Trip Across America news...
The TAA keeps on rolling full steam ahead! If we do say so ourselves, the TAA RV is one fine looking rig (see the attached image). After leaving Encinitas and spending some time in Nevada and Arizona, the crew has traversed the country and landed in Florida. Necrason, Henshaw, Collin, and Captain Brantley have been touring the state and spreading the LF vibe to all in attendance. If you've been to an event, look for
images of you and your friends to be showing up on the website soon. Hopefully the photos of you are as classic as the one we've attached of our Southwest Rep, Strat Nellos... now there's somebody hard at work! If you're anywhere near the RV, be sure to stop by and spend some time with the crew. The Trip Across America is your chance to meet your favorite LF riders, ride the newest LF gear, and get some freebies from
LF and all of the TAA sponsors. For more details on the upcoming events that may be happening in your territory, be sure to check out www.liquidforce.com and go to the Trip Across America section.
In International Team Rider Travel news...
Check out the attached photos of Ben Greenwood and Kyle Schmidt from there recent trip to Singapore. They traveled the country riding, instructing, and partying with local wakeboarders and wakeskaters. The trip was sponsored by the local LF distributor and had Kyle and Ben on a whirlwind tour of the country. They both had a great time and said that the best part of the trip was meeting tons of stoked wakeboarders. It's good to see that wakeboarders are the same all over the globe... the love for the sport is something that is shared worldwide.
In LF Films news....
Justin is putting the finishing touches on Encore, the sequel to Relentless. The new DVD and book will only be available through LF dealers, so make sure you tell your favorite LF dealer to reserve a copy for you now. This is going to be a collector's item. More than just a video, Encore will be a portrayal of the life that we live at LF. Documenting the last 2 years of Liquid Force, Encore dives into more than just the riding. It dives into the company we call Liquid Force and the people we work with. There will be PLENTY of hot new wakeboard and wakeskate action, as well as plenty of behind the scenes footage that you didn't see in Relentless. From rider interviews, to designer interviews, this project coming out of Justin's LF Films workshop is guaranteed to be one that will take you deeper into the world of wakeboarding and Liquid Force. Hours of bonus footage will be included. Look for copies to arrive in stores shortly. For more details on
Encore, including premiers and a teaser, check out past issues of "The Truth" on www.liquidforce.com, or go to www.liquidforcefilms.com.
And in very sad NBA news...
Bill McCaffray's Seattle Supersonics got lucky and ousted my Kings from the playoffs. Although I am a Ridnour fan, I'm still claiming that his Sonics are not as "Super" as the Kings. It does however look like lunch will be on me next week. You won this time Bill... hopefully we'll meet again and I'll win a lunch. Haha.
That's it for now... be sure to stay tuned for next week's edition of the truth.
