Waco, TX (July 31, 2017) – The 2017 Nautique WWA Wake Park National Championships celebrated its tenth anniversary in style this week with riders all from over North America representing more cable parks than ever before. The competition was intense with the best performances in wake park history going down in the final rounds. The team aspect brought an army of support for riders who just kept pouring it on. Having the opportunity to witness the level of riding that came out of this event from Groms to Pros was a truly special experience for everyone in attendance.
Taking the title in Pro Wakeskate, Rockstar athlete Nick Taylor stomped a kickflip to frontside flip combo in the flats along with solid rail hits to score 97.50. Andrew Pastura took second with 89.00 hitting a T/S stale 360 shove-it followed by Matti Buys in third scoring 76.50 landing a frontside flip and a F/S bigspin.
In the Pro Wakeboard Traditional final Busty Dunn continued to go absolutely huge, landing both T/S and H/S backside 1080’s and a switch safety-front 270- front board for the win to score 94.00. Guenther Oka placed second, after riding through every round in the event with a score of 85.00 and Bene Tremmel rode solid to a 76.00 rounding out the podium in third.
Fynn Bullock (Shark) landed a whirly 540, frontside and backside 720’s and 900’s along with a 270 transfer-270 out in the Boys division for the win scoring 90.7. Trent Stuckey (OWC) landed a 900 and a sick grabbed B/S 720 in second with 85.15. Parker Swope (WNH) took third, riding clean all weekend scoring 76.15 in the final with a nose grab Pete Rose, Nuclear tantrum to blind, and some super solid, technical rail riding throughout the final to come out on top with a big transfer to 360 down and a H/S F/S 540.
In the Open Women final, Taylor Oxford (OWC) landed a H/S 540 and a back board-back lip-B/S 180 out taking the national title with 85.35. Piper Harris (OWC) took the podium in second scoring 77.65 with solid rail hits including a switch T/S transfer to fakie and a big tantrum off the kicker. Mattie Armer (Terminus) placed third with 76.60 showing her strong spin game off the kicker.
Reagan Hills (TSR) had a hard fought battle towards the national title, scoring 88.30 with a T/S backside 720 in the Jr. Men’s final. Jonathan Padron (MWC) landed in second getting stylish on the rails with a 270- 50/50-b/s 360 out earning 84.70 followed by Nick Bowers (TSR) who took third with 73.00 landing a big 900.
The Open Men division saw Bruno Ulott (Mayan) showcase his amazing rail game all week, delivering in the final to score 86.20 in first place. Shawn Rysak (OWC) came in second with big spins and solid rail hits to score 82.30. Kellan Rudnicki (OWC) scored 72.10 for a third place finish hitting some sick combinations on the a-frame.
Taking first place in the Masters division, Chase Andrews (Terminus) put up a score of 97.45 with a H/S underflip off the kicker and transfer to back lip on the fun box. Scot Ferwerda (Action) placed second showing a mastery of technical rail riding for a score of 81.10. Jorge Garizurieta Spame (Mayan) scored 76.45 to round out the podium in third nailing a front board-270 back lip-90 out.
Dayle Cartwright (Revo) took the Veterans win with 88.60, landing his signature tantrum to blind and showcasing a versatile rail game. Shannon Stuckey (OWC) put the pressure on, making it a super close final with a score of 88.15 that saw her land a B/S 360 and a back board-gap-back lip followed by Mike Pope (Shark) in third to score 67.75.
The Pro Women’s final saw just how far these athletes are pushing the sport with an insane level of riding going down throughout the entire round. Taking the 2017 national title, Anna Nikstad couldn’t be stopped with perfect execution and the extra touch of style that’s taken her to the top of the sport. A switch Pete Rose and a sick 270-gap-back tail-blind 90 out sealed the deal with a score of 88.60. Jamie Lopina took second with F/S and B/S 540’s off the kickers to score 81.25. Nautique athlete Meagan Ethell took the podium in third landing a big 720 off the kicker and solid rail riding for a score of 79.15.
In the Pro Men’s final, we witnessed the best round of wake park competition to date with World Champion Guenther Oka sending it for the winning score of 83.95. Oka threw down a big mute mobe 540 and a B/S 900 off the kicker and a F/S 360-nosepress-back lip to blind on the box. Busty Dunn landed a T/S B/S 1080 and a H/S B/S 1080 and crushed the rails for second with 82.90. Taking the podium in third, Timo Kapl scored 71.80 with a 900 and a 1080 off the kicker along with an Ollie B/S 180-nosepress-F/S 180 out.
About Nautique Boat Company: Celebrating 92 years of excellence in the marine industry, Nautique is a subsidiary of Correct Craft and has been on the waters of the world with a passion for innovation since 1925. Nautique is known to push the envelope of possibility on the water, and our owners have come to expect nothing but the absolute best. The Ski Nautique 200 has changed waterskiing with 22 world records, the G-Series has won numerous awards for wakeboard boat and wakesurf boat of the year while unlocking new possibilities in wakeboarding and wakesurfing, and our Sport Series has given families endless days on the water without compromise. Through our Nautique Cares initiatives we’re dedicated to not only making a difference on the water, but to people in need around the world. The world’s best ski boat, world’s best wake boat, and a company that cares. To learn more visit Nautique.com.
About Rockstar: Rockstar Energy Drink is designed for those who lead active lifestyles – from Athletes to Rockstars. Available in over 25 flavors at convenience and grocery outlets in over 30 countries, Rockstar supports the Rockstar lifestyle across the globe through Action Sports, Motor Sports, and Live Music. For more information, visit: www.RockstarEnergy.com
About the Wake Park Points Chase Series: Founded in 2010, The National Points Chase was created to give young wakeboarder’s and wakeskater’s the opportunity to not only better their skills, but also compete against their peers in a fun environment. Two weekly series (Traditional & Features Only) are hosted at cable wake parks across the United States. The final event of the season, the National Points Championship is the largest cable wakeboard event in the United States. For more information visit: www.PointsChase.com
About The WWA: Developed for riders by riders, the World Wake Association stands as a global network of passionate representatives dedicated to the growth of towed boardsports. Since 1989 our mission and values remain true to the core of our community. Our position as the authority on competitive standards has been earned through consistent development; sanctioning and producing more than 6,000 worldwide events and counting. We are the only organization solely focused on the best interests of the sport, spearheading a collective movement on the journey to discover where wake takes you. The WWA owns and operates the WWA Wakeboard World Series, WWA Wake Park World Series, WWA Wakeboard National Championships, WWA Wake Park National Championships, WWA Wakeboard World Championships, WWA Wake Park World Championships, WWA Wake Park Triple Crown, WWA Pro Card and WWA Rider Experience. For more information on the World Wake Association, check out www.thewwa.com.