PINE MOUNTAIN, GA (May 26, 2016) – The 59th Nautique Masters Water Ski & Wakeboard Tournament® presented by GM Marine Engine Technology officially kicked off today. Pro Wakeskate began the wake action on Robin Lake at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia behind the 5x Wakeboard and 4x Wakesurf Boat of the Year, the Super Air Nautique G23.
Reed Hansen (USA) dominated Pro Wakeskate early with a variety of spins and shuvs to earn a score of 83.33. Following Hansen, was Coco Mendez (USA) with a 56.57 and defending Masters Champion Brian Grubb (USA), who unfortunately went down early with a score of 40.00.
The Nautique Masters made its debut on the Wakeboard World Series (WBWS) as Pro Women took the water with some amazing performances. From heat one, Nautique Team rider and defending Masters Champion, Meagan Ethell (USA) scored 89.67 after stomping a moby dick, KGB and Tootsie Roll to advance to the Finals. Joining her in the Finals from is Nicola Butler (USA) who rode clean for a score of 79.00.
Heat two saw veteran rider Dallas Friday (USA) throw down a variety of tech tricks, advancing to Finals with a score of 87.00. Nautique multi-sport athlete Erika Lang (USA) scored 83.00 landing her signature nose grab heel front to edge out current WBWS leader Zahra Kell (AUS). Lang will compete in both wakeboard and trick ski Finals tomorrow.
“I am so stoked to be riding in two finals tomorrow!” stated Nautique Team Rider Lang. “I couldn’t have asked for better conditions today. The wake behind the Nautique G23 was perfectly dialed in and made for some great runs from all the athletes.”
Not to be outdone, Pro Men’s Wakeboard battled it out narrowing the field from ten riders to four who will compete Sunday in the Final round. Harley Clifford (AUS), put the pressure on with a clean run of 900’s, mobe 5’s and double flips to score 90.67, edging out Nautique team rider Mike Dowdy (USA) by only 1 point in the first heat. Dowdy stood up two passes scoring 80.67 to join Clifford in the Finals Sunday.
With the pressure on in Heat Two, Nic Rapa (AUS) laid down a clean set of technical passes for the highest score of the day with 93.00. Moving on to the Final round with Rapa, is fellow countryman Tony Iacconi (AUS) who scored an 87.00 after sticking a pair of double flips and 900s to just barely edge out Cory Teunissen the current Men’s WBWS leader.
With both WBWS leaders out of the title running there is sure to be a shakeup in the rankings, tune in tomorrow at 1:20 PM EST on the live stream to catch all of the action.
For full results from the 59th Nautique Masters click HERE.
The Nautique Masters is the third stop of the 2018 Nautique Wake Series. For more information on the Nautique Wake Series click HERE.
Tune in for the Final rounds of the 59thNautique Masters Sunday, May 27thstreaming live HERE.
The daily schedule can be found HERE.
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About Nautique Boat Company: Celebrating 93 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 has been reinvented as the lightest boat on the market, 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 GS-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 Correct Craft:
Celebrating 93 years of excellence in the marine industry, Correct Craft is a Florida-based company with global operations. The Correct Craft family includes Nautique, Centurion, Supreme, Bass Cat, Yar-Craft, SeaArk, and Bryant boat companies, Pleasurecraft Engine Group, and Aktion Parks. For more information please visit www.correctcraft.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 WWA: Developed for riders by riders, the World Wake Association stands as a global network of passionate representatives dedicated to the growth of wakesports. 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 12,500 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.