ORLANDO (April 21, 2016) – Today, the Nautique Wake Open presented by Rockstar Energy hosted the first of four days scheduled for this weekend’s event at the world-famous Orlando Watersports Complex (OWC). This weekend the sport’s brightest stars are set to kick off the opening round of the Wakeboarding World Series (WBWS) and second stop of the Nautique Wake Series, the only series that puts riders first.
Pro Men’s qualifying is underway, featuring elite Nautique athletes, such as Mike Dowdy, Bob Soven, and JD Webb to name a few. This season is arguably the deepest field in the history of the sport, which is destined to provide intense action beginning in qualifying and carrying on into the finals.
“It’s always good to come out and win the first heat of the season,” said Team Nautique Rider Bob Soven (USA). “The conditions were pretty challenging today with the wind blowing right down the center of the course at 15+ mph, but the G23’s wake stayed clean and allowed everyone to still put their best tricks forward.”
The Pro Women’s division started the day off with their quarterfinals, ultimately leading the way were Nicola Butler (USA) and Larisa Morales (MEX). Thanks to the innovative technology on the Super Air Nautique G23, the women continue their progression towards raising the bar yet again for this weekend’s finals showdown.
“Today was an exciting first day at the Nautique Wake Open with a full lineup of Pro Women competing,” said Team Nautique Rider Meagan Ethell (USA). “The conditions were a little rough, but I was able to adjust and put in a consistent run to advance to the semifinals. My plan this weekend is to have fun, lay down a solid run and earn a spot in the finals.”
In the Adaptive Sitboarding semifinals, Connor Poggetto (USA) displayed flashes of brilliance as he lead the way, while Nathan Smith (AUS) laid down an impressive run to claim the runner-up position.
Guenther Oka (USA) put in the best run of the day in the Jr. Pro Men’s quarterfinals with a 79.33, narrowly edging out James Loisel’s 78.67 (USA). The Master’s semifinals watched Joel Schrader (USA) go big to grab the upper hand heading into the finals.
The second day of the Nautique Wake Open is set to kick off at 10AM on Friday, April 22, which will include Pro Wakeskate and Amateur and Junior Qualifying. Please Click Here to view the daily schedule.
As the organizer and sanctioning body of the 2016 Nautique Wake Open presented by Rockstar Energy, the World Wakeboard Association would like to thank all of its partners for their support in making the event possible, including Nautique Boat Company and Rockstar Energy Drink.
For more information on the 2016 Wakeboard World Series Click Here.
Results
Nautique Wake Open Presented by Rockstar Energy
Orlando Watersports Complex – Orlando, Florida
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Men’s Pro – Qualifying Round Heat 01:
1. Bob Soven (USA) – 80.00
2. Christian Primrose (CAN) – 66.33
3. Parker Siegele (AUS) – 63.67
4. Marc Kroon (NED) – 58.33
Men’s Pro – Qualifying Round Heat 02:
1. Oli Derome (CAN) – 76.00
2. Shota Tezuka (JPN) – 75.00
3. Robbie McMillin (CAN) – 40.67
4. Gordon Harrison (USA) – 13.33
Men’s Pro – Qualifying Round Heat 03:
1. Nic Rapa (AUS) – 79.00
2. Rusty Malinoski (CAN) – 70.00
3. Josh Twelker (USA) – 56.00
4. Brenton Preistley (AUS) – 40.00
Men’s Pro – Qualifying Round Heat 04:
1. Sam Carne (GBR) – 75.00
2. Massi Piffaretti (ITA) – 71.00
3. Aaron Rathy (CAN) – 66.67
Men’s Pro – Qualifying Round Heat 05:
1. Tony Iaconni (AUS) – 77.33
2. Shawn Watson (USA) – 68.33
3. Damien Adam (MRI) – 64.33
Men’s Pro – Qualifying Round Heat 06:
1. Daniel Powers (USA) – 74.00
2. Jeff Langley (USA) – 73.33
3. Jimmy Lariche (USA) – 50.00
Men’s Pro – Qualifying Round Heat 07:
1. Tony Carroll (USA) – 73.33
2. Raph Derome (CAN) – 58.33
3. Ian Cole (USA) – 20.00
Men’s Pro – Qualifying Round Heat 08:
1. Dean Smith (AUS) – 83.33
2. Danny Harf (USA) – 70.67
3. Chad Sharpe (CAN) – 65.00
Women’s Pro – Quarter Finals Heat 01:
1. Taylor McCullough (USA) – 73.33
2. Tarah Mikacich (USA) – 68.33
3. Jamie Lopina (USA) – 58.33
4. Ashley Leugner (CAN) – 40.00
Women’s Pro – Quarter Finals Heat 02:
1. Nicola Butler (USA) – 80.00
2. Erika Lang (USA) – 73.33
3. Melissa Marquardt (USA) – 68.33
4. Charlotee Bryant (GBR) – 64.33
5. Morgan Crescent (USA) – 50.00
Women’s Pro – Quarter Finals Heat 03:
1. Larisa Morales (MEX) – 75.00
2. Amber Wing (AUS) – 68.33
3. Raimi Merritt (USA) – 60.00
4. Abby Delgoffe (USA) – 48.33
5. Chelsea Clark (USA) – 38.33
Women’s Pro – Quarter Finals Heat 04:
1. Chloe Mills (AUS) – 75.67
2. Meagan Ethell (USA) – 70.00
3. Zahra Kell (AUS) – 66.00
4. Gigi Meyer (USA) – 48.33
5. Corrie Wilson (USA) – 43.33
Jr. Pro Men (14-18) – Quarter Finals Heat 01:
1. Cobe France (AUS) – 78.33
2. Lewy Watt (AUS) – 72.00
3. Mizuki Takahashi – 51.33
4. Clayton Holladay (USA) – 42.67
Jr. Pro Men (14-18) – Quarter Finals Heat 02:
1. Guenther Oka (USA) – 79.33
2. Jason Soven (USA) – 71.00
3. Jesse Foushee (USA) – 52.00
4. Camden Vaughan (USA) – 46.00
Jr. Pro Men (14-18) – Quarter Finals Heat 03:
1. James Loisel (USA) – 78.67
2. Callan Starr (AUS) – 60.67
3. Jeongwook Kim (KOR) – 42.33
4. Jake Pelot (USA) – 11.67
Jr. Pro Men (14-18) – Quarter Finals Heat 04:
1. Elliot Digney (AUS) – 70.00
2. Luca Kidd (GBR) – 63.00
3. Tyler Higham (USA) – 59.67
4. Bryson Hancock (USA) – 56.33
5. Daniel Miles (USA) – 48.00
Adaptive Sitboarding – Semi Finals Heat 01:
1.Connor Poggetto (USA) – 70.00
2. Nathan Smith (AUS) – 41.67
Master’s (30-39) – Semi Finals Heat 01:
1. Joel Schrader (USA) – 76.67
2. Nick Cankar (USA) – 66.67
3. Francisco Cabezas (USA) – 45.00
4. Robert Schwartz (USA) – 33.33
About The WWA: The World Wakeboard Association is the global leader in wake sports sanctioning. 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. With 27 affiliate countries worldwide, the WWA is a rider-formed organization dedicated to promoting and growing wake sports worldwide. It is the primary source for riders, event organizers and competitive standards. For more information on the WWA and its events, check out www.thewwa.com