Wakestock 10 Semifinals
By Wakestock Press Release
Toronto, Canada -- With the "Final Day" yet to transpire, Wakestock #10 has already blown minds with incredible performances from athletes and bands alike.
Where to start? How about the record crowd turnout during the first three days of this massive wakeboarding, action sports and music festival. It was incredible to tour the Wakestock site on Toronto Island Park to see thousands jamming multiple events, thousands lining the water course for the Billabong Railslide and Malibu Expression Session, thousands in front of the Telus Main Stage, thousands at the RGX Skatepark for the Element Demo and Street comp and thousands at the Oakley Pool Jam all at the same time. Close to 40,000 are expected to attend Wakestock 2007 during it's four action-packed days.
The Oakley Pool is, without a doubt, the sickest wake pool ever built! Three pools and multiple rail sets covering over 400 feet of real estate. The new addition of the giant 80-foot funbox between the 2nd and 3rd pools was where the wakeskaters were throwing down huge stunts, with a new generation of skaters leading the charge. In a breakout performance, Stuart Shinn claimed the Oakley Pool Jam Best Trick with a massive 360 Shuv over the funbox.
Shinn also threw down one of the best semi-finals runs in the Billabong Wakeskate Finals, including a flawless Backside 3, Cab 3 and Backside 180 to qualify into the top eight. Joining Shinn were Wakestock rookies Nick Taylor and Ben Horan who will battle established stars Brian Grubb, Aaron Rathy, Drew McGuckin, and Chase Gregory. Taylor took down Wakestock 2005 vice-champion Reed Hansen enroute to the finals. Taylor nailed a Frontside 3, Cab 3, Backside 180 and a kickflip.
In the Malibu Boats Expression Session semis was a close head to head battle between a who's who of wake superstars. When the spray settled, it was Wakestock defending champ Philip Soven displacing Collin Harrington and Wakestock 2005 champ Rusty Malinoski moving past Olivier Derome. Soven and Malinoski having been dueling all year, so Wakestock may see an epic final between the sports two top ranked riders. But there are several other standout riders that can equally challenge, especially considering how much the big Billabong rail course factors in at Wakestock. Look out for incredible performances from Danny Harf, Jeff Weatherall, JD Webb, Andrew Adkison, Adam Errington and Dean Smith.
In the Billabong Pro Railslide, two time defending champ Keith Lidberg and challenger Collin Harrington both slayed the two 90 foot sliders including stomped 450's over the 20' high gap rail. Lidberg took down Danny Harf and Harrington edged out Parks Bonifay. Joining Lidberg and Harrington in the final eight are Chad Sharpe, JD Webb, Trevor Hansen, Kevin Henshaw, Andrew Adkison, and Aaron Rathy.
While the world's best wakeboarders were thrilling crowds on the water, four of planet's top skateboarders were destroying Wakestock's custom built RGX Skatepark. Element Skateboard's Pro Skaters Chad Muska, Chad Tim Tim, Collin Provost and Levi Brown had thousands cheering their demo and lining up for autographs afterwards. Canada's top am skaters were throwing down for $10,000 in the Element Island of the Ams and $500 Milk Mini Ramp contest. Finals for both contest go Sunday.
Music has always been an integral part of Wakestock, but the band line-up for the 10th anniversary has been all time. The Deftones delivered a blistering one and a half hour performance to cap a heavy afternoon on the TELUS Main Stage featuring Goldfinger and De La Soul. The Deftones also headlined a special Wakestock Club Concert the night before with huge Canadian band Alexis On Fire. A Skate 4 Cancer benefit concert, the show went down as one Canada's biggest club shows of the summer!
The debut of Element Skateboards' "Island of the Ams" contest and the Milk Mini-Ramp contest brought out hundreds of Canada's top am skaters. The contests though almost played secondary billing to the Element Pro Team demo led by skate legend Chad Muska. Thousands cheered on Muska as he gapped a huge line no one else anticipated from the top of the highest drop-in to a lower flat bank in the RGX Skatepark.
Other Wakestock highlights included the finals of the Miss Reef Canada Bikini contest and the RGX Freestyle Moto-x Air Assualt. Wherever you looked at Wakestock, there was was heavy action!
Stay tuned to www.wakestock.com for final results and reports from Wakestock's Final Day. Wakestock is presented by Bud Light and TELUS, in conjunction with Malibu Boats, Billabong, Oakley, Element Skateboards, RGX (Right Guard Extreme), Milk, Extreme Music Series, Reef, Gordon Bay Marine, Paris Marine and Yamaha.
207 Views
