Nationals Slated for June In Wisconsin
By WSM Press Release
Pleasant Prairie, WI — The largest wakeboarding event in the world returns to Wisconsin for a third straight summer, though this year it will begin a few months earlier. World Sports & Marketing announced that the Air Nautique WWA Wakeboard National Championship will be held on Lake Andrea at Prairie Springs Park in Pleasant Prairie, Wis., June 20-24.
“Traditionally, we have held Nationals in August, but this year we felt that we should kick off the summer with it,” said Sean Dishman of WSM. “Wisconsin is always a great place to hold this event, and we felt that June was the right time to host it.”
Hosted by the World Wakeboard Association, the best riders in America will compete at the Air Nautique WWA Wakeboard National Championship to try to capture one of the top honors in wakeboarding, the U.S. National Championship. The results from the Nationals will also decide who will be on Team USA for the 2007 World Championship.
The spotlight event of the five-day competition is the pro division held on the weekend. Danny Harf, a two-time national champ, is one of the favorites to win this event.
Others to watch in Wisconsin include the 2004/2006 national champ and current reigning King of Wake, Tino Santori. King of Wake, a points chase running through all the major competitions worldwide, determines the year’s true number-one rider. Nationals is the fifth of 10 stops in the series and the last event before the Chase for the Crown.
A number of local riders return to their home state for this event as well. Erik Ruck, a former world champion, grew up in Twin Lakes, Wis., just 20 miles from Lake Andrea. Ruck, who finished eighth in the 2006 King of Wake standings, would love to win a national title in front of his hometown fans.
There’s also local flavor in the pro women’s division. Laura Lohrmann of Elkhorn, Wis., is looking for a big-time performance after finishing sixth on the pro circuit in 2006.
Lohrmann will have to be on her game to beat the two favorites for the women’s title. Dallas Friday has dominated the women’s field over the past four years, winning nearly every time she takes the water. But Emily Copeland Durham has the talent to knock off Friday, so expect the two to vie for the top spot. Amateurs will also compete for titles at Nationals, and the hottest new sport on the water, wakeskating (like skateboarding on water), will be on display.
The Air Nautique by Correct Craft is the exclusive tow boat of the WWA Nationals. Celebrating more than 80 years of excellence in the marine industry, Correct Craft is a family-owned manufacturer of internationally acclaimed competition-caliber water-ski and wakeboard boats as well as boats for recreational enjoyment. Correct Craft Inc. is known for superior-quality products, cutting-edge technology and innovative hull designs.
The official magazine of the Air Nautique WWA Wakeboard National Championship is WakeBoarding, the premier publication for the sport. The National Championship is sanctioned by the World Wakeboarding Association and has the support of the following sponsors: Rip It Energy Fuel, the U.S. Air Force, Verizon Wireless, Fox, g3, Hyperlite Wakeboards, RGX powered by Right Guard, CWB, Gator Boards, Ronix, Reef, Oakley, WakeWorld.com, theliquidcircus.com and Wakeboarder.com.
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