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Fans lined the shores of the Orlando Watersports Complex today to catch the final rounds of action at the 17th annual ROCKSTAR WWA Wakeboard World Championships, presented by Supra. Pro riders from throughout the globe spent the day competing for world titles, with the results from the Pro Men and Pro Women’s divisions also deciding the winners of the King of Wake and Queen of Wake series.
The Pro Men’s division proved to be one of the most exciting finales in the WWA World Championship’s 17-year history. With top seed Harley Clifford failing to advance past the semifinals, Danny Harf, Trevor Hansen, Dean Smith and brothers Phillip and Bob Soven faced off in the five-man final.
All five pros threw down impressive runs, but Aussie Dean Smith made the biggest impact on the water to take home his first-ever world title. Phillip Soven and Trevor Hansen rounded out the Pro Men’s division podium, respectively.
“This is so sick, I’m the world champion for the next 365 days” said Smith. “Going into the finals, I didn’t know what would happen, but I just put it together out there and won.”
With today’s win, Dean Smith becomes the first Australian native to win the world title in the Pro Men’s division.
Phillip Soven’s second-place finish today placed the Longwood, Fla. at the top of the King of Wake standings, earning him his third crown in four years.
“I wanted to finish off the season with a win, but I’m not going home empty handed, I still won King of Wake,” said Soven.
In the Pro Women’s division, the top professional female riders in the world faced off in six-woman final for the world title and deciding points toward the Queen of Wake series. Despite light rain and wind, top seed Nicola Butler laid down the most impressive run of the day, which included a transfer back lip onto the funbox, to win her second world title in three years.
“I didn’t ride my best, I had a couple of falls, but I was stoked about my transfer,” said Butler. “It feels awesome to win.”
With today’s win, the England native finishes the 2010 season at the top of the Queen of Wake standings – Butler’s second crown in three years.
“I had a bad year in 2009, so to come back this year and win Queen of Wake is like redemption,” said Butler.
Reed Hansen took first place today in the Pro Wakeskate finals to win his fourth consecutive world title.
“Worlds is my favorite contest, so to win it four times in a row is pretty amazing,” said Hansen. “The other guys in my heat really push me to ride better and win events like today.”
Pro Women – Final #1
1. Nicola Butler GRB 81.67
2. Amber Wing AUS 75.00
3. Raimi Merritt USA 65.00
4. Hayley Smith AUS 56.67
5. Melissa Marquardt USA 50.00
6. Meagan Ethell USA 41.67
Women’s Wakeskate – Final #1
1. Jen GilanFarr USA 70.00
2. Kristine Gagnier USA 61.67
3. Kiyoka Fujihara JPN 43.33
4. Cassandra Scott USA 35.00
I can’t believe that another year has gone by. It seems that a few weeks ago it was April, and we had just launched this site. I think it was fate that brought us to launch in 2009, which has turned out to be the best year for women’s wakeboarding and wakeskating so far. Like any other sport, women’s wake sports go through cycles: one year, women are the talk of the town and everyone is pumped about them, and the next year, women are fighting tooth and nail to get recognition. I really feel that this time it is different. Women have accomplished so much and are pushing the sport so hard, I see us riding this wave of firsts for many years to come. Some of our favorite highlights from 2009 include:
