Wakeskating took another step forward today at The Projects in Bithlo, Florida, as 16 of the world’s best wakeskaters threw down hammer runs in head-to-head battles to determine a champion at the Byerly Toe Jam Boat Final.
Leading up to the final, some mind-blowing tricks were thrown down behind the eye-catching Byerly Limited Edition 210, and 12 of the sport’s best had been knocked out, leaving Reed Hansen to battle with Nick Taylor, and Stu Shinn to take on Toe Jam boat legend Brian Grubb. By no coincidence, these are the four top competitive boat riders in the sport today, as established on the four-stop tour.
Shinn versus Hansen made for a climactic final as two of the most consistent riders contended for the title. Shinn went first and pulled a stand-up run that included a toeside 360 shove indy, a switch frontside big spin (three-for-three on the day), and a heelside late backside shove, all wake to wake. Hansen matched Shinn’s late shove and front big, as well as a backside 180 both toeside and heelside. Both got a hold of their double-ups, Shinn throwing a melon grab out into the flats and Hansen attempting a heelside frontside 540 that took him down. Results will be announced after tomorrow’s cable finals at OWC. The competition was as close as it could be. OWC winch jam and cable final results to come Saturday evening.
