The top pro wakeboarders in the world hit the waters of Volunteer Landing for the final rounds of action at the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour stop in Knoxville, Tennessee.
First off the dock on Sunday was the Pro Men’s division for its 20-man quarterfinal. Riders competed in five heats of four, with only the top two riders in each heat advancing onto the semifinals.
The theme of semifinals was old school meets new school, as the two stacked heats ranged from young guns Harley Clifford and Jimmy LaRiche to elite veterans Chad Sharpe and Danny Harf.
The ten semifinalists battled it out on the water for one of four spots in the finals, with Andrew Adkison, Danny Harf, rookie Harley Clifford and top-seed Aaron Rathy advancing onto the last round of the contest.
All four finalists threw down some impressive runs, but Canadian ripper Aaron Rathy stood out from the competition to post a 97-point run, almost 12-points more than his next closet competitor. Harley Clifford and Danny Harf rounded out the podium, respectively.
Today’s win marks Rathy’s second consecutive Pro Tour stop victory of the 2009 season.
Also in the Pro Men’s division, England’s Nick Davies took home the ROCKSTAR Best Trick Award today for his massive Heelside 900 off of the U.S. Air Force kicker. The Award is a $1,000 cash prize.
In the Jr. Pro Men’s division, ten amateur rippers battled it out on the water in Sunday’s semifinals for one of four spots in the final round of the Knoxville contest. Daniel Powers, Mitch Langfield, Jarrod Askew and top-seed Bob Soven faced off in the four-man final with Soven beating out Langfield by a single point to claim his third consecutive Tour stop win of the season. Langfield and Powers rounded out the podium, respectively.
Following Knoxville, the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour will head to Elizabethtown, Kentucky, July 18 and 19, for its fourth stop of the 2009 season. Addition venues for the 2009 Pro Tour include Fort Worth, Texas, Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, and Sparks/Reno, Nevada.