The King of Wake — the world’s elite pro wakeboarding series — will open its 2010 season on April 29-May 2 in Orlando with the Air Nautique Wake Games, presented by ROCKSTAR. The season-opening event, held at the Orlando Watersports Complex, is the first of eight stops throughout the United States in the season-long points chase to see who rules the wake. Over the course of the season, athletes accumulate points at each stop, and the highest total points-earner takes home the most prestigious crown in wakeboarding.
“Orlando is going to be epic because it’s our first stop and everyone wants to start the season off with a win,” says defending King of Wake, Aaron Rathy. “Everyone is looking to go big at the Wake Games and we’re all stoked to get the season started.”
The Air Nautique Wake Games, presented by ROCKSTAR, is a four-day pro-am contest, which groups wakeboarding’s top pro athletes with local amateur riders for a team challenge.
Ten preselected captains will host a live draft to field a team with a mix of male and female, pro and amateur riders. The amateur riders will be separated into their own division, but contribute points toward a team score based on their individual placement in that division. The pros will also contribute points to their team’s score based on their individual placement in the pro division. The results from the pro division will also reflect the points awarded toward the series standings.
Throughout the event, the pros will compete in heats through a series of rounds, including qualifiers, quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, by performing tricks off the wake and on obstacles, while being pulled on the water by the event’s exclusive towboat — the Super Air Nautique 230. Tricks are scored by a panel of judges, with only the top-scoring athletes advancing in each round of the contest until a winner is determined in the finals.
Last year, Canada’s Rusty Malinoski finished in first place at the 2009 Wake Games and helped his squad win the team challenge. Malinoski will look to repeat at this year’s event and take the lead in the series standings, but faces a tough field of competitors, including Rathy, 2009 Pro Tour winner Harley Clifford, four-time X Games gold medalist Danny Harf, and rookie phenom Bob Soven.
In addition to all the action on the water, fans will also experience great food and music, athlete autograph signings, chances to win freebies, as well as shopping at the most cutting-edge stores offering water-sports equipment including wakeboard boats, wakeboards, wakeskates, sunglasses and the latest in wakeboarding and surfing fashions.
Tickets are available online and at the event: $10.00 (general); $5.00 (ages 6-12); Free (ages 5 & under).
To catch all the high-flying, rail-sliding, water-sports action of the 2010 Air Nautique Wake Games, presented by ROCKSTAR, on television, tune in to FUEL TV on June 29 at 8 p.m. EST.
The Air Nautique Wake Games, presented by ROCKSTAR is organized by World Sports & Marketing of Orlando, Florida, and has the support of the following sponsors: Correct Craft, Rockstar Energy Drink, Fox, Oakley, Hyperlite, CWB, Ronix, Liquid Force, PCM Marine Engines, FUEL TV and Allisports.com.
