Orlando, FL - Wakeboarding is going to look a lot different on the
2000 Pro Wakeboard Tour. In fact, for the first time it's going to look like
a street course on water! In previous seasons, wakeboarding on the Pro Tour
was restricted to air tricks off the wake, but now there will be obstacles
on the water such as sliders, kickers and ramps for the riders to hit.
This new format promises to push riders to a new level of
competition for the upcoming season. The Pro Wakeboard Tour kicks off its
ninth season as the premier professional wakeboarding series the first
weekend of April in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Pro Tour 2000 will have eight
stops throughout the U.S. and Canada, with the finals slated for Vancouver,
British Columbia, in late July.
Beginning this year, the course will include three obstacles for the
riders to "hit" in addition to their air trick run. The course is designed
similarly to a street course in skateboarding, and riders will have access
to a slider, a kicker and Pro Tour's jump ramp converted to an intense
takeoff platform. These obstacles should provide new excitement never seen
before on the Pro Tour.
"The movement to sliders and kickers has only just taken off over
the past year in the sport, and we, as the pro competition of the sport,
wanted to make sure we progressed as the interest in sliding intensified,"
says Terrence Dorner, head of the Pro Tour. "This is the most progressive
initiative on the Pro Wakeboarding Tour since changing the structured points
system three years ago."
The riders, even top pros who won big using the old format, agree
that sliding is the future of the sport. Defending tour champion Shaun
Murray says, "This will be a different aspect to the Pro Tour. Over the past
year, the contest has arguably run its course. It's going to add a whole new
different style of riding. Even though I excelled last year, I'm more
looking forward to this year more than any previous Tour season."
Longtime pro rider Cobe Mikacich, who's been with the tour for
nearly all nine years, says, "It's growing with the sport. Competitions are
not trying to hold our sport back; they're trying to work with it to make it
grow, and the Pro Tour is doing that."
In addition to the new format, more new faces should stand out on
the Pro Tour. Last year's infusion of young talent such as Shawn Watson,
Shane Bonifay, Erik Ruck and Mike McLin will be joined this year by last
year's junior rider, 15-year-old Danny Harf, who many believe could go
straight to the top in the sport.
The youth movement can also been seen on the pro women's side, with
Lauren Loe expected to challenge last year's top rookies, Emily Copeland and
Maeghan Major, and two-time tour champion Tara Hamilton.
For more information on Pro Tour 2000, visit our Web site at
www.prowakeboardtour.com
Pro Tour 2000 Schedule
April 1-2 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Mills Pond Park
April 15-16 Orlando, FL (Hang Ten Open) Orlando Watersports Complex
May 20-21 Greenville, NC (Overton's Classic) Lake Kristi
June 3-4 Oklahoma City, OK Lake Draper
June 10-11 Hartford, CT Batterson Park
June 17-18 Detroit, MI Island Lake State
Park
July 15-16 Portland, OR Blue Lake Park
July 22-23 Abbotsford, Vancouver, Canada Albert Dyck Park
