Fort Worth, Tex. – Nearly 90 wakeboarders from throughout the globe hit the waters of Lake Moser at Texas MasterCraft today to compete in the qualifying rounds of the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour stop in Fort Worth, Tex. Riders in both the Pro Men and Jr. Pro Men divisions battled it out behind the boat, performing rail tricks and aerial stunts to try to earn a spot this weekend’s contest.
While the top-16 riders in the Pro Men’s division received a bye from today’s Qualifiers, over 50 hopefuls turned out to compete in the division’s opening-round. Only taking the top-two riders from each of the 12 heats in the Qualifiers, the competition was cut in half, advancing only 24 riders onto tomorrow’s Round of 40, where they will be joined by the top-16 athletes.
Among the 24 to advance today was Fort Worth area local, Keith Holley. Holley, 22, of Weatherford, Tex., competed in a five-man heat, where he took the second spot, behind Australian Pro Tour champ, Dean Smith. Both Holley and Smith will hit the water tomorrow, Saturday May 30 for the Pro Men’s division Round of 40, which is scheduled to start at 12 p.m. noon.
In the Jr. Pro Men’s division, 36 amateur rippers battled it out on the water in ten heats, with only top-two riders from each group advancing onto tomorrow’s 20-man Quarterfinal. Among the 20 amateur riders, who qualified into the Quarterfinals, were Steel Lafferty (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), Mitch Langfield (Brisbane, Aus.) and Bob Soven (Longwood, Fla.), who each posted a perfect score of 100-points. Bob Soven, younger brother of current Pro Tour champ, Phillip Soven, enters tomorrow’s Quarterfinals as the top-seeded rider in the division.
The Pro Women’s division will join both male divisions tomorrow, Saturday, May 30. Tomorrow’s festivities will run 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., and concludes on Sunday, May 31.
Tickets can be purchased at the gate for $10 (general admission), $5 (ages 6-12) or free (ages 5 and under).
For daily event schedules, photos, videos, athlete bios, scores, standings and more, visit www.allisports.com.
The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour is a three-day-long carnival of water-sports action. But not all of the action takes place on the water. On land, fans will experience tons of great food and music; athlete autograph signings; chances to win freebies; and shopping at the most cutting-edge stores for water-sports equipment including boats, wakeboards, wakeskates, sunglasses and the latest in wakeboarding and surfing fashions.
The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour is organized by World Sports & Marketing of Orlando, Fla. The Pro Tour has the support of the following sponsors: MasterCraft, Rockstar Energy Drink, Mona Vie, the U.S. Air Force, Indmar, Billabong, Hyperlite, CWB, Ronix, Liquid Force, Gator Boards, Oakley, Ride the Wake, FUEL TV and Allisports.com.
