liquidforce.com blog

FreeRide Fridays are back at the Carlsbad Lagoon. For 25 bucks you get a wakeboard ride (with any Liquid Force gear) and a great BBQ! Hang with the crew, meet some new friends, and get in the water for some riding. What a great start to the weekend!

Check out wakesports.com and carlsbadlagoon.com for more information

Knoxville, Tenn. – The top pro wakeboarders in the world hit the waters of Volunteer Landing today for the final rounds of action at MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour stop in Knoxville, Tenn.

First off the dock this morning, were the Pro Men’s division for their 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 today’s 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 today’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, Ky., July 18 & 19, for its fourth stop of the 2009 season. Addition venues for the 2009 Pro Tour include Fort Worth, Tex., Pleasant Prairie, Wis. and Sparks/Reno, Nev.

For event info, results, standings, photos, videos, athlete bios and more, please visit www.allisports.com.

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.

Date: 6/26/09

(Cincinnati, OH)— Liquid Force, the industry leader in wake and watersports’ products, has teamed up with Wake Nation Cincinnati, the nation’s newest cable wake park, in a partnership agreement.

In the new partnership, Liquid Force (Encinitas, CA) becomes the official wakeboard company supplying state of the art boards for wakeboarding and wakeskating to Wake Nation’s pro shop and rental office.

“We are very excited to be teaming up with the top brand in our industry,” said Wake Nation CEO Peter Kennedy. “Not only can we offer our guests first class boards with the latest Liquid Force design innovations, but also Liquid Force’s other quality products, such as vests, board shorts, t-shirts, hats, towels and ropes and handles, which are all available for purchase in our pro shop.”

“We are proud to be in partnership with the country’s newest cable wake park,” said Liquid Force Vice President of Marketing Don Wallace. “Wake Nation is one of the world’s most beautiful cable parks and is sure to grow the sport throughout the Midwest region. We are stoked to help contribute to the future success of the park.” Liquid Force will have multiple branded rails, kickers and obstacles on Wake Nation’s 10-acre man-made lake.

The partnership also gives Wake Nation access to Liquid Force’s team of professional wakeboarders and wakeskaters, such as Kevin Henshaw, Tom Fooshee, Aaron Reed, Mike Ennen and Melissa Marquardt. In fact, pro members of the Liquid Force team were on-hand for the successful grand opening of Wake Nation on June 2. “They were incredible,” says Kennedy. “The Liquid Force pros put on a tremendous show for our visitors and were excellent when doing interviews with the news media in the area.”
At Wake Nation, both first-timers and experienced riders can wakeboard, wakeskate, water ski and kneeboard without a boat. Rather, riders are pulled around the 10-acre lake at approximately 20 miles per hour by a circulating cable system that runs 35 feet above the water.

The Wake Nation complex is located inside Joyce Park in the northern Cincinnati suburb of Fairfield. Wake Nation is open daily from 10 a.m. until dark from now through October.

For more information, call (513) 887-WAKE or email info@wakenation.com. Website: www.wakenation.com.

About Liquid Force
Founded in 1995, Liquid Force quickly became the leader in wakeboard products and apparel. Liquid Force is dedicated to relentless innovation, progressive design, maximum functionality and unparalleled quality. As part of the Motion Water Sports family, Liquid Force owns Straight Line Ropes and Handles. Supported by a superior team of athletes, Liquid Force events include world famous BROstock and Maven Sessions.

364 2nd Street, Suite 7 Encinitas, CA 92024 PH: 760 943 8364 FX: 760 943 8972

WWW.LIQUIDFORCE.COM

Be sure to check out the new July/August issue of Playboy that just hit newsstands, as it includes a summer surf fashion story that features our Wakester boardshorts!

Our friends over at Nitro Circus have a new wakeboard boat, and of course it’s loaded down with Liquid Force gear. If you see these guys on your lake, throw up some hi-fives, then run and hide!

Wakesports Unlimited is heating up this summer by premiering the much anticipated film Box of Fun, along with the wakeskate movie Fun Boots. With twice the fun, you’re not going to miss this event. The premiere will be held at the Orange County location of Wakesports on Saturday, June 27th. Fun Boots will be shown at 6 pm followed by Box of Fun. Wakesports will be having a sale all day leading up to the premieres. Come take advantage of deals on all of the new 2009 product, along with some insane prices on the small selection of 2008 goods.

Box of Fun is directed by Liquid Force team rider Collin Harrington. Collin has traveled the globe for the last three years with some of his closest friends documenting every step along the way. From progressive riding on the water to the crazy shenanigans not normally seen by the public, Box of Fun takes you into the life of some of the best wakeboarders in the world. Fun Boots is the latest film from David Hansen and features wakeskaters such as Nick Taylor, Reed Hansen, Ben Horan and many others.

Call Wakesports with any questions you may have at 714-363-9253.

Cablewakeboard.com has released the first Power Ranking that compiles cable wakeboarders from across the globe. The pole is a compilation of nine different voters from different regions. The poll looks at riders accomplishments and abilities of riders on both full size and two tower cable systems. The poll also takes into account the rider’s talent level on air tricks, sliders and kickers. The poll looks at both WWA & IWSF event results. CableWakeboard.com hopes to release a pro wakeskater and womens rankings later this summer! For more information about these riders and the power rankings, please goto www.CableWakeboard.com. Team LF held down 2 of the top 3 spots, and 9 of the top 21 positions! Keep up the good work boys!

Ranking
Points
Rider

1
860
Nick Davies (6)

2
830
Tom Fooshee (3)

3
640
Sam Collins

4
615
Mike Kettelapper

5
552
Lior Sofer

6
526
Keith Lidberg

7
493
Bernhard Hinterberger

8
492
Dominik Guehrs

9
365
Marc Shuster

10
325
Donald Shelbrick

11
224
Michael Searle

12
214
Fredie von Osten

13
213
James Young

14
209
Steffen Vollert

15
206
Rob Mapp

16
204
CK Christian Koester

17
180
Peter Pascal Schmidt

18
175
Mitch Landgfield

19
158
Kim Yong Il

20
150
Daniel Fetz

21
149
Lewis Cornwall

Check out the new Unleashed Magazine to see some of LF’s International stars holding it down!

Ricky Lukassen

Daan Rigter

Mt. Morris, WI
Nordic Mountain , a ski resort in Central Wisconsin , has recently announced its plans to install a wakeboard cable system scheduled to open in June of 2009. The cable system, a Sesitec System 2.0, will be the first of its kind set up in the Midwest , and only the seventh installed nationwide.

Cable parks have been popular in southern states such as Florida and Texas for years. Instead of being pulled by a boat, cable systems pull the rider using a system of overhead cables, which are connected to a tow handle that comes down to the water. Unlike a traditional cable system that goes in a circle around a lake, the System 2.0 is an innovative straight line cable with two towers. When the rider gets to either end of the System 2.0, he or she edges out as far as possible. As the rider’s momentum slows, the cable switches direction as the rider makes a half circle to seamlessly pull him or her back the opposite direction.
Nordic Mountain ’s System 2.0 will be installed on their private, 1.5 acre snowmaking lake. The towers will be positioned roughly 400 feet apart. Powered by a 7.5 horsepower electric motor, the system is both quiet and environmentally friendly.

Nordic Mountain ’s Wake Park will include floating features similar to those found in a snow terrain park. Normally not available to wakeboarders in the Midwest , these features will provide a unique challenge for intermediate and advanced riders. System 2.0 also allows riders to do aerial tricks by tensioning the cable system, also known as “loading the line.”

Not limited to advanced riders, the System 2.0 has proven itself as a great way to learn the sport. The upward pull of the cable makes learning a breeze and minimizes impact from falling. For those that don’t have their own equipment, helmet, vest, and board rentals will be available in various sizes to fit most anyone’s needs.
The System 2.0 made its U.S. debut at Surf Expo 2008 at the Red Bull Wake Lab in Orlando , Florida . Since that time it has created a buzz throughout the wakeboarding community, and professional riders have praised the System 2.0 for its smooth, consistent pull. Industry experts expect the innovation to change the sport, mostly by making it more accessible to people.

One thing is certain: this exciting new System 2.0 will make wakeboarding more accessible and more thrilling for riders in the Midwest this summer. More information on the Nordic Mountain Wake Park can be found on their website at http://www.nordicmountain.com/.

To see video of the new 2.0 system, head on over to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYkpXjHX5cA