Colorado River News

Kelowna Tour Stop Showcases Talents of Local Boys

Kelowna, BC (July 10, 2004) -- The beautiful surroundings of Lake Okanagan and Kelowna, British Columbia Canada provided the backdrop for the fourth stop on the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour presented by Chevrolet and GM Vortec engines on Saturday.

This year the Pro Wakeboard Tour is part of the Extreme Sports Series Wakefest presented by Coors Light, and a huge crowd of nearly 10,000 was in attendance to check out Saturday's Qualifying rounds.

Canadians have been a force on the Pro Wakeboard Tour in 2004, making waves in two areas, the Pro Men's division and Junior Division. Canadian and Pro Wakeboard Tour veteran Chad Sharpe is having the best year of his career and is currently in second-place in the Indmar Pro Wakeboard Tour Season Standings. Sharpe is vying for his first-ever Pro Wakeboard Tour Season Championship and the $5,000 Indmar Performance Award bonus check that goes along with the Pro Tour Season Championship.

However, Sharpe will have to wait another day to determine his fate at the Kelowna Pro Wakeboard Tour stop because adverse conditions including high winds caused a postponement in Saturday's qualifying rounds and Sharpe and 18 other pro riders will have to wait until Sunday morning to earn a chance into Sunday's semifinals and final rounds.

Sharpe is not the only Canadian making his mark this year. Rusty Malinoski is another rider from north of the border having a career year and Malinoski has already earned himself a spot in Sunday's Pro Men's Semifinals by qualifying second in Heat NO. 4.

Another Canadian leading the way in 2004 is MasterCraft Junior X Series rider, Kevin Henshaw. Henshaw is currently leading the Junior X Series season standings, making him the top Junior rider so far in 2004. Henshaw will move into the Junior Men's finals in Kelowna after winning his Semifinal Heat on Saturday.

There is still much to be determined on Sunday at the Pro Wakeboard Tour's Kelowna stop. With almost half of the Pro Men's division still to compete, the outcome of the event should be quite interesting. Still waiting to ride are 2003 Pro Wakeboard Tour champion Parks Bonifay, 2003 X Games Champion Danny Harf and wakeboarding legend Darin Shapiro. The only certainty is that there will be a new champion in Kelowna in 2004. Defending Kelowna champion Tino Santori failed to qualify for the semifinals, opening up the championship to the rest of the field.

In the SeaDoo watercraft Pro Wakeskate Series Steve Schoenhals and Aaron Reed took the top spot in Heats one and two to earn the top qualifying positions for Sunday's Pro Wakeskate Series finals.

The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour, presented by Chevrolet and GM Vortec Engines, is a five-event circuit organized by World Sports & Marketing of Orlando, Florida. Powered by Indmar Marine Engines, the Pro Tour has the support of the following: SeaDoo watercraft, Perfect Pass, Hyperlite, Liquid Force, Gator Boards, CWB, Jobe, Double-up, Blindside, JoyRide, O'Brien, Cassette Wakeskates, 484 Wakeskates, Billabong, Reef, Body Glove, UGP, Epiphone Guitars, OJ Props, Chipper Beef Jerky, Bare Wetsuits, buywake.com, Love Sac, Capix Helmets, Indo Boards, Straight Line, Nevin, ten-80, Toyo Tires, KMC Wheels, Verizon Wireless, Execute, Wakeworld, Wakeboarder, Monster Tower, Say I Won't and One Percent Design.

 ColoradoRiverInfo.com / News