Colorado River News

Portland Pro Wakeboard Tour Stop to be
the Most Important Event of 2005

Portland, OR – Developments at the most recent MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour event in Kelowna, BC June 9-10 have set the stage to make the Pro Wakeboard Tour’s final stop of 2005 in Portland, Oregon July 30-31 the most important event of the year.

All of the points races for Pro Wakeboard Tour season championships are still up for grabs and local Oregon riders will have a say in the final outcome of at least two season-ending championships.

Portland’s Blue Lake Park will host all the action on July 30-31. Fans attending the event will be able to cheer on two hometown heroes. Philip Combs of Salem, OR is currently in a tie for first place in the MasterCraft Junior X Series. Combs and Canadian Aaron Rathy both have 335 points in the Indmar Junior X Standings. The outcome of the Portland Pro Tour stop will determine which rider will earn the season championship and the honor of the best amateur men’s rider in the world.

Combs will not be the only hometown hero with a chance to be recognized as the top performer in his sport. Portland native Colin Wright can lay claim to the title as the world’s top wakeskater by winning the SeaDoo watercraft Pro Wakeskate Series crown. Wright has accumulated 300 points through four events, good enough for fourth place in the standings. He will need to win the Portland stop to overtake the SeaDoo leader, Brandon Thomas who has 380 points on the season.

While the SeaDoo Wakeskate and MasterCraft Junior X series championships will have the most local attention, the most anticipated event of the weekend will be the Pro Men’s competition where eight athletes are still in the running for the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour Season Championship and the $5,000 Indmar Performance Award.

Australian Josh Sanders is currently leading in the Indmar Pro Men’s standings with 350 points. Right behind Sanders is fellow Aussie Daniel Watkins with 340 points. In a tie for third place Phillip Soven and Chad Sharpe both have 310 points. Rounding out the top five is another Aussie, Brett Eisenhauer with 300 points.

Four of the top five places in the race for the 2005 Pro Men’s Pro Wakeboard Tour Championship are occupied by riders born outside the United States, three Australians and Sharpe, a Canadian. Only Soven is from the United States. In the 13-year history of the Pro Wakeboard Board, no foreign-born rider has ever won a Pro Tour Season title, but it looks like 2005 will change that trend.

The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour 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, Verizon Wireless, Perfect Pass, Hyperlite, Infinity Marine Audio, Toyo Tires, KMC Wheels, Liquid Force, Gator Boards, CWB, J - Star, O'Brien, Double-up, Billabong, Oakley, Reef, Body Glove, UGP, Epiphone Guitars, , buywake.com, Love Sac, Capix Helmets, Indo Boards, Execute, Mikker.com, Wakeworld.com, Wakeboarder.com, Monster Towers, Say I Won't, Ten-80 and One Percent Design.

Wake Boarding, published by World Publications, is the official magazine of the Pro Wakeboard Tour. Wake Boarding is the definitive source on all things wakeboarding, with expert coverage of professional instruction, gear, boats and the latest news.