Colorado River News

2005 Tige U.S. Pro-Am Wakeboard Championship Debuts in Marathon, Florida Keys October 21-23

Abilene, Texas (July 1, 2005) -– Tige does it again in 2005, bringing together the world’s top wakeboarders to battle in paradise. For three days beautiful Marathon, the mid-point of the Florida Keys island chain will host 150 of the world’s best pro and amateur wakeboarders in the inaugural Tige U.S. Pro-Am Wakeboard Championships October 21-23.

Look for the world’s best wakeboarders to be on hand including defending WWA U.S. National Champion Tino Santori, 2005 Australian Pro Tour of Wakeboarding Champion Daniel Watkins and 2002 Pro Wakeboard Tour and World Champion Erik Ruck.

This isn’t the first time that Tige Boats, the maker of the world’s most unique multi-sport inboard water ski and wakeboard boats has gone to lengths to find the perfect backdrop for a competition. In 2004 Tige hosted top pro and amateur wakeboarders on the island of Kauai in Hawaii.

“We like to do our part to support competitive wakeboarding,” said Charlie Pigeon, founder of Tige Boats. “But like everything else we do, we like to differentiate our competitions. By taking a traditional wakeboard competition and putting it into a truly unique atmosphere, we hope to separate ourselves from the rest of the pack and make it memorable for the riders.”

Besides changing the location to beautiful Marathon, the heart of the Florida Keys, the Tige U.S. Pro-Am will also change the competition a bit. While Tige’s last event was open to three divisions: pro men and women and junior men, this year’s contest will be open to eight divisions: pro men, pro women, junior men, pro wakeskate, amateur wakeskate, amateur boys, amateur women and an open men’s division.

“Our event in Kauai was a once in a lifetime opportunity, that attracted an elite field,” said Pigeon. “We are hoping to open things up a little more this year, by placing the event in a site that is in a unique island setting, but not too far out of the way. This is a destination we hope families will want to come to compete and enjoy the atmosphere.”

This will be a three-day event with competition beginning on Friday October, 21. Sunday October 23 will be the final day of competition with champions crowned in each division.

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