Victoria, Britsh Columbia – January 18th, 2010 – Xcel is proud to announce that 2009 WWA Wakeboard World Champion Aaron Rathy has joined Xcel Canada’s Wakeboard Team after an outstanding 2009 season.

Rathy’s streak kicked off with a win at the Pleasant Prairie Pro Tour Stop, followed with a win at the Knoxville Pro Tour Stop one week later.  Rathy continued the season with strong finishes leading to a second place overall finish in the 2009 Pro Tour.

Rathy’s WWA world title win also clinched the overall title in the “King of the Wake” Series, an eight stop series across America with the top point earner being crowned “King of the Wake”.

Other highlights include a first place finish at the Wakestock WWA tour event – the world’s largest wakeboard festival – and winning “move of the year” and “rider of the year” awards at the 6th annual Wakeboarding Magazine Wakeboard Awards.  Rathy won “move of the year” for landing the first ever wrapped heelside backside 1080.

About Xcel

Founded in 1982, Xcel International, Inc. (Xcel) is a global wetsuit brand distributed throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific Rim. Headquartered on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, Xcel’s core wetsuit business focuses on the cutting edge of material and design development. Xcel’s primary markets include surf, wakeboard, dive, paddle, and sun (UV Performance Gear).

In addition to its North Shore office, Xcel has retail stores on Oahu and a warehouse/repair facility in California. To learn more about Xcel, please visit www.xcelwetsuits.com.