Pleasant Prairie, WI — The largest wakeboarding event in the world returns to Wisconsin for a second straight year. More than 300 of the best riders in America will compete at the Air Nautique WWA Wakeboard National Championship in Pleasant Prairie, just outside of Milwaukee, August 23-27.

On Lake Andrea riders will try to capture one of the top honors in wakeboarding, the U.S. National Championship. The results from the Nationals also decide who will be on Team USA for the 2006 Worlds.

The spotlight event of the five-day competition is the pro division held on the weekend. Danny Harf, who won his second national title on this same lake last year, is the hottest rider on the pro circuit this year. From Orlando, Florida, Harf just won his first-ever Pro Tour championship in Reno, Nevada, last month. His riding combines athleticism with style, and he excels at maneuvers off the wake and sliders.

Others to watch in Wisconsin include current King of Wake leader Andrew Adkison. King of Wake is a point chase based on all the major competitions in the world, to determine who the true number-one rider is for the 2006 season. The Nationals is the seventh of nine stops in the series. Another former national champion to watch is Tino Santori. Santori won the title in 2004 and sits right behind Adkison in the King of Wake standings.

A strong contingent of local riders return to their home state for this event. Erik Ruck, a former world champion, grew up in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, just 20 miles from Lake Andrea. Currently 10th in the King of Wake standing, he would love to win a national title in front of his hometown fans.

There’s also local flavor in the pro women’s division. Laura Lohrmann of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, is looking for a big-time performance after finishing fifth on the pro circuit this year — her highest finish ever.

Lohrmann will have to be on her game to beat the two favorites for the women’s title. Dallas Friday has dominated the women’s field over the past three years, winning nearly every time she takes the water. But Emily Copeland Durham has the talent to knock off Friday — beating Friday in a recent final — so expect the two to vie for the top spot. Amateurs will also compete for titles at Nationals, and the hottest new sport on the water, wakeskating (like skateboarding on water), will be on display.

The Air Nautique by Correct Craft is the exclusive tow boat of the WWA Nationals. Celebrating more than 80 years of excellence in the marine industry, Correct Craft is a family-owned manufacturer of internationally acclaimed competition-caliber water-ski and wakeboard boats as well as boats for recreational enjoyment. Correct Craft Inc. is known for superior-quality products, cutting-edge technology and innovative hull designs.