Boarder Pass Event Wrap-Up
Another extremely hot weekend passed through southern Ontario and so did the first cable wakeboard contest of the year.
The bi-annual event, Sarnia’s WAKE-up Call took place at Boarder Pass in the Sarnia Bay Marina on July 30th and it was a contest to remember. This was the fourth year for the event and the second year behind the Sesitec System 2.0. It is the first time that the day began with bright sunny skies and ended with them as well. Rockstar Energy drinks were on hand to keep everyone refreshed. Riders came from all over Ontario to represent the riding that this province has to offer, from Haliburton, Barrie, Port Dover and more, the competition was fierce and you could tell that everyone came to give it what they got. The majority of the riders showed up the day before to get their practice sets in and learn the rails. It’s great to see the enthusiasm of all the riders and is always nice to bring everyone together.
The amateur division saw a lot of local riding which consisted of 10 riders, and one being our only female (Kate Gardner). This division was limited to only be allowed to hit the incline and the kicker but our division winner (Cory McWaters) knew his first run was so good that on his second run he decided to throw it out and ollie on the flatbar for his first time and it was a successful hit.
The top 3 riders in this division were; 1 Cory McWaters, 2. Thomas Robertson, 3. Logan Mossier and all three of these riders are a part of the Boarder Pass summer school program and under the age of 13.
The intermediate division was second to hit the water and they put on a great show for everyone that was there. In total, there were 12 riders in this division and they hit the water with aggression. Each rider was hitting their “banger” tricks and making the most of the park. Boarder Pass consists of a Dragon incline rail, the 50ft Metab flatbar, Fox Rooftop and a kicker and these guys made them all noticed. The local riders dominated this division as Grant Goosens from Sarnia was 1st, Kirby Kostuk of London was 2nd and Cole Dillon of Sarnia was 3rd.
The next two divisions were two of the hardest divisions to have to judge. There was a battle for the podium in each and the judges had some big time decisions to be made based on riders’ use of the park and their consistency/use of their tricks.
Wakeskate division was first and had six solid riders. As always, if the wakeskaters are throwing down then it is very entertaining and a huge crowd pleaser and let me be the first to say, the wakeskaters were throwing down! Vince Whiteman’s first run of the day was one of the best and most stand up runs that I have seen him do in the 6 or so years that I have seen him ride. He had some tough competition to follow however as last year’s dual event winner, Jordan Sullivan had made his way back for his third event to defend his title. Along with Jordan and Vince, there was Metab team rider Tommy Bailey, winchmaster Braden Ioi, and two local riders DJ Oetting and Jesse Sibbald. Vince Whiteman continued his hot streak that day and took home the title and new WAKE-up Call wakeskate champion, second place was Jordan Sullivan and in a close third was Tommy Bailey. Metab was holding a best trick contest during the day and DJ Oetting took home that title as he stomped a massive shuv it off of the kicker with a smooth landing.
Last but not least, was the open wakeboarding division. These guys were riding harder than I have ever seen at the park. We would see at least one or two air tricks along with two obstacle hits per pass making it action you do not want to blink for. This was an absolute showcase of talent. There were a total of 16 riders that came out to try and gain the WAKE-up Call wakeboard title. For the first time, we had both of last year’s winners on the dock together, Christian Primrose and Dylan Rivait – both big time high flyers and they did not disappoint. Along with Dylan, was his twin brother Chad Rivait and the division also welcomed back last year’s third place rider and Metab team rider Chris Sinkic, the “greasy” Erieau crew brought down a team to shred and Boarder Pass itself had a team of representatives including its very own, co-owner Tim Nixon, Liquid Force kiteboarder Craig Cunningham and Cody Sullivan. This was a huge step for Cody as last year he competed in the amateur division. Christian Primrose dominated the rails in the park like he had been riding here all summer. Craig Cunningham was tossing every air trick in the book, and if that was not enough he would land them blind or do them switch and still have time for a rail or kicker. In the end, Craig’s solid performance earned him his first WAKE-up Call title and a great introduction to the wakeboarding scene with Christian Primrose in a tight 2nd and in 3rd, with a stand-up/textbook run all day long, was Tim Nixon.
It was another successful event that helped to spread the word of cable wakeboarding in Ontario. It was very unique to see and listen to the reactions on the dock of some of the cable riding that was going down. Some air tricks that people were throwing are tricks that these riders work on for years to land behind a boat. Riders that had been riding for multiple years were asking new cable wakeboarders how to land certain tricks on the cable. It is a great time to be a part of the wakeboarding world and it remarkable to see how quickly it is evolving. If every wakeboard scene is as tight as we are here in Ontario, then this sport has a healthy future ahead. Cheers to everyone that makes a day on the water possible, whether it is behind cable or boat this wakeboard world is a great feeling to be a part of. It brings a smile to my face each and every day, it’s an addiction…but a positive one and I am proud and honoured to be a part of it.
Boarder Pass would like to thank it’s park sponsors: Fox, Dragon, Liquid Force, Reef, Rockstar, Metab, Sesitec, Boarder Town, Sarnia Bay Marina, Dave Sandford Photography and Playstation 3.
