PWT Action Continues in Acworth Despite Rain Delay: No Pain, No Gain for Adkison

Acworth, Ga. – Despite an hour-long rain delay today, the action continued in Acworth, as the top wakeboarders in the world hit the waters of Lake Allatoona at Dallas Landing Park for day two of the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour. Day two featured the Jr. Pro Men’s division competing in their quarterfinals, while the pros took to the water for their Round of 40, all to advance onto tomorrow’s final rounds of action.

In the Round of 40, the 24 riders from yesterday’s pro qualifiers competed with the top-16 ranked riders on tour in 10 heats of four for a spot in tomorrow’s quarterfinals. By the end of the day, the field of riders was cut in half from 40 to 20, as only the top-two riders from each heat advanced.

Among the 20 riders advancing from the Round of 40 is two-time world champion Andrew Adkison, who competed today with an injury. Adkison, who won the Acworth Pro Tour stop in 2006, suffered a slight hairline fracture in his left radius two days ago and was originally unsure if he would be able to compete at the event.

“The X-ray hadn’t come back yet, so I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to compete in Acworth, said Adkison. “Once my doctor cleared me to ride, I knew had to be here to compete.”

While Adksion said his injury limited his riding today, it didn’t stop him from taking first place in heat and earning a spot in tomorrow’s quarterfinals.

“I had a decent run today, but I had to mellow out at the end of it,” Adkison commented on his performance. “I really started feeling the pain on my out of course Heel 7 and after my batwing. We’ll just have to see what tomorrow brings.”

Adkison and the 19 other quarterfinalists will kick off tomorrow’s festivities at 12 noon.

In the Jr. Pro Men’s division, 24 amateur rippers hit the water today for their quarterfinal round of action in Acworth. Only the top two riders from each of the five quarterfinal heats advanced onto tomorrow’s semifinals, sending more than half of competition home.

Among the 10 riders advancing from today’s quarterfinals is birthday boy Freddie Wayne, who celebrated his 16th birthday on Friday, May 20. Wayne entered the quarterfinals as the third seed in his heat, but rode away with a near-perfect score of 98.50 out of a possible 100 points to pace his division.

Wayne and the rest of the Jr. Pro Men riders will take to the water for their semifinals tomorrow at 2 p.m., following the pro men.

The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour will wrap up in Acworth tomorrow, Saturday, May 22 with riding from 12 noon to 8 p.m. After the contest is over, the riders will head to downtown Acworth off of Main Street for the award ceremony and block party.

In addition to all the action on the water; on land, fans will enjoy plenty of great food; athlete autograph signings; chances to win freebies; and shopping at the most cutting-edge stores for water-sports equipment including boats, wakeboards, wakeskates, sunglasses and the latest in wakeboarding and surfing fashions.

Also be sure to pick up your share of $10,000 in free gift cards from the Overton’s booth. As the official water-sports retailer of the King of Wake series, fans can also register to win a $500 Overton’s catalog shopping spree.

Tickets to the event can be purchased at the gate for $10 (general admission), $5 (ages 6-12) or free (ages 5 and under).

To catch all the high-flying, rail-sliding, water-sports action of the Acworth Pro Tour stop on television, tune in to FUEL TV on July 20 at 8 p.m. EST.

The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour is organized by World Sports & Marketing of Orlando, Fla., and has the support of the following sponsors: MasterCraft, Rockstar Energy Drink, Overton’s, Indmar, Peavey, Mona Vie, Billabong, Hyperlite, CWB, Ronix, Liquid Force, Byerly, Oakley, Sayiwon’t, Epiphone, WakeBoarding magazine, FUEL TV and Allisports.com.

About MasterCraft
MasterCraft is the exclusive tow boat for the Pro Wakeboard Tour, as it has been since the tour’s wakeboarding events began in 1992. Indmar Marine engines will provide the power for MasterCraft’s X Series line of competition tow boats.

About ROCKSTAR
ROCKSTAR is the world’s most powerful energy drink. Enhanced with the potent herbal blend of Guarana, Ginkgo, Ginseng and Milk Thistle, ROCKSTAR is formulated to provide an incredible energy boost for those who lead active and exhausting lifestyles – from athletes to rock stars. ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK is available in thirteen amazing flavors: Original, Sugar Free, Zero Carb, Juiced Mango Orange Passion Fruit, Juiced Guava, Juiced Pomegranate, Tropical Punched, Punched Citrus, Roasted Mocha, Roasted Latte, Roasted Light Vanilla, Cola, and Recovery. ROCKSTAR ENERGY SHOTS are available in Wild Berry and Tropical Punch flavors. ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK is available at convenience and grocery retail outlets across the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Spain, The Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, and throughout the United Kingdom.

About FUEL TV
FUEL TV is the action sports lifestyle network for skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, BMX, motocross, and wakeboarding. Through its original and commissioned series and specials, short-form content, films, and prestigious event coverage, the channel features action sports athletes, emerging musicians, celebrities, and breaking news. FUEL TV was launched July 1, 2003 and is seen in more than 30 million U.S. homes. FUEL TV has networks in Australia (FUEL TV Australia) and Portugal (FUEL TV Portugal) and its content is viewed in more than 50 countries around the world.

Friday, May 21 – Day 2 PWT Results:

Pro Men – Round of 40: Heat #1
1. Adam Errington        70.00
2. Erik Ruck                  60.00
3. Trevor Hansen           55.00
4. Marcelo Giardi            43.33

Pro Men – Round of 40: Heat #2
1. Austin Hair                70.00
2. Phillip Aslinger        56.67
3. Zane Schwenk            50.00
4. Dean Smith                 43.33

Pro Men – Round of 40: Heat #3
1. Jim LaRiche              80.00
2. Shawn Watson           70.00
3. Jimmy Trask                66.67
4. Joey Bradley               40.00

Pro Men – Round of 40: Heat #4
1. Danny Harf                 83.33
2. Josh Palma                 70.00
3. Alex Brown                 50.00
4. Bryan Hutton             45.00

Pro Men – Round of 40: Heat #5
1. Chad Sharpe              71.67
2. Danny Thollander     63.33
3. Olivier Derome           58.33
4. Anthony Hollick        41.67

Pro Men – Round of 40: Heat #6
1. Rusty Malinoski       83.33
2. JD Webb                     75.00
3. Bob Soven                  70.00
4. Jason Bannatyne       46.67

Pro Men – Round of 40: Heat #7
1. Andrew Adkison       76.67
2. Danny Burnstein      56.67
3. Sam Thomson            48.33
4. Brett Lee                      33.33

Pro Men – Round of 40: Heat #8
1. Phillip Soven              75.00
2. Kyle Rattray               63.33
3. Andrew Shearer         45.00
4. Tony Carroll               30.00

Pro Men – Round of 40: Heat #9
1. Shaun Murray           65.00
2. Aaron Rathy               60.00
3. Kirby Liesmann          51.67
4. Glenn Valentine          40.00

Pro Men – Round of 40: Heat #10
1. Harley Clifford          81.67
2. Nick Jones                 75.00
3. Lewis Link                   60.00
4. Brad Spencer              55.00
5. James Hindes             51.67

Jr. Pro Men – Quarterfinals: Heat #1
1. Nick Galotifore         91.50
2. John Jeffries             88.25
3. Hunter Stich               81.25
4. Gus Shuler                  69.25
5. Cody Hesse                55.25
6. Joey Buss                   45.75

Jr. Pro Men – Quarterfinals: Heat #2
1. Freddie Wayne          98.50
2. Pierce Homsey          83.25
3. Aaron Abel                 80.75
4. Johnny Tobaben       77.50

Jr. Pro Men – Quarterfinals: Heat #3
1. Kyle Evans                  94.25
2. Ryleigh Pfitzner       86.75
3. Jarrod Askew             83.00
4. Bennett Spartz            65.75
5. Taylor Kress               61.25

Jr. Pro Men – Quarterfinals: Heat #4
1. Daniel Powers           95.75
2. Josh Twelker             86.25
3. Julian Cohen               83.75
4. Michael Dowdy         74.25

Jr. Pro Men – Quarterfinals: Heat #5
1. Steel Lafferty             91.75
2. Raphael Derome        89.75
3. Keenan Allen             84.00
4. Gunnar Shuler            67.75
5. Aaron Brown              66.75