Texans Advance at Fort Worth Pro Tour Qualifiers

Fort Worth, Texas – The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour made its second stop of the 2010 season today in Fort Worth, TX. The Pro Tour, which runs through Saturday, June 12, on Lake Moser at Texas MasterCraft, kicked off the three-day-long event with qualifying rounds for the Pro Men and Jr. Pro Men divisions.

First off the dock this morning were the pros for their opening round of action, where 36 riders looked to stay afloat on Tour and qualify through to the next round of the contest. Only the top three riders from each of the eight heats advanced, sending 24 pros to tomorrow’s Round of 40, where they will be joined by the top 16 riders on Tour, including Aussie phenom Harley Clifford.

“Qualifiers might only be the first round of the contest, but they’re just as critical as any other part of the event,” said veteran rider Zane Schwenk, who qualified on Tour for his 18th consecutive season. “Everyone wants to make the Tour, so the level of riding is super intense right from the get go. I’m stoked to be able to hang with these guys at 35 years old.”

Among the other pros advancing onto the Round of 40 from today’s qualifiers are Texas natives Joey Bradley and Tom Fooshee.

“I rode really well today and stuck my tricks, but it’s a long contest and there’s a ton of talent here,” said Bradley. “Having the event in my ‘backyard’ is great; I’m very familiar with this lake and feel really comfortable riding here.”

Bradley, 26, of Arlington, placed second in his heat today, while Fooshee, 25, from New Braunfels finished in third, good enough for both Texans to punch their tickets to tomorrow’s Round of 40.

“Keith [Lyman] and Trevor Hansen were both really dialed in today, so finishing behind them in my heat wasn’t so bad,” said Fooshee. “The competition only gets more intense from here, so I definitely need to step up my riding if I want to keep going in this contest.”

Both Texans and the rest of the pros competing in the Round of 40 will hit the water tomorrow, Friday, June 11, from 12:30 to 5 p.m.

In the Jr. Pro Men division, nearly 30 of the top amateur riders hit the water for the Jr. Pro Men qualifiers. Only the top four riders from each of the five heats advanced, narrowing the field of riders down to 20 for tomorrow’s quarterfinals.

Among the 20 quarterfinalists are Canada’s Raphael Derome, Aussie Jarrod Askew and the American Dan Powers, who each laid down a flawless run during their qualifier today.

The Jr. Pro Men’s division will kick off the festivities in Fort Worth tomorrow, with their quarterfinals beginning at 9 a.m.

The Pro Women’s division will also hit the water tomorrow for their opening round, beginning at 11 a.m.

In addition to all the action on the water; on land, there’s 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.

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

The event runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday is free to the public. Saturday’s ticketed event runs from 12 noon to 8 p.m. Tickets to Saturday’s 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 Fort Worth Pro Tour stop on television, tune in to FUEL TV on Aug. 10 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.

About King of Wake
The King of Wake is the world’s elite pro wakeboarding series, attracting the sport’s top athletes from throughout the globe. Over the course of a season, athletes compete for the ultimate wakeboarding crown in a series points race of eight events throughout the United States to see who rules the wake. The 2010 series consists of the Wake Games, the WWA Wakeboard National Championships, the WWA Wakeboard World Championships and all five stops on the Pro Wakeboard Tour. The King of Wake is organized by World Sports & Marketing – the leading wake-events producer since 1988.

Thursday, June 10 – Day 1 Results:

Pro Men
Pre-Qualifying: Heat #1
1. AJ Racinelli               61.67
2. Zane Schwenk           53.33
3. Nick Weinacker       40.00
4.  Alex Brown                 38.33

Pro Men
Pre-Qualifying: Heat #2
1. Bob Soven                   78.33
2. Steven Cahail            48.33
3. Kirby Liesmann        47.33
4. Derek Grasman           41.67

Pro Men
Pre-Qualifying: Heat #3
1. Sam Thomson            61.67
2. Jeff McKee                 60.00
3. Jimmy Trask             53.33
4. Joe Lemburg               40.00

Pro Men
Pre-Qualifying: Heat #4
1. Keith Lyman              75.00
2. Trevor Hansen          68.33
3. Tom Fooshee              60.00
4. Andrew Shearer         40.00

Pro Men
Pre-Qualifying: Heat #5
1. Olivier Derome         75.00
2. Eric Deegan               56.67
3. Alex Scagliotti          46.67
4. Lewis Link                   38.33
5. Brad Spencer              26.67

Pro Men
Pre-Qualifying: Heat #6
1. Dean Smith                70.00
2. Phillip Aslinger        65.00
3. Jason Bannatyne      53.33
4. Dustin O’Ferrall         51.67
5. Terry Bailey                31.67

Pro Men
Pre-Qualifying: Heat #7
1. Bryan Hutton             76.67
2. Nick Jones                 70.00
3. Tony Carroll              63.33
4. Eric Nikstad                51.67
5. James Hindes             48.33

Pro Men
Pre-Qualifying: Heat #8
1. Kyle Rattray              75.00
2. Joey Bradley              68.33
3. Paul Hernaez             58.33
4. Dylan Miller                50.00
5. Anthony Hollick        23.33

Jr. Pro Men
Qualifying: Heat #1
1. Rafael Derome          100.00
2. Ryleigh Pfitzner       80.00
3. Gunnar Shuler          78.00
4. Keenan Allan             69.25
5. Morgan Pederson      62.50
6. Cody Prizer                 60.25

Jr. Pro Men
Qualifying: Heat #2
1. Steele Laferty            98.5
2. JB O’Neill                 77.25
3. Freddie Wayne          77.00
4. Julian Cohen             74.00
5. Cooper Swink             61.25
6. Michael Dowdy         48.25

Jr. Pro Men
Qualifying: Heat #3
1. Kyle Evans                  96.25
2. John Jeffries             78.25
3. Clay Fraley                76.75
4. Bennett Spartz          70.75
5. Joey Buss                   61.75
6. Aaron Abel                 45.00

Jr. Pro Men
Qualifying: Heat #4
1. Dan Powers                100.00
2. Hunter Stich              85.25
3. Pierce Homsey          66.75
4. Gus Shuler                66.00
5. Cody Hesse                58.50
6. Connor Bitton            48.75

Jr. Pro Men
Qualifying: Heat #5
1. Jarrod Askew            100.00
2. Josh Twelker            83.50
3. Nick Galotifore         79.75
4. Aaron Brown             64.00
5. Taylor Kress               63.75