McCullough Captures Fourth Consecutive Title as Nautique WWA Nationals Wrap Up 11 Divisions

Minneapolis, Minn. – The quest to become the best wakeboarder in the United States ended for some today, as the 2011 Nautique WWA Wakeboard National Championships, presented by Rockstar Energy Drink wrapped up 11 of its 23 divisions. The top wakeboarding talent in the country gathered today on the banks of the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis to vie for their respective division’s national title.

Among the 11 champions crowned today was 13-year-old Taylor McCullough, who claimed her fourth consecutive national title in the Girls division – the second highest amount of repeated wins, of any division, at the Nautique WWA Nationals. The only other rider to win more consecutive national titles is legendary female pro wakeboarder Dallas Friday, with five straight wins.

“It’s pretty cool to win four contests in row like that; not many people can do that,” said McCullough. “It’s fun to be pushed by the other girls to be a better rider and to win.”

Despite choppy water conditions and a fall during an attempted Heelside 540, the Centralia, Ill. native posted a score of 78.33 to best Shelby King and Sofia Dinatale in the three-woman final.

McCullough attributes her near record-breaking win today to her coach Mike Ferraro.

“I’ve been riding everyday and training with Mike Ferraro,” said McCullough. “It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s cool to see it pay off.”

Coincidently, Ferraro has also coached national title record-holder Dallas Friday.

McCullough, along with the other 10 national titlists, will now represent the United States at the 2011 WWA World Championships next month.

The Nautique WWA Nationals will continue tomorrow, July 29, beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m.

The 2011 Nautique WWA Wakeboard National Championships, presented by Rockstar Energy Drink is free to the public during all five days of competition. For those who cannot attend the event in person, just “like” the King of Wake’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/kingofwake) to watch all the live streaming footage.

The 2011 Nautique WWA Nationals will also air on the VERSUS television network at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

For more information on the Nautique WWA Nationals, visit www.kingofwake.com .

The Nautique WWA Wakeboard National Championships, presented by Rockstar Energy Drink is organized by World Sports & Marketing of Orlando, Fla., and has the support of the following sponsors: Correct Craft, Rockstar Energy Drink, Overton’s, Peavey, MonaVie, FOX, Hyperlite, CWB, Ronix, Liquid Force, Byerly, Oakley, Sayiwon’t and YOUR MOM magazine.

About Nautique
The Nautique by Correct Craft is the exclusive tow boat of the WWA Nationals. Celebrating 86 years of excellence in the marine industry, Correct Craft Inc. is the producer of the Nautique line of boats. The manufacturer of Nautique is known for delivering superior quality product, cutting-edge technology and exceptional service experiences.

About Rockstar Energy Drink
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 eighteen 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, Recovery Lemonade, Recovery Orange, Recovery Grape, Pink, and 2X. 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, Greece, Mexico, the Philippines and throughout the United Kingdom.  Go to www.rockstar69.com or www.facebook.com/rockstar for athlete and event updates, videos, profiles, and product information.

About WWA
The WWA Wakeboard World Championships is the solely owned property of the World Wakeboard Association (WWA). The WWA also owns and operates the WWA Wakeboard Nationals, WWA Wakeboard World Series, WWA Wake Park World Series, WWA Wake Park Triple Crown and WWA Wake Park Nationals. With 27 affiliate countries worldwide, the WWA is the global leader in the sport of wake. The WWA is a rider-formed organization dedicated to promoting and growing wake sports worldwide. It is the leading source for riders, event organizers and competitive standards. For more information on the WWA and its events, check out www.thewwa.com.

About King of Wake
The King of Wake is the world’s elite pro wakeboarding series, attracting the sport’s top athletes from across 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 2011 series consists of the Wake Games, the WWA National Championships, the WWA 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, July 28 – Day 2 of 5 Results:

Amateur Women Division
Final Round – Heat #1
1    Brooke Grassman         75.00
2    Abby Delgoffe                 66.67
3    Leah Gibney                    38.33

Girls Division
Final Round – Heat #1
1    Taylor McCullough       78.33
2    Shelby King                     60.00
3    Sofia Dinatale                  45.00

Adaptive Standing Division
Final Round – Heat #1
1    Billy Tonis                     65.00
2    Mike Schultz                   46.67
3    Mike Krohn                    26.67

Amateur Wakeskate Division
Final Round – Heat #1
1    Michael Roeder            76.67
2    Jim Branton                     75.00
3    Craig Buss                       66.67
4    Austin Polterock              48.33

Masters Women Division
Final Round – Heat #1
1    Joy Manning                 76.67

Veteran Women Division
Final Round – Heat #1
1    Allison Blaha                 68.33
2    Kat Laird                        61.67
3    Susan Sheehan                46.67
4    Paula Fay                        33.33

Men’s I Division
Final Round – Heat #1
1    Taylor Kress                 85.00
2    Will Green                       81.67
3    John Zdeblick                  68.33
4    Tyler Heinz                      40.00

Men’s II Division
Final Round – Heat #1
1    Rob Corum                    61.67
2    Chad Warren                  48.33
3    Brad Gearhart                 35.00

Masters Division
Final Round – Heat #1
1    Tim Nilsen                     66.67
2    Mike Vanpatten               55.00
3    Kevin Michael                 43.33
4    Steve Jones                     25.33

Veterans Division
Final Round – Heat #1
1    Matthew Vermillion      50.00
2    Billy Garcia                      45.67
3    Mark Norwell                 41.67

Jr. Men Division
Final Round – Heat #1
1    Noah Flegel                   78.33
2    Tim Burnier                     51.67
3    Jordan Gensler                46.67
4    Nick Vaccari                   36.67
5    Justin Lee                        34.33
6    David Foreman                21.67

Pro Veteran Division
Semifinal Round – Heat #1
1    Perry Richmond            66.67

Jr. Boys Beginner Division
Semifinal Round – Heat #1
1    Kevin Duffy                   71.67
2    Andrew Scheafer           61.67
3    Thomas Herman           51.67
4    Ryan O’Toole               46.67
5    Peyton Bristow                36.67
6    Kai Stidham                    26.67

Jr. Boys Division
Semifinal Round – Heat #1
1    Kade Kasey                  43.33
2    Tyler Worrall                36.67
3    Carter Mathter             30.00
4    Helden Hein                    23.33
5    Benjamin brown              20.83
6    Hunter Henderson           16.67

Jr. Pro Men Division
Quarterfinal Round – Heat #1
1    Jacob Valdez                 78.33
2    Kyler Green                  68.33
3    Paulie Koch                     58.33
4    Gus Shuler                       46.67

Jr. Pro Men Division
Quarterfinal Round – Heat #2
1    Kyle Evans                    75.00
2    Joshua Twelker             70.00
3    Parker Siegele                 60.00
4    Trey Romine                    40.00

Jr. Pro Men Division
Quarterfinal Round – Heat #3
1    Gordon Harrison           73.33
2    Pierce Homsey              63.33
3    Gunner Daft                     48.33

Jr. Pro Men Division
Quarterfinal Round – Heat #4
1    Mike Dowdy                 78.33
2    Tony Iacconi                  66.67
3    Joey Buss                        48.33
4    Gunnar Shuler                  30.00

Jr. Pro Men Division
Quarterfinal Round – Heat #5
1    Freddie Wayne              71.67
2    Robbie Houlihan           61.67
3    Keean Allan                    48.33

Jr. Pro Men Division
Quarterfinal Round – Heat #6
1    Shota Tezuka                71.67
2    Daniel Powers               70.00
3    Morgan Pedersen            55.00