Team LaRiche Wins Air Nautique Wake Games: Clifford, Friday and Hansen Claim Pro Titles

Orlando, Fla. – Fans lined the shores of the Orlando Watersports Complex today to catch the final rounds of action at the 2010 Air Nautique Wake Games, presented by ROCKSTAR. With nine divisions already wrapped-up, the 10 remaining groups of riders hit the water today to vie for individual division trophies and points toward the team challenge.

All 10 teams came into the final day of competition with base points from yesterday’s nine division finals, with Team Adkison and Team Harf tied for first place. But with big finishes in today’s finals, Team LaRiche came from behind to win the Air Nautique Wake Games team challenge.

Team LaRiche finished the contest with 757 points and the most first-place finishes with four. The winning team consisted of Dallas Friday, Hunter Hanson, Tyler Heinz, Brandon Thomas, Jefferson Langley, Danny Thollander, Alyssa Rokita, Ryan Harris, Aaron Abel and captain Jimmy LaRiche.

LaRiche advanced to today’s Pro Men’s finals, but was no mach for Australian young gun, Harley Clifford. Clifford took first place in the five-man final, with rookie Bob Soven taking second and JD Webb in third. LaRiche finished in fifth.

Orlando local, Dallas Friday, successfully defended her title at the Air Nautique Wake Games, finishing in first place in the Pro Women’s finals. Friday faced off in a six-woman final, with Nicola Butler and Amber Wing rounding out the top three, respectively.

In the Pro Wakeskate finals, Brian Grubb tried pulling off the five-peat at the Air Nautique Wake Games, but world champion shredder, Reed Hansen, pulled off the upset to claim his first title at the Games. Grubb ended up taking third place, with former national champ Stuart Shinn finishing in second place.

To catch all the high-flying, rail-sliding, water-sports action of the 2010 Air Nautique Wake Games, presented by ROCKSTAR on television, tune in to FUEL TV on June 29 at 8 p.m. EST.

The Air Nautique Wake Games, presented by ROCKSTAR is organized by World Sports & Marketing of Orlando, Fla. and has the support of the following sponsors: Correct Craft, Rockstar Energy Drink, Overton’s, Fox, Oakley, Hyperlite, CWB, Ronix, Liquid Force, PCM Marine Engines, FUEL TV and Allisports.com.

About Air Nautique
The Air Nautique by Correct Craft is the exclusive tow boat of the Wake Games. Celebrating 85 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
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.

Sunday, May 2 Results:

Team Score:
Team LaRiche – 757
Team Derome – 729
Team Hansen – 727
Team Soven – 726
Team Errington – 724
Team Malinoski –716
Team Clifford – 714
Team Rathy – 679
Team Harf – 645
Team Adkison – 620

PRO MEN
Finals — Heat #01
1    Harley Clifford        83.33
2    Bob Soven                71.67
3    JD Webb                  63.33
4    Josh Palma                41.67
5    Jim LaRiche              31.67

PRO WOMEN
Finals — Heat #01
1    Dallas Friday         85.00
2    Nicola Butler           80.00
3    Amber Wing            73.00
4    Raimi Merritt           70.00
5    Hayley Smith           55.00
6    Anna Hajek             43.33

PRO WAKESKATE
Finals — Heat #01
1    Reed Hansen         80.00
2    Stuart Shinn             63.33
3    Brian Grubb             60.00
4    Brandon Thomas     33.33

JR. PRO MEN
Finals — Heat #01
1    Raphael Derome   95.00
2    Jacob Valdez           91.00
3    Daniel Powers         82.50
4    Freddie Wayne        71.50

MEN’S 1
Finals — Heat #01
1    Tyler Heinz            48.33
2    John Rodriguez        40.00
3    Lewis Link               25.00
4    Clayton Underwood           16.67

MEN’S 2
Finals — Heat #01
1    Hunter Hanson      63.33
2    Tim Clinton              50.00
3    Jesse Dunbar           40.00

JR. BOYS BEGINNER
Finals — Heat #01
1    Ryan Harris           66.67
2    Tyler Worrall           63.33
3    Hunter Henderson    50.00

JR. BOYS
Finals — Heat #01
1    Mitch Kappler       66.67

BOYS BEGINNER
Finals — Heat #01
1    James Loisel         63.33
2    Merrett Fay             50.00
3    Drew Rokita            33.33

BOYS
Finals — Heat #01
1    Noah Flegel           80.00
2    Robby Holihan         66.67
3    Christian McCullough   50.00
4    Paulie Koch             33.33

PRO MEN
Semifinals — Heat #01
1    Jim LaRiche          76.67
2    Trevor Hansen         68.33
3    Ben Greenwood      53.33
4    Robby Carter          40.00

PRO MEN
Semifinals — Heat #02
1    Josh Palma            65.00
2    Dean Smith              58.33
3    Kyle Rattray            51.67
4    Danny Harf              48.33

PRO MEN
Semifinals — Heat #03
1    JD Webb                76.67
2    Keith Lyman            61.67
3    Olivier Derome        51.67
4    Andrew Adkison     50.00

PRO MEN
Semifinals — Heat #04
1    Bob Soven             73.33
2    Phillip Soven            63.33
3    Rusty Malinoski       53.33
4    Marcelo Giardi        33.33

PRO MEN
Semifinals — Heat #05
1    Harley Clifford      83.33
2    Austin Hair              63.33
3    Sam Carne              60.00
4    Aaron Rathy            41.67