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A NEW SLALOM RECORD AND FIVE NEW MASTERS CHAMPIONS CONCLUDES THE 54TH MASTERS WATER SKI & WAKEBOARD TOURNAMENT

Pine Mountain, GA (May 26, 2013) – The 54th Masters Water Ski & Wakeboard Tournament® at Callaway Gardens brought five new Masters Champions including Women’s Trick champion Iris Cambray, Men’s Trick champion Aliasksei Zharnasek, Women’s Jump champion Jacinta Carroll, Wakeskate champion Brian Grubb and Women’s Wakeboard champion Raimi Merritt plus a new course record in Women’s Slalom pulled by the Ski Nautique 200.

In Women’s events, defending Women’s Slalom champion, Regina Jaquess broke the course record for the second year in a row, resetting it to 3@39-off claiming another Masters title followed by Team Nautique skier Whitney McClintock and Karen Truelove. In Tricks, Iris Cambray earned her first Masters championship with a score of 9,340 points with Team Nautique athlete Clementine Lucine and Erika Lang rounding out the podium. Ski Force Australia’s Jacinta Carroll jumped 178 feet in hopes of setting a new course record but was just shy, earning her first coveted Masters title followed by Marion Mathieu and Jutta Lammi.

In the Men’s disciplines, Aliaksei Zharnasek from Belarus tricked 11,520 points earning his first Masters Trick title. Will Asher ran 2@41-off earning another Masters Slalom title followed by Team Nautique athlete Nate Smith and Aaron Larkin. Defending Masters Champion Ryan Dodd who was last off the dock was no match for Freddy Krueger who jumped 231 feet adding another Masters Jump title.

Congratulations to Junior Masters slalom competitor Dorian Llewellyn who competed in the O’Brien head-to-head exhibition against Jonah Shaffer, earning a scholarship.

During the Wakeskate finals, Brian Grubb destroyed it behind the Super Air Nautique 210 and rode really clean. Grubb was determined and focused, his tricks included a late toeside, frontside shove it, and frontside big spin claiming his first Masters championship followed by James Balzer, Danny Hampson, and Grant Roberts.

The Women’s wakeboarding finals was insane, everyone rode really well, but it was Team Nautique rider Raimi Merritt who prevailed with two stand up passes with a massive roll to blind to seal the deal, earning her first coveted Masters title followed by Amber Wing, Dallas Friday and Tarah Mikacich respectively.

In the Men’s wakeboard finals, Mike Dowdy came out swinging for the fences and knew what it would take to win with an insane first pass and attempted a switch mute double roll to revert, but fell finishing fourth. Phil Soven with determination in his eye but unfortunately cased his first trick and did not execute the rest of his run to the fullest which placed him third. Harley Clifford put together the most technically difficult pass in the contest; however, Clifford fell short on execution and ended up being edged out by Rusty Malinoski, who rode large and in charge with massive tricks such as a melon heel 5, backside 7 and array of grabbed mobes and spins earning his second Masters championship.

For complete up-to-date scores of the 54th Masters, please visit www.masterswaterski.com/standings/.

An invitation to compete in the Masters is universally considered an acknowledgement of achievement for reaching the pinnacle in a given watersports discipline – only the world’s most elite athletes compete at the Masters. This tournament is IWWF/USA Water Ski and WWA sanctioned.

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