Unique Showdown in E-Town; Clifford & Derome Take Wins

Elizabethtown, Ky. – Fans lined the shores of Freeman Lake Park today to catch the final rounds of action at the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour stop in Elizabethtown, Ky. Riders in the Pro Men and Jr. Pro Men’s division spent the day battling it out on the water behind the MasterCraft X-Star in hopes of winning the third stop of the 2010 season.

The pros kicked off the day with their quarterfinals, where 20 riders hit the water in five heats of four to battle for a spot in the semifinal round. Only the top two pros from each heat advanced, cutting the field of competition in half and creating some massive upsets in the process. Top-seeded riders Rusty Malinoski (#2), Austin Hair (#4) and Danny Harf (#5) all failed to advance past the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, all eyes were on Bryan Hutton to see if the Kentucky native would advance to the Pro Men finals on his hometown waters, but fell short, placing fourth in his heat. Only the top three riders from each of the two heats advanced onto the six-man final.

The last round of action pinned Keith Lyman, Kyle Rattray, Jimmy LaRiche, Harley Clifford, Bob and Phillip Soven against each other for one of the most unique finals in history. Not only did today’s finals pin two brother against each, but half the finalists were making their first-ever appearance in a Pro Tour final.

“This has to be one of the most interesting finals I’ve ever seen,” said veteran pro rider Andrew Adkison. “I’ve probably competed in 15 pro contests a year, for nearly the past 10 years, and this is the most intense final I’ve watched in a long time.”

All eyes were on Phillip Soven, the top-seeded rider of the contest and 2009 Elizabethtown Tour stop winner, but 16-year-old Aussie phenom Harley Clifford stole the show and won the event. Clifford’s impressive Nose Grab Back Mobe 540 and massive Heelside 900 elevated the defending Pro Tour titlist to the top of the contest podium. Phillip and Bob Soven rounded out the podium, respectively.

“I didn’t do so well at the last Tour stop, so I knew I needed to step up at this contest,” said Clifford. “It was an intense final for sure, but I laid down my run and took the win. I’m stoked!”

Clifford now sits in second place overall in the standings at 260 points, while Phillip Soven remains in the lead with 270 points.

Following the Pro Men’s finals today, the Pro Tour went right into the Indmar Double Up contest, where the Trevor Hansen was declared the winner after sticking his Double Back Role off the double up.

Next, the Pro Tour hosted its Rockstar Energy Drink Big-Air Challenge, where Aussie Dean Smith took top honors with his massive Hoochie Glide to Backside 360.

Hansen and Smith each took home $1,000 for winning their respective events.

In the Jr. Pro Men’s division, 10 top amateur rippers hit the water in two heats of five for their semifinal round of action. With only the top two riders from each heat advancing, the field of riders was quickly narrowed down to Steel Lafferty, Daniel Powers, Raphael Derome and current Tour leader Nick Galotifore for the four-man final.

All four rippers laid down some serious runs, but Derome’s Heel 9 off the double up helped the Quebec native rise above the competition to win his first Jr. Pro Tour stop. Lafferty and Galotifore rounded out the Jr. Pro Men’s podium, respectively.

“It’s awesome!” said Derome. “You work hard, plan out your run and to see it all pay off just feels great.”

Derome’s win now places him fourth overall in the standings with 213 points. Nick Galotifore remains the Tour leader with 280 points.

With Elizabethtown all wrapped up, the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour now heads to Colorado Springs, Colo., on July 23 & 24, for the fourth stop of 2010 season. Additional venues for the Pro Tour include Knoxville, Tenn., Acworth, Ga. and Fort Worth, Tex.

To catch all the high-flying, rail-sliding, water-sports action of the Elizabethtown Pro Tour stop on television, tune in to FUEL TV on Aug. 17 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.

Saturday, June 19 – Final Results:

Pro Men
Final: Heat #1
1. Harley Clifford          90.00
2. Phillip Soven              85.83
3. Bob Soven                  82.67
4. Kyle Rattray               78.33
5. Jimmy LaRiche           70.00
6. Keith Lyman               56.67

Jr. Pro Men
Final: Heat #1
1. Raphael Derome       91.50
2. Steel Lafferty              90.75
3. Nick Galotifore           80.00
4. Daniel Powers            77.75

Pro Men
Semifinal: Heat #1
1. Bob Soven                   80.00
2. Jimmy LaRiche         71.67
3. Harley Clifford          65.00
4. Adam Errington         58.33
5. Chad Sharpe               51.56

Pro Men
Semifinal: Heat #2
1. Phillip Soven             88.33
2. Kyle Rattray              76.67
3. Keith Lyman              66.67
4. Bryan Hutton             60.00
5. Shaun Murray            51.67

Jr. Pro Men
Semifinal: Heat #1
1. Daniel Powers           89.75
2. Steel Lafferty            89.00
3. Jacob Valdez               77.75
4. Freddie Wayne          73.00
5. Kyle Evans                 70.50

Jr. Pro Men
Semifinal: Heat #2
1. Raphael Derome       93.00
2. Nick Galotifore         83.75
3. Ryleigh Pfitzner          82.75
4. Hunter Stich               71.75
5. Keenan Allen             68.75

Pro Men
Quarterfinal: Heat #1
1. Bryan Hutton             75.00
2. Adam Errington        60.00
3. Olivier Derome           55.00
4. Erik Ruck                     50.00

Pro Men
Quarterfinal: Heat #2
1. Kyle Rattray              73.33
2. Jimmy LaRiche         66.67
3. Andrew Adkison       60.00
4. Shawn Watson          48.33

Pro Men
Quarterfinal: Heat #3
1. Chad Sharpe              71.67
2. Shaun Murray           63.33
3. Austin Hair                 54.00
4. Phillip Aslinger          50.00

Pro Men
Quarterfinal: Heat #4
1. Harley Clifford          86.67
2. Bob Soven                   78.33
3. Sam Thomson            58.33
4. Danny Harf                 30.00

Pro Men
Quarterfinal: Heat #5
1. Phillip Soven             80.00
2. Keith Lyman              70.00
3. Dean Smith                 60.00
4. Rusty Malinoski        50.00