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Gold:
Viewed by many as a dark horse going into the Real Wake contest, Chris Abadie and Andrew Adams – members of the infamous Shredtown group – blew minds with their 90-second section and ended up taking home the gold medal. Shredtown are the reigning Alliance Wake Rider(s) of the Year, and Chris and Andrew’s X Games win further cements that selection and their place in the pantheon of wakeboarding, and the threesome that is Shredtown worked together to make Chris’ section as good as it possibly could be. From hours upon hours of hitting winch spots (and often times getting kicked out) to dissecting the footage and finding a killer song, some serious blood, sweat, and tears went into the making of Chris’ part. Winching might be the least utilized form of riding a wakeboard amongst the masses, but it is quickly becoming one of the most venerated. Congrats to Chris and Andrew for not only winning Real Wake gold, but for pushing wakeboarding to entirely new places in the process.

Silver:
Raph Derome is regarded by fans and fellow pros alike as the best all-around rider in the world. He showed why with his section in the Real Wake contest, for which he ended up taking the silver. Whether it is the hardest tricks behind the boat, unbelievably creative lines in a park, or totally unique winch spots, Raph has the ability to do it all and with a style that seems effortless.

Bronze:
Aaron Rathy has made a career out of constantly adapting and progressing his riding. That approach shows through in what can only be described as one of the gnarlier sections of the Real Wake contest. From a massive land gap to kick things off, to huge wrapped tricks off the double up, to some of the biggest park lines, Rathy did it all in his 90 seconds and was more than deserving of the bronze medal.

Be on the look out for a full review of X Games Real Wake in the Oct/Nov issue of Alliance Wake Magazine.