Colorado Springs, Colo. – The top professional wakeboarders from throughout the globe hit the waters of Prospect Lake today for the opening rounds of the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour stop in Colorado Springs. The event, which concludes tomorrow, Saturday, July 24, at Memorial Park, opened with preliminary rounds for the Pro Men and Jr. Pro Men’s divisions.

While many big-name riders were on-site today for the Pro Men’s division qualifying round; all eyes were on the return of former King of Wake and Colorado native Tino Santori, as he made his first Pro Tour appearance in over a year.

“It feels great to back on Tour, competing against these guys,” said Santori. “It’s difficult being away from the Tour, but I’m just stoked to be riding today and in my home state.”

Santori was first off the dock in his four-man heat, going up against Kirby Liesmann, Josh Palma and four-time X Games gold medalist Danny Harf. Santori had a solid run and the support of a hometown crowd, but Palma and Harf proved to be too much for the former two-time national champion, knocking him out of the contest.

“The level of riding is insane here; everyone has stepped up their riding so much,” said Santori. “I didn’t do as well as I hoped for, but I had fun out there and that’s all I can ask for.”

Palma and Harf advance to tomorrow’s Pro Men quarterfinals along with 18 other pros. The quarterfinals will begin at 11:30 a.m.

In the Jr. Pro Men’s division, 19 amateur rippers hit the water today for their quarterfinal round of action in Colorado Springs. Only the top two riders from each of the five quarterfinal heats advanced, narrowing the field of riders down to 10 for tomorrow’s semifinals.

Among the 10 semifinalists is 16-year-old Daniel Powers, who posted a perfect score of 100 points during his quarterfinal run today. Powers and the rest of the Jr. Pro Men semifinalists will take to the water tomorrow at 1:30 p.m., following the Pro Men’s quarterfinals.

The Pro Tour wraps up its stop in Colorado Springs tomorrow, Saturday, July 24, with the ticketed event starting at 11:30 a.m. and the Main Event running from 5 to 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the gate for $10 (general admission), $5 (ages 6-12) or free (ages 5 and under).

The Main Event features high-energy athlete introductions, leading into the Pro Men finals. It also includes the Pro Tour’s new double up contest and big-air challenge. The two new competitions are designed to feature select athletes performing exciting and innovative new tricks that aren’t normally attempted in a traditional contest setting.

In addition to all the action on the water; on land, fans will also enjoy plenty of great food and music, athlete autograph signings, chances to win freebies, and shopping at the most cutting-edge stores for water-sports equipment including boats, wakeboards, wakeskates, sunglasses and the latest in wakeboarding and surfing fashions.

Attendees can also pick up their share of $10,000 in free gift cards from Overton’s, the official water-sports retailer of the King of Wake series. Fans can also register to win a $500 Overton’s catalog shopping spree.

To catch all the high-flying, rail-sliding, water-sports action of the Colorado Springs Pro Tour stop on television, tune in to FUEL TV on Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. EST.

For more information on the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour, including news, daily schedules, tickets, TV info, photos, videos, athlete bios, results, standings and more, visit www.allisports.com <http://www.allisports.com/> .

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, MonaVie, 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.