Minneapolis, Minn. – The largest water-sport contest in the United States continued today in downtown Minneapolis, as the 2011 Nautique WWA Wakeboard National Championships, presented by Rockstar Energy Drink hosted preliminary rounds for its pro divisions. Riders in the Pro Men, Pro Women and Pro Wakeskate categories spent the day battling it out on the Mississippi River for the few remaining spots in tomorrow’s final rounds of action.

First off the dock today was the Pro Wakeskate division, where eight competitors squared off in two heats of four during today’s semifinal round. Among the eight competing pros was the division’s 2010 runner-up Grant Roberts, who posted a 76.67 to win his heat and advance to tomorrow’s finals.

“I got lucky; the water was super rollie and it took a lot of people down,” Roberts joked about his heat today. “The water has been pretty rough to everyone, but I managed to land a couple of 3’s and a Big Spin today, and made it through to the finals.”

Roberts hopes his luck won’t run out during tomorrow’s finals, as he’ll be competing against Brian Grubb, Stuart Shinn and Reed Hansen – all former national champions.

“The final heat is going to be crazy,” said Roberts. “All these guys are really talented. I just hope the water conditions help level the playing field.”

The 21-year-old Discovery Bay, Calif. native will look to win his first Pro Wakeskate national title during tomorrow’s finals, scheduled for 12:30 p.m.

In the Pro Men’s division, local rider Colin Ryan turned heads today, when the St. Paul, Minn. resident placed third in his six-man quarterfinal heat – good enough to advance to tomorrow’s semifinals. The part-time pro wakeboarder and full-time anesthesiology certification student credits his success today to his approach.

“I have a lot of respect for these guys; they’re the best in the world,” said Ryan. “But since I just wakeboard part time, I really have nothing to lose. I just lay it all on the line, go big and see what happens.”

Ryan’s family and friends will be on site tomorrow to watch him compete in the Pro Men semifinals, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Should Ryan win the national title tomorrow, he will become the first Minnesota native to win the Pro Men’s division national title.

In the Pro Women’s division, all eyes were on Alexa Score to see if the Spicer, Minn. native could advance to the final round of the competition in her home state. But the rough water conditions that have plagued the competition took Score down early, eliminating her from the finals.

“The water conditions were pretty rough and I just don’t have the experience yet to handle that, like some of the other girls do,” said Score, who turned pro earlier this year. “But I had a lot of local support and I hope even more people come out to watch the rest of the competition tomorrow.”

The Nautique WWA Nationals will conclude tomorrow, July 31, beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 3:30 p.m.

The 2011 Nautique WWA Wakeboard National Championships, presented by Rockstar Energy Drink is free to the public during all five days of competition. For those who cannot attend the event in person, just “like” the King of Wake’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/kingofwake) to watch all the live streaming footage.

The 2011 Nautique WWA Nationals will also air on the VERSUS television network at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

For more information on the Nautique WWA Nationals, visit www.kingofwake.com.

The Nautique WWA Wakeboard National Championships, presented by Rockstar Energy Drink is organized by World Sports & Marketing of Orlando, Fla., and has the support of the following sponsors: Correct Craft, Rockstar Energy Drink, Overton’s, Peavey, MonaVie, FOX, Hyperlite, CWB, Ronix, Liquid Force, Byerly, Oakley, Sayiwon’t and YOUR MOM magazine.

About Nautique
The Nautique by Correct Craft is the exclusive tow boat of the WWA Nationals. Celebrating 86 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 Energy Drink
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 eighteen 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, Recovery Lemonade, Recovery Orange, Recovery Grape, Pink, and 2X. 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, Greece, Mexico, the Philippines and throughout the United Kingdom.  Go to www.rockstar69.com or www.facebook.com/rockstar for athlete and event updates, videos, profiles, and product information.

About WWA
The WWA Wakeboard National Championships is the solely owned property of the World Wakeboard Association (WWA). The WWA also owns and operates the WWA Wakeboard World Championships, WWA Wakeboard World Series, WWA Wake Park World Series, WWA Wake Park Triple Crown and WWA Wake Park Nationals. With 27 affiliate countries worldwide, the WWA is the global leader in the sport of wake. The WWA is a rider-formed organization dedicated to promoting and growing wake sports worldwide. It is the leading source for riders, event organizers and competitive standards. For more information on the WWA and its events, check out www.thewwa.com .

About King of Wake
The King of Wake is the world’s elite pro wakeboarding series, attracting the sport’s top athletes from across 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 2011 series consists of the Wake Games, the WWA National Championships, the WWA 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, July 30 – Day 4 of 5 Results:

Boys Beginner Division
Final Round – Heat #1
1    Mitch Allen                   73.33
2    Bryson Hancock              56.67
3    Michael Buss                   43.33

Jr. Women Division
Final Round – Heat #1
1    Tori Koch                      76.67
2    Katelyn Fenner                66.67
3    Gianna Dinatale               53.33
4    Rachel Orgill                    31.67

Pro Women Division
Semifinal Round – Heat #1
1    Melissa Marquardt      71.67
2    Hayley Smith                 56.67
3    Shawna Hoffman             45.00
4    Emily Durham                  33.33

Pro Women Division
Semifinal Round – Heat #2
1    Nicola Butler                 78.33
2    Raimi Merritt                66.67
3    Meagan Ethell                  53.33
4    Alexa Score                    38.33

Pro Women Division
Semifinal Round – Heat #3
1    Amber Wing                  75.00
2    Anna Hajek                   63.33
3    Tarah Mikacich               43.33

Pro Wakeskate Division
Semifinal Round – Heat #1
1    Grant Roberts               76.67
2    Stuart Shinn                   65.00
3    Danny Hampson              50.00
4    Brandon Thomas             30.00

Pro Wakeskate Division
Semifinal Round – Heat #2
1    Brian Grubb                  73.33
2    Reed Hansen                53.33
3    George Daniels                51.67
4    Matt Hayden                   36.67

Boys Division
Semifinal Round – Heat #1
1    Zach Brown                   80.00
2    Nicholas Brown             61.67
3    Tyler Higham                   43.33
4    Jamie McCauley              20.00

Boys Division
Semifinal Round – Heat #2
1    Mac Schramm               71.67
2    Jason Soven                  66.83
3    James Loisel                    63.33
4    Merrett Fay                     48.33

Boys Division
Semifinal Round – Heat #1
1    Landon Kasey               75.00
2    Mitch Kappler               58.33
3    Ben Watts                       40.00

Pro Men Division
Quarterfinal Round – Heat #1
1    Aaron Rathy                  78.33
2    J.D. Webb                     68.33
3    Kyle Rattray                 63.33
4    Steel Lafferty                59.83
5    Shawn Watson                55.00
6    Adam Wensink                41.67

Pro Men Division
Quarterfinal Round – Heat #2
1    Jimmy LaRiche             63.33
2    Rusty Malinoski           57.50
3    Colin Ryan                    52.50
4    Shaun Murray               51.67
5    Erik Ruck                        40.00
6    Nick Jones                      26.67

Pro Men Division
Quarterfinal Round – Heat #3
1    Bob Soven                     91.67
2    Olivier Derome             80.00
3    Tony Carroll                  71.67
4    Andrew Shearer            60.00
5    Phillip Aslinger                 50.00
6    Jason Bannatyne              36.67

Pro Men Division
Quarterfinal Round – Heat #4
1    Harley Clifford              87.67
2    Andrew Adkison            71.67
3    Austin Hair                    65.00
4    Kirby Liesmann            58.33
5    Clayton Underwood        41.67
6    Jimmy Trask                    33.33

Pro Men Division
Quarterfinal Round – Heat #5
1    Phillip Soven                  86.67
2    Dean Smith                    76.67
3    Joey Bradley                 70.00
4    Danny Thollander         63.33
5    Adam Errington               59.00