Fort Worth, Tex. – The only heat thousands of wakeboarding fans were excited about on a sweltering summer day at the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour stop in Fort Worth was today’s Pro Men’s Division final heat of four at Texas MasterCraft.
 
JD Webb (USA), Rusty Malinoski (CAN), Andrew Adkison (USA) and Phillip Soven (USA) battled it out on the waters of Lake Moser to see which rider would claim the top spot in Fort Worth. All four rippers put up some exciting runs, but in the end reigning Tour champion Phillip Soven took home the win. Adkison and Malinoski rounded out the podium respectively.
 
“It was really tough out there today, but I pulled it off and came out with the win,” said Soven. “I’ve been riding well and I am feeling pretty confident going into the next Tour stop.”
 
Although JD Webb didn’t win in Fort Worth today, the 2004 Rookie of the Year did pick-up some extra cash thanks to Rockstar Energy Drink. Webb was named the winner of the Rockstar Best Trick Award, a $1,000 cash bonus for landing the most impressive trick of the contest, a 270 tailpress to 90 out off of the Billabong Rooftop.
 
The world’s top female rippers took to the water today for the first-ever Pro Women’s Division finals in Fort Worth. Hayley Smith (AUS), Shelby Kantar (USA), Nicola Butler (UK), Emily Copeland Durham (USA), Amber Wing (AUS) and Dallas Friday (USA) fielded the final heat of the contest.
 
Looking for the win, all six female finalists held nothing back in their runs, but in the end 2008 Wake Games champion Nicola Butler claimed the top spot. Friday and Copeland Durham rounded out the top-three respectively.
 
Nicola Butler’s success continued in Fort Worth today, as the second-year pro ripper claimed the MONA VIE Best Trick Award. The award is a $250 bonus for the female rider landing the most impressive trick of the contest, backboard to backlip over the Billabong Rooftop.
 
With wins in Acowrth, Ga. and now Fort Worth, Phillip Soven and Nicola Butler have a commanding lead in the Tour’s Indmar Performance Standings.
 
The final four riders in the Jr. Men’s Division hit the water today for their final round at the Fort Worth contest. Harley Clifford (AUS), Robert Soven (USA), Nick Davies (UK) and Jimmy LaRiche (USA) battled it out for the top spot, but in the end it was LaRiche who took the title home. Clifford and Soven rounded out the podium respectively.    
 
Fort Worth was the second of five stops on the 2008 MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour. Following Fort Worth, the Tour will visit Twin Cities, Minn. (June 7-8), Phoenix, Ariz. (June 28-29) and wrap-up in Reno, Nev. (July 11-13).

Sunday, June 1 – Final Results:
                 Pro Men
            Finals             Heat #:   01
  1  Soven, Phillip             USA   94.25
  2  Adkison, Andrew            USA  85.50
  3  Malinoski, Rusty           CAN  85.25
  4  Webb, JD                  USA  75.25
               Pro Women
            Finals             Heat #:   01
  1  Butler, Nicola              UK  100.00
  2  Friday, Dallas              USA  79.25
  3  Copeland Durham, Emily   USA  75.25
  4  Wing, Amber               AUS  66.25
  5  Kantar, Shelby             USA  66.00
  6  Smith, Hayley              AUS  63.25
         Junior Men (14-18)
            Finals             Heat #:   01
  1  LaRiche, Jimmy           USA   88.33
  2  Clifford, Harley            AUS  78.33
  3  Soven, Robert              USA  61.67
  4  Davies, Nick                UK   49.44
 
         Junior Men (14-18)
         Semi Finals          Heat #:   01
  1  LaRiche, Jimmy           USA   80.00
  2  Soven, Robert             USA   63.89
  3  Askew, Jarrod              AUS  55.00
  4  Racinelli, AJ                USA  33.33
  5  King, Ryan                 USA  22.78
         Junior Men (14-18)
         Semi Finals          Heat #:   02
  1  Clifford, Harley           AUS   80.00
  2  Davies, Nick               UK   70.00
  3  Cohen, Julian               USA  60.00
  4  Derome, Raphael          CDN  48.89
  5  Aslinger, Phillip             USA  39.44
                 Pro Men
         Semifinals          Heat #:   01
  1  Malinoski, Rusty          CAN  92.25
  2  Webb, JD                  USA   85.50
  3  Hutton, Bryan              USA  80.50
  4  Hansen, Trevor             USA  74.00
  5  Watson, Shawn             USA  67.75
                 Pro Men
         Semifinals          Heat #:   02
  1  Adkison, Andrew          USA   89.50
  2  Soven, Phillip             USA   82.00
  3  Errington, Adam            SCT   81.00
  4  Watkins, Daniel            AUS  75.25
  5  Santori, Tino                USA  70.25
                 Pro Men
        Quarterfinals         Heat #:   01
  1  Adkison, Andrew          USA   92.50
  2  Hansen, Trevor            USA   91.00
  3  Fields, Adam               USA  80.00
  4  Hair, Austin                 USA  76.50
                 Pro Men
        Quarterfinals         Heat #:   02
  1  Errington, Adam          SCT   89.75
  2  Hutton, Bryan             USA   88.75
  3  Alberts, Kyle               USA  61.67
  4  Rathy, Aaron               CAN  49.44
                 Pro Men
        Quarterfinals         Heat #:   03
  1  Malinoski, Rusty          CAN  90.00
  2  Santori, Tino              USA   86.75
  3  O’Brien, Sean               USA  83.00
  4  Sharpe, Chad              CAN  64.50
                 Pro Men
        Quarterfinals         Heat #:   04
  1  Webb, JD                  USA   88.75
  2  Watkins, Daniel           AUS   88.00
  3  Derome, Olivier            CAN  86.50
  4  Bradley, Corey             USA  76.75
                 Pro Men
        Quarterfinals         Heat #:   05
  1  Soven, Phillip             USA   97.75
  2  Watson, Shawn             USA  85.75
  3  Smeele, Brad               NZL   85.00
  4  Lee, Brett                   USA  71.50
 

From Saturday:

Never before in the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour’s 17-year history has Pro Women’s wakeboarding been featured in Fort Worth. So it came as no surprise today to see thousands of fans lining the shores of Lake Moser at Texas MasterCraft to witness their debut. Fans were also happy to wait in line for hours to take photos and receive autographs from the talented female rippers.
 
Nearly 20 of the world’s best female wakeboarders took to the water today for the opening round of the Pro Women’s Division. After all five heats ended, only the top-two riders from each heat advanced onto the semifinals, sending nearly half the competitors home.
 

Soon after the quarterfinals ended, the pro women were back to work for round-two. The 10 semifinalists battled it out on the water in two heats of five with only the top-three riders from each heat advancing onto tomorrow’s finals.
 
After everything was said and done, 2008 Wake Games champion Nicola Butler (Cape Town, South Africa), current women’s wakeboard world champion Amber Wing (Sydney, Australia), ESPN Espy winner Dallas Friday (Orlando, Florida), 2007 Pro Tour titlist Shelby Kantar (Sacramento, California), Australia Pro Tour champ Hayley Smith (Sydney, Australia) and X Games gold medalist Emily Copeland Durham (Denver, Colorado) became the first-ever Pro Women’s finalists in Fort Worth.     
 
“It’s an awesome feeling to be riding in Fort Worth in front of such a great crowd,” said current Indmar Performance Standings leader Nicola Butler. “All the girls were stoked to be at this tour stop and the fans showed us nothing, but love.”
 

The six finalists will compete for the first-ever Fort Worth title tomorrow at 2:30 p.m.
 
The Pro Men’s Division took to the water today for their Round of 40, where the top-40 riders competed in 10 heats of four for a spot in tomorrow’s quarterfinals. Only the top-two riders from each heat advanced, cutting the competition in half.
 
Among the 20 riders moving onto the quarterfinals was two-time WWA World Series champion Daniel Watkins (Gold Coast, Australia). Watkins entered the Fort Worth contest coming off a back injury that prevented the Aussie rider from competing at the Tour’s first stop in Acworth, Ga.
 
  Watkins and the other 19 quarterfinalists will hit the water tomorrow at 10 a.m.   
 

The Tour’s young, up-and-coming riders hit the water today for the Jr. Men’s Division quarterfinals. The top-20 Jr. rippers from this weekend’s contest battled it out in five heats of four to try to earn one of the 10 spots in tomorrow’s semifinals.
 
Only the top-two riders from each heat moved on past the quarterfinals, advancing Jimmy LaRiche, AJ Racinelli, Robert Soven, Phillip Aslinger, Nick Davies, Ryan King, Daniel Powers, Raphael Derome, Julian Cohen and Harley Clifford onto the semifinal round. 

Friday Update:

 Fort Worth, Tex. – The world’s top wakeboarders took to the waters of Lake Moser at Texas MasterCraft today for the opening rounds of the 2008 MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour in Fort Worth.The Tour kicked off the three-day contest with qualifying rounds for the Pro Men and Jr. Men divisions.
 
More than 55 riders from throughout the globe turned out to qualify for the Pro Men’s Division at this weekend’s event, including Tom Fooshee of San Marcos, TX. Fooshee finished second in his heat of four with a score of 86.00. Placing in the top-two of his heat earned the Texas native a spot in tomorrow’s Pro Men Round of 40, where Fooshee will go up against the top riders on tour. Fooshee was the only Lone Star State rider to advance past the opening round.  
 
  “It’s a killer feeling when you ride well at a pro event, but when you do it in your home state, it’s that much sweeter,” said Fooshee. “Going up against some of these big-name riders will be challenging, but if I step up my riding and stomp some killer tricks, who knows what can happen.”  
 
  Tom Fooshee and the rest of the top-40 riders will hit the water tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.
 
Wakeboarding’s future stars took to the water today for the Jr. Men’s Division qualifying round, where 39 of the world’s most talented young rippers, ages 14-18, battled it out on Lake Moser at Texas MasterCraft to try to earn a spot in tomorrow’s Jr. Men quarterfinals.
 
After everything was said and done, only the top-two riders from each of the 10 heats advanced, sending nearly half the competition home packing. Jimmy LaRiche (Boca Raton, FL) was not only among the 20 riders to advance past the opening round, but he also posted the highest score of the day with a 78.33. LaRiche and the 19 other quarterfinalists will faceoff tomorrow at 10 a.m. for the second round of the contest.          
 
  Day two of the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour will be heavily dominated by the Pro Women’s Division, as the contest will host qualifying and semifinal rounds for the female riders with all the action set to begin at 8 a.m. Tomorrow’s rounds will mark the first time ever the Pro Women’s Division has competed in Fort Worth.
 
Current Tour leader Nicola Butler (Cape Town, South Africa), ESPN Espy winner Dallas Friday (Orlando, Florida) and 2007 women’s wakeboard world champion Amber Wing (Sydney, Australia) highlight a field of talented female riders.

 
Friday, May 30 – Day 1 Results:
 
Pro Men
Qualifying Round Heat #: 01
1 Adkison, Andrew       USA 97.00
2 Ennen, Mikey           USA  87.75
3 Stumborg, Braden       CAN 78.75
4 Whatley, Rhett            USA 57.25
 
Pro Men
Qualifying Round Heat #: 02
1 Alberts, Kyle            USA 93.50
2 Fooshee, Tom          USA  86.00
3 Jacques, Rob           USA  81.50
4 O’Ferrall, Dustin          CAN 79.00
 
Pro Men
Qualifying Round Heat #: 03
1 Hair, Austin             USA  97.00
2 Brown, Alex            USA  89.25
3 Rossiter, Marc           UK    83.75
4 Brisco, Wes                USA 70.00
 
Pro Men
Qualifying Round Heat #: 04
1 Smith, Dean                AUS  95.25
2 Giardi, Marcelo            BRZ  84.75
3 Hamrick, Alex               USA 84.25
4 Grasman, Derek           USA 75.75
 
Pro Men
Qualifying Round Heat #: 05
1 Watkins, Daniel           AUS  100.00
2 Hindes, James            USA  88.00
3 Whitt, Nick                   USA  82.00
4 Carter, Hank                USA 63.75
5 Lee, Brandon                USA 52.75
 
Pro Men
Qualifying Round Heat #: 06
1 Carne, Sam                         95.75
2 O’Brien, Sean             USA  94.25
3 Hansen, Hunter             USA  77.75
4 Scott, Rusty                USA 52.25
5 Jones, Nick                  USA 51.50
 
Pro Men
Qualifying Round Heat #: 07
1 Thollander, Danny       USA  88.25
2 Palma, Josh                USA  86.00
3 Andrews, Chase            USA  82.50
4 Lemberg, Jojo               USA 74.00
5 Powell, AJ                    USA 69.25
 
Pro Men
Qualifying Round Heat #: 08
1 Miller, Dylan                CAN  95.75
2 Krause, Clayton          USA  94.25
3 Deegan, Chase             USA  NS
4 Haynes, AJ                  USA NS
5 Hollick, Anthony           CAN NS
 
Pro Men
Qualifying Round Heat #: 09
1 Smeele, Bradley          NZL  92.50
2 Bradley, Corey            USA  92.00
3 Schwenk, Zane             USA  84.00
4 Leonard, Colt                USA 36.50
5 Fletcher, Clay              USA NS
 
Pro Men
Qualifying Round Heat #: 10
1 O’Shea, Chris              AUS  94.25
2 Lee, Brett                    USA  87.50
3 Langley, Jefferson        USA  76.00
4 Harris, Cory                 USA 73.00
5 Wolf, Jimmy                USA 69.25
 
Pro Men
Qualifying Round Heat #: 11
1 Rathy, Aaron               CAN  97.75
2 Trask, Jimmy               USA  86.75
3 Wensink, Adam             USA  77.00
4 Weinacker, NIck           USA 72.50
5 Rodriguez, Jimmy         USA 54.00
 
Pro Men
Qualifying Round Heat #: 12
1 House, Jeff                  USA  94.25
2 Burton-Moore, Nick             USA                                             78.75
3 Harris, Randall              USA  72.50
4 Carroll, Tony                USA 60.75
5 Henshaw, Kevin            CAN NS
 
Junior Men (14-18)
Qualifying Round Heat #: 01
1 Graydon, Alex          USA 47.22
2 Shuler, Gunnar        USA  45.56
3 Cahail, Stephen         USA 33.33
4 Burnstein, Danny         USA 26.67
 
Junior Men (14-18)
Qualifying Round Heat #: 02
1  Racinelli, AJ           USA  63.33
2  Liesmann, Kirby      USA  56.67
3  Tobaben, Johnny       USA  50.00
4  Rondi Neto, Luciano    BRA  26.67
 
Junior Men (14-18)
Qualifying Round Heat #: 03
1  Kress, Taylor          USA  60.00
2  Askew, Jarrod         AUS  52.22
3  Valdez, Eddie           USA  49.00
4  Renfroe, Taylor         USA  41.11
 
Junior Men (14-18)
Qualifying Round Heat #: 04
1  Aslinger, Phillip       USA  63.33
2  Derome, Raphael      CDN 61.11
3  Waskevich, Brian       USA  43.33
4  Foren, Nick             USA  42.22
 
Junior Men (14-18)
Qualifying Round Heat #: 05
1  Powers, Daniel        USA  62.78
2  Thomson, Sam        AUS  57.22
3  Lafferty, Steel          USA  51.67
4  Connell, Mitchell              45.56
 
Junior Men (14-18)
Qualifying Round Heat #: 06
1  Scagliotti, Alex        USA  65.56
2  Cohen, Julian         USA  55.00
3  Anderson, Ryan        USA  50.56
4  Nikstad, Erik                  32.78
 
Junior Men (14-18)
Qualifying Round Heat #: 07
1  King, Ryan            USA  59.44
2  Allbright, Ben         USA  53.33
3  Jeffries, John          USA  46.11
 
Junior Men (14-18)
Qualifying Round Heat #: 08
1  Soven, Robert         USA  67.22
2  Homsey, Pierce              55.56
3  Shearer, Andrew        USA  50.00
4  Williams, Steven       USA  40.56
 
Junior Men (14-18)
Qualifying Round Heat #: 09
1  LaRiche, Jimmy       USA  78.33
2  Davies, Nick           UK   63.33
3  Bannatyne, Jason      USA  35.56
4  Ogburn, Troy           USA  31.67
 
Junior Men (14-18)
Qualifying Round Heat #: 10
1  Clifford, Harley        AUS  59.44
2  Galotifore, Nick              45.00
3  Rivait, Dylan           USA  34.00
4  Thompson, Luke              23.33