The International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) recently announced that the championships will be held on the Vaal River at the Emerald Resort and Casino between February 15 and 18.
After the first two days’ high standard of boarding and fun in the sun the tone was set for the final day, but unfortunately rain interfered.
Those not familiar with the sport, Wakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water. It combines water skiing, snowboarding and surfing techniques.
Most mortals might think that wakeboarding is sport enjoyed by those who don’t shave yet and use words like dude and bra whilst trying to keep their pants from dropping, but that is not entirely accurate. There is far more to this sub-culture than meets the eye.
The amount of skill and technique involved in pulling off the various wakeboarding maneuvers such as Whirlybird, Hoochie Glide, Tootsie Rolls and Osmosis 540 to name just a few, is astounding.
Back to the action! The Open Men category was won by Great Britain’s Sam Carne (67.22), closely followed by Dominik Hernler (59.44, Aut) and Shaun Faccio (59.00, RSA).
In the Open Ladies category Caroline Djupsjo (42.33) of Sweden weathered an onslaught of Ireland’s Sian Hurst (39.00) to claim the honors. For the full results visit www.wakesa.com. – More photographs inside.
Source: vaalweekblad.com
KING OF WAKE
VANDERBIJLPARK. – The Europe and Africa Wakeboard and Wakeskate Championships that graced the banks of the Vaal River over the weekend undoubtedly produced jaw-dropping performances of world quality.