Just when you thought you'd recovered from the Darin Shapiro/O'Brien deal, Scott Byerly and Hyperlite have put together a blockbuster merger to start the 1999 season. Long considered the most respected and influential rider in the history of wakeboarding, Byerly has agreed to terms with Hyperlite that will have him riding a Scott Bouchard shaped Hyperlite board for the 1999 season.

The culmination of negotiations that have been ongoing for more than three months, the deal will include two Byerly board shapes to be released by Hyperlite. Paul O'Brien, Hyperlite Product Manager, said, "I've known Scott forever. He and I are on the same wavelength. This isn't a 'corporate' company, by any means, throwing out monster numbers to try and buy an image. He actually had an offer that was considerably more money from another company. This wasn't his money making opportunity. This is his opportunity to work with a company that he respects."

When asked how soon we'll see Byerly on a Hyperlite board, O'Brien replied, "He's riding a prototype board right now with Hyperlite stickers on it. It's not a production board but it will be in production in six weeks to two months…he's going to have his own boot, his own fin, two board shapes and his own wake skate." Byerly's boot will be a variation of the new 3060 lace-up boots currently being developed for Nick and Jules Heaney. The boot will be emblazoned with Byerly's own graphics.

Will Scott be competing in 1999? Could be. It's been reported that Scott is getting excited about competing again. When told by Hyperlite that competitions were not a requirement, Scott reportedly replied, "I want to compete."

An official press release will be available on the Hyperlite website later this week.

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