WakeWorld - 2010 Pro Tour Back in Atlanta

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Hell yeah! This is coming from a very very reliable resource.

I hope it's later in the year, been to a lot of cold & rainy stops in April there<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/uhoh.gif" border=0>

This is from another thread. Not sure how accurate it is, but says May 20-22. <a href="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/1/2010_KOW_Schedule-769153.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/1/2010_KOW_Schedule-769153.pdf</a>)

Acworth, GA - Dallas Landing Park - May 22 Fort Worth, TX - Texas MasterCraft - June 12 Elizabethtown, KY - Freeman Lake Park - June 19 Colorado Springs, CO - Memorial Park - July 24 Knoxville, TN - Volunteer Landing - Aug. 14

There is no mention of the women, nor of Monavie in the sponsors. Are the women going to be at any of the stops? ATTENTION ALL ATHLETES: More information will follow on qualifying days and what divisions will be at which events. Thank you! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Michael Weiss Sent: Monday, January 25, 2010 9:55 AM Subject: For Immediate Release: MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour Unveils New Action-Packed Three-Hour Format Importance: High For Immediate Release MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour Unveils New Action-Packed Three-Hour Format Orlando, Fla. – The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour will hit the water in a new way during its 2010 season, as each stop will now feature three different competition formats, an innovative mix of live music and the largest wake party around, all set to take place on Saturday evenings. Event organizer World Sports & Marketing announced today that the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour will unveil its new action-packed setup in five cities throughout the United States during its 19th season, including stops in Fort Worth , Tex. ; Knoxville , Tenn. ; Elizabethtown , Ky. ; Acworth , Ga. ; and Colorado Springs , Colo. “We’ve shifted the main event to the early evening, added a live music element and built an interactive entertainment stage to create the world’s largest wake party,” said Director of Sales and Marketing Sean Dishman . “This new approach to wake events has never been done before and wake enthusiasts won’t want to miss it.” All five tour stops will host preliminary rounds prior to the new three-hour action-packed format held on Saturday evenings. In its 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. time slot, the Pro Tour will feature contest finals, a big-air challenge and a double up contest. On land, fans should check out the Pro Tour’s new entertainment stage to catch athlete interviews, color commentators, interactive live music and the largest wake party around. The 2010 season kicks off in Acworth , Ga. , at Dallas Landing Park on May 22. From there, the Pro Tour continues to Fort Worth , Tex. , at Texas MasterCraft, June 12; Elizabethtown , Ky. , at Freeman Lake Park , June 19; Colorado Springs , Colo. , at Memorial Park, July 24; and wraps up the season in Knoxville , Tenn. , at Volunteer Landing on Aug. 14. The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour is a five-stop series points race for the Pro Tour title. Athletes accumulate points at each stop based on final placement in each event. The highest total points-earner at the end of the five-event season will take home a cash purse and the coveted Pro Tour title. For event information, including daily schedules, tickets, results, standings, photos, videos, athlete bios and more, visit <a href="http://www.allisports.com" target="_blank">www.allisports.com</a>. 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, Indmar, Billabong, Hyperlite, CWB, Ronix, Liquid Force, Oakley, Fuel TV and Allisports.com. 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. 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 11 amazing flavors: Original, Sugar Free, Zero Carb, Juiced Mango Orange Passion Fruit, Juiced Guava, Juiced Pomegranate, Tropical Punched, Punched Citrus, Roasted Mocha, Roasted Latte and Roasted Light Vanilla. 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 the United Kingdom . Media Partners To catch all the high-flying, rail-sliding, water-sports action of the King of Wake series, tune in to Fuel TV – the official television partner of the King of Wake series. WakeBoarding, published by Bonnier Corp., is the official magazine of the King of Wake series. Read about all things wakeboarding, with expert coverage of professional instruction, gear, boats and news. King of Wake Viewed as the world’s elite pro wakeboarding circuit, the King of Wake series has attracted the sport’s top athletes from across the globe. With more than $300,000 in prize money over the eight-event season, athletes compete during the course of the year to be named the “King of Wake” – an award based on points accumulated at each stop of the series. Events include 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. Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports, is a global business that encompasses national and international action sports tours and events, multimedia production, and a consumer-facing lifestyle brand. The Alliance includes: the Dew Tour, Winter Dew Tour, China Invitational, Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, King of Wake series, and the Gatorade Free Flow Tour; Alli Productions, which creates original content, produces and presents content with partners, and distributes Alli content through a variety of channels. Alli is owned by NBC Sports and MTV Networks and represents a network of athletes, fans, brands and properties. Its mission is to facilitate the momentous growth of action sports, through competition and lifestyle, for a new generation of fans and athletes. More information can be found at <a href="http://www.allisports.com" target="_blank">www.allisports.com</a>. 2010 MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour schedule City Venue Dates Acworth , GA Dallas Landing Park May 22 Fort Worth , TX Texas MasterCraft June 12 Elizabethtown , KY Freeman Lake Park June 19 Colorado Springs, CO Memorial Park July 24 Knoxville , TN Volunteer Landing Aug. 14 Michael Weiss Associate Director, PR 460 N Orlando Ave., Ste. 200 Winter Park , FL 32789 Office: 407-571-4874 | Cell: 407-453-0222 <a href="mailto:Michael.Weiss@BonnierCorp.com">Michae l.Weiss@BonnierCorp.com</a>

"There is no mention of the women, nor of Monavie in the sponsors. Are the women going to be at any of the stops?" I dont see why they wouldnt be at some of the stops. Chris why isn't monavie sponsoring the women this year?

They might be. I don't really know to be honest. If they hadn't put up the money in'09 the woman would not have had the 2 stops they did have, so I am presuming if somebody does not put up the money there will be no stops at all for the women this year?? But as I said I am not sure and what happened last year might not necessarily.............

Chris, I've heard the pro men's field will be drastically reduced probably indicating there might not be any women's stops. Nothing concrete though, but it comes second hand from a reliable source.

Adam - I am not disputing your info but why would they reduce the field? Surely if you are going to the expense to set up the site it is better to have 20 competitors than 10. Bearing in mind set up costs etc, etc, etc. The more competitors (within limits obviously),the more entry fees. Doesn't make sense to reduce it drastically.

well hopefully monavie or someone else will step up for the women. they dont mention anything about the jr.'s either. but then again... they never really say there will or wont be a specific division on the pro tour. so I am going to assume that men, women & jr.'s are all going to be on tour this year as they have been every year.

Don't know, maybe I have bad info, but it's hard to see how they're going to cram a field of 30+ pro riders and 20+ Jr Men's through if they're running the preliminary event on Friday and only running for 3 hours on Saturday. Adding a double up contest and a big air challenge eats up more time as well.

Adam - I just re read the email and if I am reading it correctly everything takes place on the Saturday evening?? Presumably that will include the finals as well?? If that is the case then your info is probably correct, as there will not be time to accomodate loads of riders. And Denis - I am seeing junior and pro men here. They have to have the junior men otherwise wakeboarding will die out with these current pros.

there release says "will host preliminary rounds prior to the new three-hour action-packed format held on Saturday evenings." so that could mean prelims are early saturday at daytime before finals late on saturday. or prelims all day friday and just riding late saturday. it's kinda unclear. i agree... it will kill the sport without jr.s there. i think the tour would have sent an email to all the women and/or jr.s before this release went out to let them know they wont be on tour this year. so i think men, women and jrs. will be on tour at some capacity.

It never said anything about Jr. Mens not being there...

I like this quote: “We’ve ... added a live music element and built an interactive entertainment stage to create the world’s largest wake party,” said Director of Sales and Marketing Sean Dishman. “This new approach to wake events has never been done before and wake enthusiasts won’t want to miss it.” Like that hasn't been done for ten years already (Wakestock, Kelowna Pro Tour, etc...) <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/uhoh.gif" border=0>

i think they over corrected. for sure the party atmosphere and live music will help. but the question now is will i drive or fly... myself, GF, and our 3 kids (all girls who wakeboard) from NJ to knoxville for 3 hours? i think there should be a happy medium..... at least an all day saturday event....

ya... i saw that too and was like "that aint new!". but i think the key word there was "interactive"... so maybe its something different. who knows? guess we all have to wait and see

I dunno if it's just me but I don't really understand what's actually going to be going down at these stops? Cut back on the wakeboarding and throw a massive party? Something like Wakestock in the UK where wakeboarding is a sideshow for the main event - getting slaughtered.

right, Chris. I know the west coast guys love my Nascar references (not)so here it goes. Nascar has support from live music , parties, etc but they always make sure the racing is the main focus. I cant see how 3 hours of wakeboarding will cut it. or will they have wakeboarding / qualifying during the day and not focus on the attendance for that?

chris -- i dont think they're cutting back on wakeboarding for the party. it says they are adding a big air challanege and doubleup contest to the regular riding. plus they are throwing a party. so somehow they are adding more stuff to the tour in a shorter time frame. dont know how they are going to swing that...but if they can pull it off correctly...this new 3hr stuff could be fun

I'm really reading into it but my guess is they will run the format much the same but they are only marketing it as a 3 hour event to the public. This gets everybody there for the finals making bigger crowds, and less down time that people need to staff the booths. If someone sees that the PWT will be in town that weekend and they decide to show up Saturday morning there usually isn't near the crowd or riding as there is in the finals. They are just trying to attract the non wakeboard crowd to the finals assuming the wakeboarding crowd will show up earlier to see qualifying rounds if they want to. This way they are showing contest riding, big air, and a double up comp to the local crowd which IMO would be great for the sport and will help attract more people to these contests.

So at the risk of appearing dumb, when are the finals? Are they part of this 3 hour festival or are they still on the Sunday? Still not getting it.<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/crazy.gif" border=0>

"In its 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. time slot, the Pro Tour will feature contest finals, a big-air challenge and a double up contest." i guess Finals are on saturday night now. Finals, big air and double up together in 3hrs actually does sound pretty "action-packed" when you think about it. this new format is going to be really good or really bad. no in between

Well then that explains Adams post of them radically cutting back on entrants. I can pretty much guarantee we won't be seeing any woman there. Hell are we going to see junior men? Be nice if somebody told us, don't you think? In the interim I received an email saying they are introducing veteran women (over 40) to Wake Games,Worlds & Nationals. Is that to promote wakeboarding or to squeeze an entry fee from every demographic on the planet? What next? Animals?

Chris, how do you know they wont move everything up so it takes the same time to run through everyone, it just ends saturday night instead of Sunday? I've just seen this happen before in waterski tournaments and it works out better wrapping it up Saturday night. I dont know if thats the case but it seems like this could be a good thing. maybe its the final 4 guys, the final 4 girls, the final 4 jrs, top 8 pro riders get a double up, and some how they make a big air comp. I would think you could fit that into 3 hours.

honestly if there are a bunch of chicks 40 & older who want and are able to to compete... i say god bless and let em ride. and if animals could wakeboard... i would pay to see that! i dont know how they are going to make cuts or if they are going to even have open qualifiers.... but like i said... its either going to be a great change or the worse idea ever. no in between.

Kevin - yeah maybe??? They would have to cut the pro mens field radically. Drastically in fact, to make it work. I mean they have qualifying,then 2nd round,quarters,semis, finals. And that's just pro men.How are you going to squeeze all that in especially if you have junior men and pro women as well. Just can't see it??

First- the schedule for the first 2 events shows three days of riding which indicates plenty of riders. There in no mention ANYWHERE that they are cutting back anything. You guys jump to every negative conclusion. They have changed it from Saturday Sunday to Friday Saturday. It talks about making finals and the event more entertaining and changing things up a bit. It looks to me they are promoting an event that is 3 hours and includes a lot of things that will make it entertaining and draw more people. I think it makes sense to promote a 3 hour event instead of 2 days and 24 hours of riding. I am sure there will be plenty of riding to watch for those woo want to come out Friday and Saturday earlier. Everybody bitches because of how World Pub promotes. Wprld Pub tries to promote and everybody bitches. Please wait and see the details before totally dismissing it.

Roger - I am not bitching about it. I am unclear on it. That is all. Is everything the same as before with a 3 hour jamboree on the Saturday night? That is how I originally read it. Everybody else seems to think differently. Anyway, I am going to try and find out and if I do I will post it.

^ this is what I'm saying. They could run the exact same format Friday -Sat instead of Sat-Sun. Could be good, could be bad, I'm thinking it's going to be pretty good.

this is what it says on the schedule; All five tour stops will host preliminary rounds prior to the new three-hour action-packed format held on Saturday evenings. In its 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. time slot, the Pro Tour will feature contest finals, a big-air challenge and a double up contest. that makes sense and sounds like a solid plan.

This is what it is, in answer to an email I sent. My questions were: When are the finals, and are the junior men or the pro women at any of the stops. "Yes, as the release stated the PWT events have a different approach this year. The main event is Saturday 5-8pm (to answer you question - no competition for anyone will be held on Sunday. Finals will be on Saturday; daily schedules are still in process) As far as which stops Junior Pro Men & Pro Women will be competing at along with the qualifying information as we’ve done in the past, that information will be sent out in the next week or so". So, there you have it.

Crap, they make some nice changes to the tour and moved out of my closest city (Wisconsin) oh well we'll have to fight hard to bring it home to Michigan next year.

The Atlanta stop was cool the year we went, but there were too many scaffolds up with sponsors banners obstructing the view. I know that without the sponsors, there wouldn't be a tour, but it was way over the top to me. I hope they remedy this in the future.

I like what I see. Especially the Saturday evening Main Event with finals and rails and bands. The finals were usually finished by 4 so they have plenty of time for prelim riding. I know that events in other countries do similar venues and the crowds are usually very large. I also like the fact you don't have to watch finals and if you wait for the podium you have to rush to the airport. It will make Saturday nights a lot more fun for the riders and the stops a lot more fun now they can relax on Saturdays. I like what I see.

Saturday Night main event may make for a more spectator friendly event. If they were to utilize live scoring (like snowboarding) it might keep the crowds interested in the wakeboarding. My main concern is the relatively tight (5pm to 8pm) time frame. Last year in Wisconsin heavy rain delayed Jr Mens for hours and totally eliminated everyone else on that day. Weather and daylight could be a major issue. What is the back up plan? I look forward to seeing the final schedule and hopefully this is going to create a good format for the sport.

It looks like the promoters are trying to figure out ways to make more money off of the event by drawing more spectators. No doubt these event cost a lot of money to put on and I'm sure sponsors arent throwing their money around today like they were 3 or 4 years ago. They prob feel like they must do something different that would attract more ppl since sponsors are cutting back. As a motocross promoter I can understand where the ppl running the tour are coming from. Lets face it, this is wakeboarding. No matter how much we all love it, its never going to be as big as nascar, the olympics, nfl,etc. So you have to reach out to more people rather than the wakeboarding community in order for the tour to be a success in the current state of the economy. just my dollar fitty.

There gonna be booze to go with the bands? Just wondering <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/uhoh.gif" border=0>

Jason- Absolutely right. If the riders want to make money the Tour has got to have bigger crowds. Maybe it will generate enough interest for some TV. (And I don't mean the 15 minute Fuel TV recap.)

how about it is a 6 man final who compete in the wake event and then the kicker event followed by the double up event best 2 out of 3 wins the contest overall. just a thought, that way you could fit it into 3 hours

booze would help.........just sayin...

Women at 2 stops. 2nd and last. It's normally been first and last. I know MC wanted them in TN which is the last stop anyway.

see you in TN. My gf and i have our girls that weekend. they were upset we didnt take them last year. I think with the women pros this year it will be much better for our kids...

I wish they would bring it back to Orlando, hell thats where half the riders live anyway.

You do have Wake Games AND Worlds in Orlando. I think it might be a bit much to have the PWT there as well. Let's share the love with the rest of the country a bit, no?

I could see the new format working to draw in the more casual spectators and as mentioned, maybe even some live tv coverage. Keeping things the same is not going to grow the tour coverage or make it possible to keep the ladies Jrs and the best riders coming to the contests. One thing that would keep things moving would be to have something like big air x - as many runs as you can get in a fixed amount of time, but you have to swim to the shore or get the PWC pickup after your first fall. Have three or four or boats in rotation so the next rider is always ready as soon as the course is safely cleared. Judge it live with video from a central location and spectators and riders might have something to watch more or less continuously over the three hours.