The United States and Australia Take Home 2007 World Titles

RENO, Nev. — Five of the most talented pro male riders in the world hit the water of Sparks Marina today for the Pro Men’s Division finals of the Rockstar WWA Wakeboard World Championships, presented by Supra. All five riders were vying for the title of the world’s best wakeboarder.

Rusty Malinoski, JD Webb, Erik Ruck, Phillip Soven, and Shane Bonifay all gathered on the Supra towboat to ride along the shore and be recognized as the five finalists of the 2007 Wakeboard World Championships. After their introduction, the five shredders got down to business.

Bonifay and Ruck were the first two riders off the dock and both put up a valiant effort in the finals to earn fifth and fourth place respectively. Then Webb and Malinoski hit the water. Malinoski had a great run, but Webb had the more impressive finish to take second place. Although Webb had an amazing run; ultimately, Phillip Soven (Longwood, FL), 18, took the top spot and claimed his second world title.

“I’m stoked about this win, it’s such a great honor to be recognized as a world champion,” said Soven. “I’ve had such a great year this season and to add a world title onto it makes it so much sweeter.”

All eyes today were on Dallas Friday, as the most decorated female rider in the world chased after her fourth consecutive world title. However, Supra team rider Amber Wing (Yowie Bay, Australia), 24, pulled off the upset to capture the 2007 world title. Friday finished behind Wing, while Nicola Butler of the United Kingdom took third place.

2007 is clearly Reed Hansen’s year. The 17-year-old pro wakeskater out of Groveland, FL captured the U.S. national championship earlier this season and claimed the ’07 world title during today’s finals.

The Jr. Men’s Division has a new world champion, Mitch Langfield. Langfield (Narangba, Australia), 16, beat out five other riders to claim his new title.

Shawna Hoffman (Butte Valley, CA), 15, took the top spot during today’s Jr. Women’s Wakeboard Division finals to take home the world title.

The Boys Division hit the water today for their finals with Harley Clifford (Medowie, Australia), 13, claiming the world title.

Jason Soven (Longwood, FL), 10, took home the world title for Jr. Boys Division.

To catch all the wakeboarding action from home, tune in to Fuel TV on Mondays at 9:30 p.m. For exact air dates, go to www.kingofwake.com.

Fuel TV is a 24/7 action-sports lifestyle network for wakeboarding, skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, BMX and freestyle motocross. A unit of Fox Cable Networks, Fuel TV was launched July 1, 2003, and is seen in 24 million U.S. homes. To subscribe to Fuel TV, call 877-4-FUEL-TV. For program times and other information, visit www.kingofwake.com.

Supra is the official tow boat of the Rockstar WWA Wakeboard World Championships. Celebrating 26 years of excellence in the marine industry, Supra pioneered rider-friendly boats that feature innovative hull designs, adjustable wakes and versatile seating with sleek and sexy styling. Supra kicks up the fattest wakes with a line of 10 tournament-quality Launch Series boats, each with the attitude and ability to help you find more altitude than ever before.

WakeBoarding, published by Bonnier Corp., is the official magazine of the World Championships. WakeBoarding is the definitive source on all things wakeboarding, with expert coverage of professional instruction, gear, boats and the latest news.

The Rockstar WWA Wakeboard World Championships, presented by Supra, is organized by World Sports & Marketing of Orlando, Fla. The championship has the support of the following: Rockstar, Supra, Indmar, Verizon Wireless, the U.S. Air Force, Reef, G3 Boats, Hyperlite, CWB, Ronix, Gator Boards, Oakley, Fuel TV, the World Wakeboard Association, Cire, Subway, Reno-Tahoe, www.theliquidcircus.com, www.wakeworld.com and www.wakeboarder.com.

Day #4 Results:

Men’s Professional – Finals Heat 01

1 Phillip Soven USA 95.00
2 JD Webb USA 92.50
3 Rusty Malinoski CDN 77.50
4 Erik Ruck USA 75.00
5 Shane Bonifay USA 60.00

Women’s Professional – Finals Heat 01

1 Amber Wing AUS 60.56
2 Dallas Friday USA 50.00
3 Nicola Butler UK 46.11
4 Hayley Smith AUS 44.44
5 Emily Copeland Durham USA 41.67
6 Laura Lohrmann USA 33.33

Professional WakeSkate – Finals Heat 01

1 Reed Hansen USA 58.33
2 Ben Kaiser USA 43.33
3 Steven Campbell USA 36.67
4 Brian Grubb USA 30.00

Junior Men (14-18) – Finals Heat 01

1 Mitchell Langfield AUS 70.00
2 Jimmy LaRiche USA 64.44
3 A.J Racinelli USA 47.78
4 Joshua Chabator USA 46.11
5 Jarrod Askew AUS 31.67
6 Raphael Derome CAN 30.56

Junior Boys (9 and under) – Finals Heat 01

1 Jason Soven USA 52.22
2 Cory Teunissen AUS 32.22
3 Noah Flegel USA 10.00

Boys (10-13) – Finals Heat 01

1 Harley Clifford AUS 67.22
2 Jacob Valdez USA 59.44
3 Daniel Powers USA 53.89
4 Mark McMorris CAN 46.11
5 Mitchell Askew AUS 32.22
6 Michael Dowdy USA 31.11

Jr Women Wakeboard – Finals Heat 01

1 Shawna Hoffman USA 45.00
2 Holland Finley USA 39.44
3 Danni Petraitis USA 28.89

Men’s Professional – Semi Finals Heat 01

1 Shane Bonifay USA 93.00
2 Chad Sharpe CDN 92.00
3 Daniel Watkins AUS 80.50
4 Derek Grasman USA 74.50

Men’s Professional – Semi Finals Heat 02

1 JD Webb USA 97.50
2 Aaron Rathy CDN 86.50
3 Dean Smith AUS 83.50
4 Danny Harf USA 72.50

Men’s Professional – Semi Finals Heat 03

1 Erik Ruck USA 97.00
2 Trevor Hansen USA 86.50
3 Shaun Murray USA 81.00
4 Brett Eisenhauer AUS 75.50

Men’s Professional – Semi Finals Heat 04

1 Rusty Malinoski CDN 100.00
2 Shawn Watson USA 87.50
3 Gabe Lucas USA 79.50
4 Keith Lidberg USA 73.00

Men’s Professional – Semi Finals Heat 05
1 Phillip Soven USA 100.00
2 Andrew Adkison USA 88.50
3 Mikey Ennen USA 81.50
4 Kyle Alberts USA 70.00