Organizer: World Sports and Marketing

Wakeboarding is yet another sport which has exploded in the past decade and become what is today's fastest growing water-sport. A relative new comer, wakeboards evolved from a combination of surfboards and a water ski. Initially, the boards had no straps and definitive noses and tails (similar to a surfboard). It wasn't until 1993 that a twin-tip board was designed and remains the standard shape used today. Wakeboarders continue to push the limits of gravity and speed. Riders are towed behind a boat, spinning, flipping, and twisting off of the boat's wake.

New Look for X Games Wakeboarding:

Wakeboarding fans at the X Games are going to get an eyeful when they take in this year's contest in Philadelphia. Several sliders will be dotting the run, giving the event a street skating/snowboard park feel for the first time. The riders will have to show mastery and diversity on these obstacles if they want gold to hang from their neck.

Dead center in the middle of the course sits the "Slaughter Box," the most ominous of the bunch. This multiple-use structure offers each rider a variety of choices on how to use the apparatus. They can simply slide across the flat deck surface, but more inventive riders will find themselves atop the PVC pipes on the back, some ten feet above the water.

At the end of the first pass, the riders will encounter the kicker, a ramp slider that boosts the riders 50 feet down course while they reach an altitude of 10-15 feet. Simple grabs look stylish coming off the kicker, but inverts and multiple-rotation spins are where the high scores can be found.

At the other end of the course, the riders will be able to hit the slider, a 30-foot- long horizontal sliderail sitting four feet off the water. While not as imposing as the other obstacles when viewed from shore, the slider is a challenging piece of equipment where riders attempt to get a "full pull" across the entire length, and those with skills will try a nose press or spin while up on the pipes.

2001 Results:
Men
Gold: Danny Harf
Silver: Darin Shapiro
Bronze: Erik Ruck

Women
Gold: Dallas Friday
Silver: Emily Copeland
Bronze: Tara Hamilton

Competition Info | Who to Watch For