So far, the 2002 season has been very successful for the Arizona Wakeboard Association (AWA). With an average of 50 riders per event, they are experiencing their best year yet. The following is an account of the June 22nd AWA event at Lake Pleasant, which kicked off the Friday prior to the event. Staff members were diligently working to set up the course, the rainbow slider, tents, and the massive starting dock. Strong winds were blowing in from the west, making set-up difficult. The forecast called for even more wind on the day of the event.

A handful of riders and sponsors showed up on the scene. Tige Boats of Arizona, one of the founding sponsors of the AWA, hosted this event along with Wake Designs. Tige and Wake Designs did a first class job of ensuring that everything was prepared and ready for the event. Tige Boats of Arizona owner Terry Barrett was there to oversee that everything ran smoothly.

Terry made it very clear that he wanted this event to be focused on the riders. In a conversation with Terry before the event, he said that he wanted to make each and every rider feel important, noting that, in his experiences, he has always witnessed the professional riders getting pampered and treated like VIP's. He said that his goal for this event was to make every rider feel like a V.I.P. Terry provided the riders with a 20'x 30' tent to kick back in when they weren't riding.

He also provided bottled water and sports drinks to the riders. Terry from Tige and Derek Solomon from Wake Designs also bought every contestant lunch from AWA sponsor, Off the Grill.

Saturday morning at 6:30am a slight breeze was blowing from the West. Riders were already on the course getting some last minute practice. Official practice would start at 7:00 on a first come, first serve basis. AWA staff was signing riders up for the event and explaining to newcomers the options they had when entering. Contestants twelve years and under signed up in the Grom class. Riders who had no inverts and were new to the sport signed up in the Novice division. The Intermediate class was for riders who could throw one or two inverts. Riders having no more than four inverts signed up in the Advanced class. There was also a Women's class, a Master's class (riders over 35 years of age), and an Outlaw class (unlimited inverts). By the time everything was said and done, 49 riders signed up for the event.

Just after 7:00am, Tige Boats of Arizona had their boats weighted down and ready to pull practice. Tige provided the AWA with two beautiful, cherry-red, decked-out 20V's. Many of the riders made comments about the huge, clean wakes that these Tige 20V's were throwing. During practice, numerous contestants were hitting the 30 foot inflatable rainbow slider provided by Marine Max. Practice ended around 8:30am and it was time for the riders' meeting.

AWA front man Tom Bugg took control of the mic to explain the riding format and order to the contestants. Each rider had two passes, three falls and was to be judged on the intensity of their ride and the execution of their tricks. Everyone was given the opportunity to hit the slider, but were required to wear a helmet if they chose to do so. Thankfully, earlier in the season, Pro Tec provided the AWA with helmets to loan to riders who wanted to attempt to hit the slider. These have definitely been put to use as most of the riders have made an attempt to tackle this slider at least once.

At 9:05am a slight breeze was blowing from north to south. Mother Nature was being kind. The first Grom rider, eight year old Sarah Schaefer, was on her way behind the 20V driven by Russ Olson. The crowd was cheering Sarah on as she navigated the course and made wakeboarding look easy. This was Sarah's first event and she was competing against four other Grom riders. When asked how she thought she did, she simply smiled, said, "Pretty good" and turned away to see her excited mother. The Groms were fun to watch and took their riding just as serious as the Outlaws.

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Driver Brett Ender pulled the Women's class simultaneously with the Grom class. The seven women competing weren't holding back. They were going big and nailing all of their grabs, spins, and slides. These ladies gave new meaning to the term "fashion air." Women's competitor Chrissy Bugg added some excitement when she threw a huge back-roll in front of the audience. She went on to take first in the Women's class.

Back on shore, the crowd was enjoying the surprisingly pleasant weather. Tom Bugg and Mike Cooper, along with all of the other staff and volunteers, kept everything running smoothly. Brian was still on the microphone, announcing riders' profiles and comments as they rode. Competitors leaving their profiles blank were lucky enough to have Brian ad lib for them. Of course, this was both entertaining and quite humorous.

Next came the Novice and Masters classes. The wind was still surprisingly calm. With thirteen people riding Novice, this was one of the bigger classes of the day. Walt Chantler was driving the boat that pulled the Novice class and was able to see this enthusiastic group of riders tear it up first hand. The Novice riders went off! These guys were trying all kinds of crazy things. More than half of the riders attempted to hit the inflatable slider. Most of the Novice riders who hit the slider had never attempted this before which added an element of entertainment for the audience. When all was said and done, no one was hurt and all of the Novice riders had a great time.

The Masters class had three intense competitors. These guys were serious about their riding and went out to prove to all of the younger riders that old guys can ride too. One of the Masters riders, Glen Coy, entered the Advanced class as well as the Master's class and went on to take first place in both categories!

Back on shore, riders and spectators were feeding their faces, listening to music, and enjoying the tournament. Meanwhile, the Advanced riders were on the course. Most of these riders are AWA "regulars" and know each other outside of the competitions. There was some sociable competition and a lot of encouragement between friends. The riders abused the slider, pulled many inverts and made the whole thing look like a walk in the park.

It was just about 1:00pm and the wind started picking up just a little bit. There were two classes left to go and it was time to take a break. During intermission, prizes were awarded to the classes that had ridden earlier. In the Grom class, Gage Jenkins took first, followed by Ira Cornelius, Tanner Fonseca, Sarah Schaefer and Taylor Raucher. All Grom riders received trophies as well as prizes. The Women's division was taken by Chrissy Bugg, followed by Jen Brewer in second and Capra Jensen stealing third. Glen Coy took first in Master's followed by Russ Olson and Joe Balint in third. Powell Williams won the Novice class. Second place was awarded to Tim Hardy after he narrowly edged out Tyler Rempe. The Advanced class was won by Glen Coy, followed by Sean Fulten in second and Danny Dean in third.

After the awards presentation, Terry from Tige took the mic as a Tige 21V rolled around the corner with a tower on it that looked a little strange. The tower appeared to be mounted backwards on the back of the boat! The design was very radical and unique. Terry soon shed some light on the new prototype Wake Designs cage that was mounted on the Tige. Riders flocked to the boat to check out this innovative new design as Terry explained all of the benefits.

When Intermission was over, the drivers were back in the boats, and it was time to start the Intermediate and Outlaw classes. One Intermediate rider, Brian Davis, rode a wake-skate with his walking cast on in order to keep himself in the point standings. Talk about hardcore! The Intermediate class was very competitive and difficult to judge. When everything was said and done, there was an undisputed tie for first place in this class.

The Outlaws were incredible. When they were riding, everyone stopped to watch. All of the AWA Outlaws rode as if their very lives depended on them winning. Every pass was full of perfectly executed tricks that the average rider could only dream of throwing and landing. The spins looked effortless, the rolls were huge, and these guys were adding grabs left and right during their incredible tricks. Everyone stayed to watch these guys compete and were rewarded with an excellent show.

When the dust finally settled, Brett Stemple and Mike Balzer shared in first place honors in the Intermediate class. Steve Jenkins and JC Wilkinson followed them in second and third. The Outlaw class was won by Heath Hernandez, followed by Mike Fulton and Brett Mormri.

The awards ceremony wrapped up the event. All riders who placed received gift certificates from Tige and Wake Designs. The boys from Ediktid Clothing Company also threw in some shirts for the winners. Just as the event was winding down, Terry from Tige provided a special prize for all of the competitors who were in last place in their division. Every last place rider received a seat for Cobe's Fantastic Voyage Tour that is set to come to town this summer. The AWA event was a huge success and all of the riders and fans had a great time!

The following people have been instrumental in the success and continued growth of the AWA. They are Chrissy Bugg, Mike Cooper, The Olson family, Walt Chantler, Brett Entder, Chuck "Heavy Thunder" Hyde, Mike Balzer, Brian Davis, Dan Fonseca, Laurie Coyle, Steve Jenkins, Christine Cameron, Glen Coy, Brian Ruddy, Mike Fulton, Brett Brinkerhoff, The Wolfe Family, Jimmy Muir and many others who gladly volunteer to fill in when needed.