Wakeboard Club hosts first tournament of 2019

BY Dave Dain

Photo by Dave Dain

The Canyon Lake Wakeboard Club was greeted with a beautiful spring day for the first tournament of the 2019 season. The backwater, once again, did not disappoint with perfect water conditions for the riders. Ben Leschly from California Skier and Cole Barone from Sun Country Marine took care of the driving duties.

A four-rider battle consisting of Sawyer Clarke, Wyatt Brown, Charlotte Richie and Harper Clarke kicked the day off in the Mini Division. Their bag of tricks that included high fives, thumbs up and no handers was quite impressive and impossible to judge. In the end, it was declared a four-way tie for first place.

The Beginner Division of Skyler Murphy, Mason Brown, Alondra Vogel, Peyton and Rylee Moorhead and Mai Kelly hit the water next. Just like the Minis, this was too close and ended with a six-way tie for the top spot on the podium.

The Junior Novices featured a trio of riders that were evenly matched. Justice Barnes took the win, followed closely by Jovina Vogel and first-time contestant Samantha Triolo in third.

Chris Hofmann’s bag of tricks was just enough to take top honors in the Master’s Division. Craig Brown finished second with Rob Richie in third.

The Women’s Masters Division was a two-rider battle between Anela Richie and Crystal Hofmann. Crystal’s run was a bit smoother, giving her the win.

Korbin Lopez and Ethan Mitchell battled it out in the Novice Division. The duo was evenly matched but Korbin was a bit smoother and outdueled Ethan for the win.

Reyna Barnes was the only competitor in the Women’s Division. Despite being the only one in her class, she had one of the best runs of the day.

The Veterans Division was also a solo rider class featuring Jason Vogel. Jason always puts on a good show with some huge airs with grabs and 180s.

Women’s Surf Division was a four-rider shootout between a trio of Vogel’s, Melissa, Havannah and Jovina, and Crystal Hofmann. Melissa missed two 360s but her new trick, the “Rebun,” gave her the top spot on the podium. Havannah finished second and Crystal managed to stop the Vogel sweep and just edge out Jovina for third.

Men’s Surf was also a four-rider duel. Jason Vogel just edged out Chris Hofmann to take his second win of the day. Chris finished in the runner position and Craig Brown rounded out the podium in third.

Craig Brown, Tyler Clarke and Dave Clarke competed in the Wakeskate Division. All three runs featured some great surface tricks. Craig just managed to edge out Tyler for the win. Tyler finished second, Dave finished third.

Michael Lembo in the Open Division and Tyler Clarke in the Expert Division put on the two most impressive rides of the day. The two seemed to have an endless combination of spins and flips.

The final division of the day was the Legends. The division featured two riders with very different tricks. John Triolo’s run featured some great surface tricks but Dave Clarke’s bigger air grabs gave him the edge, giving him the top spot on the podium.

The next tournament is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 21. For more information, visit canyonlakewakeboardclub.com.