Darin and Dallas Win Again
Darin and Dallas Win Again
By cramey on Monday, May 07, 2001 @ 3:36 pm
Ft. Lauderdale, FL – The first two events of the 2001 U.S. Pro Water Ski & Wakeboard season have been huge for two athletes. Darin Shapiro and Dallas Friday have taken the men’s and women’s wakeboard events in both the Norelco Open in Orlando and the Pro Tour stop in Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday.
Both the men’s and women’s wakeboarding events were hotly contested with excellent displays of wakeboarding in Ft. Lauderdale, much better than week one of the Pro Tour in Orlando when many of the top riders seemed to be getting their bearings.
Shapiro, performing in front of a hometown crowd at Mills Pond Park, earned the top position in the final, and had the honor of being the last rider off the dock. He and Erik Ruck represented the last two riders to ride in the finals, and they gave the crowds the best performances on the water.
Shapiro’s performance was just a little bit better than Ruck’s earning him a victory by a slim margin. Shapiro finished with a 74.01. Ruck finished with a 73.32, missing the top spot by less than a point.
The men’s final was so close, that it came down to the double-up to decide it. Both men went big, but Shapiro just edged out Ruck. Zane Schwenk earned the third place on the podium with a 67.35.
Schwenk was the only rider to do a double-up on the podium on Sunday, taking first in the Sea Doo Slider X competition. The new competition at Pro Tour events in 2001, rewards the rider who nails the biggest trick on the Fun Box, the Pro Tour’s newest apparatus, while being pulled by a Sea Doo. Riders who make the first trick get another shot at the box for trick NO. 2. Judges score from the shoreline right beside the riders’ dock. The scores are displayed to the crowd instantaneously, a la the Gong Show.
For his efforts, Schwenk walked away with a check for $1,000 from Sea Doo. Gerry Nunn finished second, earning $500. The Sea Doo Slider X competition will continue throughout the 2001 Pro Tour season.
For the women, Friday has burst on to the scene, and in the absence of defending 2000 Pro Tour Season Champion, Tara Hamilton, taken over the Pro Tour. With two victories in a row, she sits atop the 2001 Indmar Pro Tour Standings. With just two more stops for the women on the Pro Tour she sits primed to win it all in 2001.
Her performance on Sunday was again spectacular, but so were the performances of Emily Copeland and Marie Botved-Studd, who took second and third respectively. Both riders proved that they can up their riding to challenge Friday for the rest of the season. At the Norelco Open, Friday blew away the competition, but in Ft. Lauderdale, the margin was much tighter.
Friday won with a 58.73, but Copeland was a very close second at 56.70. Botved-Studd finished just a hair behind Copeland at 53.53. This marks the second top-three finish for Botved-Studd in a row.
Now the table is set for the 2001 Pro Tour season. In the next women’s stop, Hamilton will be back and healthy. A rivalry between Hamilton and Friday should make for some exciting wakeboarding.
Men’s Wakeboard Semifinals
(8 advance into Finals)
Heat # 1
1. Erik Ruck (USA) 73.17
2. Shaun Murray (USA) 73.00
3. Zane Schwenk (USA) 66.85
4. Chad Sharpe (CAN) 58.95
===
Failed to make cut:
5. Daniel Harf (USA) 42.75
6. Shane Bonifay (USA) 34.07
Heat # 2
1. Darin Shapiro (USA) 70.36
2. Chris Law (USA) 56.65
3. Ryan Wynne (USA) 51.01
4. Randall Harris (USA) 48.35
===
Failed to make cut:
5. Gerry Nunn (USA) 47.03
6. Evan Kennedy (USA) 53.02
Sea Doo Slider X
1. Zane Schwenk (USA) 16
2. Gerry Nunn (USA) 15
3. Chris Law (USA) 13
4. Darin Shapiro (USA) 8
5. Shaun Murray (USA) 6
6. Erik Ruck (USA) 3
Women’s Wakeboard Finals
1. Dallas Friday (USA) 58.73
2. Emily Copeland (USA) 56.70
3. Marie Botved Studd (DEN) 53.35
4. Melissa Marquardt (USA) 48.35
5. Christy Smith (USA) 38.05
Men’s Wakeboard Finals
1. Darin Shapiro (USA) 74.01
2. Erik Ruck (USA) 73.32
3. Zane Schwenk (USA) 67.35
4. Shaun Murray (USA) 58.40
5. Chad Sharpe (CAN) 56.35
6. Chris Law (USA) 53.02
7. Ryan Wynne (USA) 52.64
8. Randall Harris (USA) 50.74
Both the men’s and women’s wakeboarding events were hotly contested with excellent displays of wakeboarding in Ft. Lauderdale, much better than week one of the Pro Tour in Orlando when many of the top riders seemed to be getting their bearings.
Shapiro, performing in front of a hometown crowd at Mills Pond Park, earned the top position in the final, and had the honor of being the last rider off the dock. He and Erik Ruck represented the last two riders to ride in the finals, and they gave the crowds the best performances on the water.
Shapiro’s performance was just a little bit better than Ruck’s earning him a victory by a slim margin. Shapiro finished with a 74.01. Ruck finished with a 73.32, missing the top spot by less than a point.
The men’s final was so close, that it came down to the double-up to decide it. Both men went big, but Shapiro just edged out Ruck. Zane Schwenk earned the third place on the podium with a 67.35.
Schwenk was the only rider to do a double-up on the podium on Sunday, taking first in the Sea Doo Slider X competition. The new competition at Pro Tour events in 2001, rewards the rider who nails the biggest trick on the Fun Box, the Pro Tour’s newest apparatus, while being pulled by a Sea Doo. Riders who make the first trick get another shot at the box for trick NO. 2. Judges score from the shoreline right beside the riders’ dock. The scores are displayed to the crowd instantaneously, a la the Gong Show.
For his efforts, Schwenk walked away with a check for $1,000 from Sea Doo. Gerry Nunn finished second, earning $500. The Sea Doo Slider X competition will continue throughout the 2001 Pro Tour season.
For the women, Friday has burst on to the scene, and in the absence of defending 2000 Pro Tour Season Champion, Tara Hamilton, taken over the Pro Tour. With two victories in a row, she sits atop the 2001 Indmar Pro Tour Standings. With just two more stops for the women on the Pro Tour she sits primed to win it all in 2001.
Her performance on Sunday was again spectacular, but so were the performances of Emily Copeland and Marie Botved-Studd, who took second and third respectively. Both riders proved that they can up their riding to challenge Friday for the rest of the season. At the Norelco Open, Friday blew away the competition, but in Ft. Lauderdale, the margin was much tighter.
Friday won with a 58.73, but Copeland was a very close second at 56.70. Botved-Studd finished just a hair behind Copeland at 53.53. This marks the second top-three finish for Botved-Studd in a row.
Now the table is set for the 2001 Pro Tour season. In the next women’s stop, Hamilton will be back and healthy. A rivalry between Hamilton and Friday should make for some exciting wakeboarding.
Men’s Wakeboard Semifinals
(8 advance into Finals)
Heat # 1
1. Erik Ruck (USA) 73.17
2. Shaun Murray (USA) 73.00
3. Zane Schwenk (USA) 66.85
4. Chad Sharpe (CAN) 58.95
===
Failed to make cut:
5. Daniel Harf (USA) 42.75
6. Shane Bonifay (USA) 34.07
Heat # 2
1. Darin Shapiro (USA) 70.36
2. Chris Law (USA) 56.65
3. Ryan Wynne (USA) 51.01
4. Randall Harris (USA) 48.35
===
Failed to make cut:
5. Gerry Nunn (USA) 47.03
6. Evan Kennedy (USA) 53.02
Sea Doo Slider X
1. Zane Schwenk (USA) 16
2. Gerry Nunn (USA) 15
3. Chris Law (USA) 13
4. Darin Shapiro (USA) 8
5. Shaun Murray (USA) 6
6. Erik Ruck (USA) 3
Women’s Wakeboard Finals
1. Dallas Friday (USA) 58.73
2. Emily Copeland (USA) 56.70
3. Marie Botved Studd (DEN) 53.35
4. Melissa Marquardt (USA) 48.35
5. Christy Smith (USA) 38.05
Men’s Wakeboard Finals
1. Darin Shapiro (USA) 74.01
2. Erik Ruck (USA) 73.32
3. Zane Schwenk (USA) 67.35
4. Shaun Murray (USA) 58.40
5. Chad Sharpe (CAN) 56.35
6. Chris Law (USA) 53.02
7. Ryan Wynne (USA) 52.64
8. Randall Harris (USA) 50.74
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