Shapiro and Friday Capture Gravity Games Gold

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – At just 14 years of age, Dallas Friday (Orlando, FL) won her first Gravity Games Gold Medal in Women’s Wakeboarding in front of 9,700 spectators at Roger Williams Park. Despite a heel injury, Tara Hamilton (Lantana, FL), regarded as the world’s best female wakeboarder, took the silver and Christy Lee Smith (Little Rock, AK) won the bronze.

Friday turned pro just a year and a half ago and has already emerged as one of the sports top athletes. She entered the 2001 Gravity Games coming off an X-Games Gold medal performance two weeks ago in Philadelphia. A former gymnast, Friday won the 1998 Florida state All-Around title and the Southeastern Regional Floor Championship before "retiring" to take up the sport of Wakeboarding full-time in June of 1999. She quickly made her mark on the pro circuit, ending the 2000 season ranked fourth and winning silver at the 2000 X-Games.

In the men’s event Darin Shapiro (Fort Lauderdale, FL) also won his first Gravity Games Gold Medal, after placing second at last year’s event. Parks Bonifay (Winter Haven, FL) won the silver and Daniel Watkins (Australia) took the bronze. In the Best Trick Competition, 16-year old Danny Harf (Orlando, FL) placed first. Harf’s sister, Lauren, competed in the women’s event and placed 10th.

Shapiro, nicknamed "The Skud", is the sports most decorated athlete. He has won every title imaginable, including six Pro Tour Season Titles. Two weeks ago at the X-Games he took the silver after winning the gold at the 2000 X-Games.

Initially developed in 1985 as a form of short-board surfing, Wakeboarding features athletes launching off wakes 20’ in the air. Pulled by a speedboat filled with four judges, wakeboarders execute a variety of arial tricks. Judges award points in four categories: style, difficulty, consistency and originality.

The Gravity Games are the most-attended, highest-rated action sports event in the world. The 2000 Gravity Games drew nearly 370,000 spectators to Providence and was nationally televised on NBC. The Gravity Games are recognized as the premier sport, music and lifestyle festival with over 250 athletes from 17 countries competing in a variety of events, including Aggressive Inline Skating, Bike, Downhill Skateboarding, Freestyle Motocross, Skateboarding, Street Luge and Wakeboarding. Each year, over 60,000,000 people in the U.S. alone participate in the sports featured at the Gravity Games.

Top-level Gravity Games sponsors include: Irish Spring, Lorillard, Mongoose, Norelco, Powerade, Speed Stick and Toyota. For more information on the Gravity Games or any athlete, call 1-888-4-GRAVTY or log on to the Gravity Games’ critically acclaimed web site at gravitygames.com.

2001 Gravity Games Women’s Wakeboarding Finals Results

1. Dallas Friday (USA) - 62.33
2. Tara Hamilton (USA) - 60.11
3. Christy Smith (USA) - 55.89
4. Emily Copeland (USA)
5. Leslie Kent (USA)
6. Buster Lutgert (USA)
7. Maeghan Major (USA)
8. Cathy Williams (USA)
9. Melissa Marquardt (USA)
10. Lauren Harf (USA)
11. Marie Botved Studd (DEN)
12. Cheryl Newton (USA)

2001 Gravity Games Men’s Wakeboarding Finals Results

1. Darin Shapiro (USA) - 67.56
2. Parks Bonifay (USA) - 64.68
3. Daniel Watkins (AUS) - 60.33
4. Erik Ruck (USA)
5. Gerry Nun (USA)
6. Zane Schwenk (USA)
7. Shaun Murray (USA)
8. Rob Struharik (USA)
9. Daniel Harf (USA)
10. Brett Eisenhauer (USA)
11. Evan Kennedy (USA)
12. Ryan Wynne (USA)
13. Chris Law (USA)
14. Josh Sanders (USA)
15. Shane Bonifay (USA)
16. Trevor Hansen (USA)