THE 59TH NAUTIQUE MASTERS WEEKEND KICKS OFF WITH JUNIOR TITLES!

Pine Mountain, GA (May 25, 2018) – Today marked the start of the 59th Nautique Masters Water Ski & Wakeboard Tournament® presented by GM Marine Engine Technology. The story of the first day of the event were the titles claimed during the 26th Junior Masters behind the all-new Ski Nautique and award winning Super Air Nautique G23 at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia. The best junior waterski and wakeboard athletes took to beautiful Robin Lake to make their mark in history and take home the most coveted Junior titles in all of watersports.

As the first official day of the Masters, the GM Marine Engine Technology powered Ski Nautique pulled Nautique team athlete Paige Rini (CAN) to a Junior Masters championships in both the Junior Women's Trick and Slalom disciplines. Paige scored a 8,020 behind the all-new Ski Nautique to win the Trick portion of the event, then turned around and got 2 @ 38-off to take the Slalom win.

During the Junior Men's Trick division, it was Louis Duplan-Fribourg (FRA) taking the victory with 10,500 points, while Felipe Franco Belmont (PER) came in second place in 9,260. The Junior Men’s Slalom final saw Federico Jaramillo (COL) showcasing his talents and receiving a Junior Masters title after he ran 2 @ 39.5-off behind the completely redesigned Ski Nautique.

In Junior Women’s Jump, the pull from the 2019 Ski Nautique saw Brooke Baldwin (USA) jump an incredible distance of 137 feet (41.7m) to win the 26th Junior Masters title. During the Junior Men’s Jump, it was Louis Duplan-Fribourg with a distance of 177 feet (53.8m) to win the Junior Men's Jump portion of the event.

When it was all said and done, it was Paige Rini taking the overall Junior Women Masters title after feeling extremely comfortable behind the all-new Ski Nautique. With a couple first place finishes, Paige had an incredible day of skiing to earn the victory. “I’ve been coming here since I was a little girl and I love the Masters. Winning Slalom, Trick and Overall on Robin lake is the most incredible finish to my Junior ski career.”

On the Junior Men front, Louis Duplan-Fribourg took the overall win after getting on the podium in 2 disciplines. His first-place in the Jump and Trick was enough to stake his claim as the 26th overall Junior Masters champion.

The 5-time Wakeboard Boat of the Year in the Super Air Nautique G23 set up perfect wakes for the Junior Men’s Wakeboard riders, and after the smoke cleared it was Sam Brown (AUS) taking the Junior Masters victory. After laying down two insane passes, Sam found himself on top of the podium for the first time in history and stoked to stamp his name in history.

For complete up-to-date scores of the 26th Junior Masters, please visit masterswaterski.com/standings/

An invitation to compete in the Masters is universally considered an acknowledgement of achievement for reaching the pinnacle in a given watersports discipline - only the world's most elite athletes compete at the Masters. To view the 2018 criteria please visit the Masters website. This tournament is sanctioned by IWWF/USA Water Ski and WWA. Watch all of 59th Masters action live on Saturday May 26th starting at 8:00AM EDT, please visit masterswaterski.com.

Read more: THE 59TH NAUTIQUE MASTERS WEEKEND KICKS OFF WITH JUNIOR TITLES!

Federico Jaramillo takes home the slalom gold on this new D3 EVO at the US Junior Masters tying the course record of 2 @ 39

Accomplish Big Goals with Less Effort. Say hello to the Connelly Carbon V

We saw the merit for wider skis. It provided better performance and heightened improvement in the wider population of course goers. Doug Cannon has engineered Connelly products for 25 years, and along with a team of Connelly masterminds, he helped create the most efficient, effortless and predictable 34 mph ski on the market. Say hello to the Connelly Carbon V.

Forgiving, light and snappy, easily maneuverable, responsive. These are just a few of the qualities that set this buoy slayer apart from the pack.

Doug and the Connelly team originally bred the Carbon V from the Prophecy, the precursor to the GT. Unlike many other ski companies, Connelly created a ride that added more than just uniform width. They fashioned the Carbon V with a wider fore body to generate stabilization and speed as well as a slimmer tail for quicker edge changes. As a result, the Carbon V boasts aggressive turns without blowing out the tail and stays solid through the wakes.

According to Connelly elite slalomer Seth Stisher, the Carbon V is prime for people who are working their way to their max speed and need support at longer line lengths and slower speeds. It’s a great stepping stone for learning the course for the first time and honing clean, basic, efficient moves, he says.

Because the Carbon V was constructed with the same geometry (bevels, sidewall, tunnel) as the GT, skiers are able to work on the same principles as someone who is focusing on short line slaloming.

“Our top end skis were always designed to perform their best at a top level,” Doug says. “Skiing on them at slower speeds leaves some performance on the table. We wanted to make an extremely high performing ski that worked to its full potential at slower speeds (32-34 mph).”

Thus, the Carbon V was fabricated with efficiency in mind, so skiers could accomplish big goals with less effort.

If you are dreaming of 38 off but are still working on the yellow loop, we think the Carbon V is your answer to prayer.

Syndicate Hilltop Pro-Am dates announced!

The Syndicate Hilltop Pro-Am, a 2-day 4-round record slalom tournament capped off with a Head-to-Head Pro final will celebrate it’s 3rd year on August 4th and 5th, 2018.  Held at the immaculate Hilltop Lake in Arlington, Washington, the event offers pro skiers a shot at a $10,000 prize purse at a venue capable of producing world record scores. In the record rounds, amateurs share the dock with pros, skiing for personal bests and HO gear at the heavily tree protected blue waters of Hilltop.

Check out our recap of the Syndicate Hilltop 2017 Action:

Last year, Nick Adams took home the crown after hard fought head-to-head matchups, defeating the likes of both Jon Travers and Will Asher, while Jaimee Bull took home the pro womens victory.

Amateurs can find more information and enter HERE and HERE

Pros can enter by contacting Shannon Strickland at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. All Pros welcome to compete. Bring your A game.

Read more: Syndicate Hilltop Pro-Am dates announced!

Connelly Memorial Gear Guide

Click here to check out the best gear for Memorial weekend

TEAM D3 World Record Holder Nate Smith continues his total dominance

TEAM D3 World Record Holder Nate Smith continues his total dominance of every slalom event he enters. Since switching to his new D3 EVO Nate has been almost perfect at the 10.25 (41off) rope length.

Nate’s first pro event on the EVO was the TRAVERS GRAND PRIX last Friday the 11th. Nate won both rounds and the championship with scores into 9.75 (43off) No other skier ran 10.25.

Nate’s next event was the SWISS PRO SLALOM last Sunday the 13th. In the first round Nate again completed the 10.25 pass to lead all skiers. In the second round again Nate completed the 10.25 and scored This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. In the final Nate did what he needed to do, he scored 4 @ 10.25 for the victory.

FUN FACT- Nate Smith has run the 10.25 pass in competition more times than any other skier in the history of our sport. Unfortunately for the competition he isn’t showing signs of slowing down any time soon.

At D3 we are honored to have Nate as an ambassador for our brand and our sport. He is always willing to give back and drive the boat, judge an event, coach skiers, whatever he can do to help the sport we all love. Next up for Nate and TEAM D3 is the US Masters at Callaway Gardens, GA presented by Nautique Boats. The excitement starts on Friday the 25th and ends with finals on Sunday the 27th.

Be sure to catch the web cast for all the action or join us at our booth on site. https://www.nautique.com/events/masters

Miller wins Big Dawg Okee, Badal and Sund take 2nd and 4th

Dave Miller outlasted runner-up Greg Badal to win the first stop of the 2018 Big Dawg World Tour and Greg Sund finished fourth as GOODE XTRs occupied three of the top four positions. Jeff Rodgers finished 3rd.

Dave beat Jodi Fisher, top-seed Harald Hintringer and Greg Sund to advance to the finals, while Greg Badal had to get past Jason Seels, Fred Halt and Jeff to reach the final pairing.

After waiting out a rain storm, Dave edged Greg by one buoy with a score of 3 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off to earn the victory.

The weekend was a successful one for GOODE skiers, as they made up nine of the Sweet 16, 5 of the Elite 8 and three of the Final Four. Additional GOODE skiers advancing to the Sweet 16 were Bruce Dodd, Mark Menasci, Chet Raley, Tim Huston, and Chad Scott.

For full results, click here.

Stop No. 2 of the tour will take place June 16-17, at Cedar Ridge Ski Club in Canton, Miss. More information at nautiquebigdawg.com.

Manon Costard Joins Connelly Skis

Connelly Skis is proud to announce, Manon Costard of France, European record holder and one of the handful of women to round buoys at 41’ off has joined Connelly Skis. Her prowess on the water combined with her warmth on shore makes her a perfect partner for the #connellycollective. Manon’s skiing is a direct reflection of her personality — tenacious, determined and quietly badass. Connelly couldn’t be happier to welcome her to our family. Our Connelly Spokesperson, Ellie Horton caught up with her this morning to give you a little taste of what is to come. 

NCSWA Allstars Webcast

DATA Junior 2018 Clinic