With just four weeks to go, Australia is all set to launch its strongest ever challenge for World Cup medals. Last year, when the IWWF World Cup combined with the Action Sports Games Mandurah in Western Australia, over 100,000 spectators showed up. With the unprecedented Australian strength in this year’s line-up for the March 15/16 World Cup Stop, even more are expected this year.
For the very best Waterski and Wakeboard athletes from twenty-three countries on the entry-list, this first World Cup Stop of 2014 is where they start their campaign for these cash prizes and coveted titles. This year, the programme includes Wakeboard and Jump for both Men and Women. This combination might just give Australia a real edge over the other twenty-two countries involved.
In Wakeboard, IWWF World Champion Harley Clifford (AUS) is the defending World Cup Wakeboard Champion. This could be his third consecutive Mandurah title. He has also taken the last two World Cup titles in Palembang Indonesia, plus the Moomba Masters title and has been almost unbeatable over the past four years. Pushing him hard will be Tony Iacconi (AUS) and Shota Tezuka (JPN).
Seven-time National Wakeboard Champion Bec Gange (AUS) is also the Mandurah World Cup defending champion. She reached the Podium in Palembang Indonesia and has an Asia Australasia title to her credit. Amber Wing (AUS), already has a string of World Cup medals, including Mandurah, Palembang Indonesia, Sarawak Borneo, and Linyi China. Again, Australia is looking very strong in this event.
In Women’s Jump, if she can somehow escape from her University studies for this vital weekend, Jacinta Carroll (AUS) will arrive on site with her new title of World Jump Champion, fresh from those magnificent Championships in Santiago, Chile last November. This will be a huge moment for this young athlete. Once again, against such greats as the World Record holder Natallia Berdnikova (BLR), Marion Mathieu (FRA) and Jutta Lammi (FIN), this will be quite a contest – but Australia will have an edge!
In Men’s Jump, Australia is not so strong at the moment. Once we see the name Freddy Krueger (USA) on the starting list, we know we will witness something special. He was crowned World Jump Champion once again last November. With seven World Jump Records already to his credit, beating him takes a miracle! Certainly capable of doing this is Canada’s Ryan Dodd, with Damien Sharman (GBR) and Scot Ellis (USA) always close. Again, this will guarantee an extraordinary weekend at this Mandurah World Cup Stop.
MasterCraft will provide the competition boats and technical support as they have done for all past 38 World Cup Stops.
Located just south of Perth, the expected 25C / 80F seaside conditions at Mandurah will hopefully make this a perfect location for extreme sports – and a major international sporting occasion!
This year, apart from Waterski and Wakeboard, Action Sports Games Mandurah, will also feature Freestyle Moto X, BMX and Skateboard. All will be staged at the crystal clear water’s edge. For the first time, Murdoch University has joined in as a major partner to promote their extensive nearby Mandurah Peel Campus. The famous annual Channel 7 Crab Fest, which takes place this same weekend, will also attract large crowds to the pristine shoreline. The local Dolphins and Pelicans are expected to return for the World Cup!
Facebook and Twitter updates will be available on the great Riders and Skiers who will launch this 2014 season in Mandurah. Those thousands of World Cup fans will have more opportunities than ever before to follow the action through a great range of Social Media, Webcast and other options available this year:
WEBCAST :
YouTube
PROMO
WORLD CUP SERIES
http://www.youtube.com/user/IWSFworldCUP
FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/actionsportsgames1
https://www.facebook.com/IWWFED?ref=hl
TWITTER
WEBSITES
http://www.WaterskiandWakeboardWorldCup.com
The provisional Timetable is as follows :
FRIDAY March 14th
07.00 – 14.30 Official Practice
SATURDAY March 15th
08.00 – 09.15 Women – Jump Semi Finals
09.15 – 11.15 Women – Wakeboard Semi Finals
11.15 – 13.45 Men – Jump Semi Finals
13.45 – 16.15 Men - Wakeboard Quarter Finals
16.15 – 17.45 Women – Wakeboard LCQ
18.00 – 18.30 Show Ski Western Australia
SUNDAY March 16th
08.30 – 10.30 Men – Wakeboard LCQ
10.30 – 11.20 Women – Jump Final
11.30 – 12.30 Men – Jump Final
12.30 – 14.30 Men – Wakeboard Semi Finals
14.30 – 15.30 Women – Wakeboard Finals
15.30 – 16.30 Men – Wakeboard Finals
16.30 – Double Up Competition
17.00 – Awards Presentation on site
INTERNATIONAL WATERSKI & WAKEBOARD FEDERATION
www.iwwfed.com
CONTACT : Des Burke-Kennedy, Media Chairman, International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation