Hosted by Idaho Water Sports the wake community converged at Broadside Harbor where the most perfect conditions paired with the backdrop of Idaho’s foothills awaited riders and families for the second consecutive year. The stoke was at an all-time high on Friday with riders in all divisions preparing for the WWA West Regional Championships and receiving the industry’s best instruction from Malibu Pro athletes. Saturday saw a variety of riding with everyone from contest veterans, to those making their competitive debut looking to qualify for the WWA Wakeboard National Championships. Surf Gate Sunday closed out the weekend with the endless blue walls of perfection from Malibu’s Wakesetter Series.
“The Malibu Rider Experience series plays such a special role in ensuring the future of our sport...”
CORRIE WILSON // WWA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The WWA West Regional Championships represented what wake is all about making the starting dock a party to meet new friends and mingle with Malibu Pro riders. An array of new competitors were seen at Broadside Harbor including Girls rider Makenzie Milewski (WA) and Jr. Girls rider Melia Davis (UT), both of whom finished second in their respective divisions. Scott Leason broke wake history in 2018 as the first blind competitor to compete in a WWA contest and arrived back to the contest scene again this year. Leason earned his first place finish in the Adaptive Standing division with a back to back 180 combinations leaving the crowd roaring with the utmost excitement for this incredible athlete.
Elle Christensen (UT) came out on top in an intense battle for the win in the Jr. Women’s division. Christensen solidified her run with a backroll and scarecrow to score 81.67, ahead of Zoe Luquette (NV) in second with 68.33. Ellie Patrick (TX) rounded out the podium in third with 63.33. In the Masters division, Mike Cardoza (OR) ended up on top with a dum dum and bat wing to blind for a winning score of 93.33. Eddie Roberts (WA) placed second with a score of 76.67, followed by Mitchell Poth (WA) in third with 63.33 points.
Jr. Pro Men’s rider Noah Wildman (USA) took his first event win, making it out of a crazy final round with a whirly 540 and a wrapped H/S B/S 720 for a score of 66.67. Just missing the top spot, Thomas Herman (USA) scored 45.00 in second putting down some stylish and technical riding behind the Malibu 25 LSV. Brett Powell (USA) rounded out the podium in third with 40.00 points sticking a switch H/S 720.
The entire Haynie family came together for a light-hearted battle during the Men’s Wakesurf competition. Parks Haynie (AZ) took the win demonstrating use of the entire wave with solid turns and hacks to score 89.17. Deagan Haynie (AZ) carved and snapped his way through to place second with 76.67 points ahead of Hudson Haynie (AZ) in third with a score of 56.67.
Surf Gate Sunday provided for a solid way to end an amazing weekend behind the Malibu 25 LSV. New surfers were hooked, getting first-class instruction from Malibu Pro riders along with demoing the latest board technology from Ronix and O’Brien. The Malibu WWA Rider Experience heads down to San Angelo, Texas July 12–14 to be held in conjunction with Wake the Desert, for the next round of the world’s most popular rider development series. To find a Rider Experience event near you visit here.
See full results here!