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GROUP of air sport experts will spice up festivities
during the 2008 World Wakeboard Association (WWA)
Wakepark World Championships, which starts today and
ends Sunday at the Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC) in
Pili, Camarines Sur.
Team
Ozone, an American group which specializes in freefall
stunts, will showcase its members’ skills throughout the
duration of the tournament in the first CWC Extreme
Airsports Show. The members of the team are Mike Steen,
Carson Klein and Patrick Kaye.
Unlike
parachuting, paragliding, skydiving and similar
high-altitude events, air sport enthusiasts jump from
much lower heights like buildings and helicopters.
Team
Ozone members showed a glimpse of what they can do
Saturday by jumping from the 40-story-high South Market
Building near the Bonifacio High Street.
“We
are free-falling 400 feet at a rate of 45 to 60 miles
per hour.
We do
it for the thrill,” said Steen.
WWA
president Shannon Starling said that he is expecting 25
to 30 countries and 200 participants to join the
wakeboarding event that is giving away $50,000 in total
prizes. He also commended Camarines Sur Gov. LRay
Villafuerte, a wakeboarder himself, for his effort to
bring the event to the Philippines.
“The
sport is growing fast. We have never seen this happened
before and this is through the effort of Governor LRay [Villafuerte]
for making this happen,” said Starling.
Seventeen divisions will be contested: the junior boys,
boys, junior men, men’s I, men’s II, men’s masters,
veterans, amateur wakeskate, pro men, girls, junior
women, amateur women, masters women, women’s wakeskate,
pro women, obstacles and pro wakeskate.
Philip
Soven of the United States and Amber Wing of Australia
are expected to defend their titles in the men’s pro and
women’s pro event, respectively. They topped the 2007
edition in Reno, Nevada. --
Reuben Terrado |
