Year two is here for the Northwest Riders Wake Series! The 2nd annual event is set for Friday-Saturday-Sunday, August 12-13-14 in Monroe, WA.

As it was last year…the entire series will be held on Lake Tye north of Seattle, WA. The venue has perfect sight lines, ample space for driving and pulling riders, great retail including local shop Grizzly-Sports, restaurants including event participant Sockeye’s, a small skate park, a full walking path around the lake, plenty of parking, and is just a short drive from Seattle and the surrounding areas.

If you are coming from Seattle, click here for directions.

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The Northwest Riders Wake Series:

Friday, August 12:

Double Up Competition -

The double up comp will feature an exclusive list of semi-pro/pro riders from all over the northwest. Spectators will be able to watch from Sockeye’s restaurant at the north end of the lake. Sockeye’s has a wrap-around outdoor deck with seating and will also feature a special beer garden during the event for persons 21 and older. There will be plenty of space for families to view the event as well.

Up for grabs will be $500 in prize money and bragging rights. Last season’s winner Robby Carter will be back to defend his title against a skilled set of riders.

*This year we kick off at 5:00 PM. Riders will be eliminated until we have a champion.

Saturday, August 13:

Wakeboarding Competition -

The wakeboarding comp will feature riders of all-ages and varying skill levels. The event will be towed by two MasterCraft boats with each set up according to the division and riding level of the participants. Entrants will be able to ride in a safe environment and fees will be minimal so that all that want to ride get the chance to. A $30 fee will get each rider a 4-minute set behind the boat along with an event T-Shirt. Northwest Riders Clothing Co. will be covering the insurance fee for all riders on Saturday.

Riders will be broken into divisions and heats with judges determining who places based on set scoring methods. The divisions are: Novice, Intermediate, Womens, Advanced, Open.

A $500 cash prize purse will be up for the Open division. Other divisions will receive prizes and giveaways for the top finishers in each classification.

*Sign-Ups begin at 8:00 AM on Saturday. To pre-register call Greg at 425-220-0675 or Zack at 425-463-5553. SPACE IS LIMITED. 1st come 1st on the list until we run out of space.

Sunday, August 14:

Learn to Wakeboard (NWR Clinic) -

The final day of the weekend will be reserved for a Northwest Riders wakeboard clinic. This will be a much quieter, hands-on experience. Similar to past NWR clinics…this event will allow up to 15 people of all ages and abilities to come out on the boat for some one-on-one coaching.

The times will be from 7am-9am, 9am-11pm, 12pm-2pm, 2pm-4pm and 4pm-6pm. Each time slot will take 3 people and a family member or friend out in the boat for coaching and learning anything from basic fundamentals to top tier wakeboarding tricks depending on the rider.

*This portion of the event will be $100 per participant. To sign-up, please call Greg at 425-220-0675. Times fill up very fast, so please call soon if you are interested.

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Northwest Riders would like to thank our supporters for helping to make this happen including:

Daren Postforoosh and Mastercraft Northwest/Seattle, Wade Wagley and Slingshot Wakeboards, John Thorburn and the Northwest Marine Trade Association (NMTA), RV Palmer, Mike, Micah and Grizzly-Sports, the Seattle Boat Show, Nick Aiken at Red Bull, Ryan Brien and The Rock Church, Mike and Ryan at Sockeye’s, Robert King at NW Quality Remodel & Deck, Rhys Logan, Papa Yip Yip from Charlie’s Chow, and Plobix from 7th Synapse Pluto.

A very BIG thank you again goes to City of Monroe Mayor Robert Zimmerman, Denise Jacobsen, Mike Farrel, and the rest of the city staff that helped us along the way. Last year’s event was great and this year’s is stacking up to be even better!

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Coverage from the 2010 Event:

• Photo Galleries | Northwest Riders Wake Series 2010
• 2010 Northwest Riders Wake Series Recap

2010 In Pictures

Our buddy Nick Jones recently had a short interview over on AllianceWake.com and we wanted to share the link with our readers that have followed Nick from the early days of his career here on WBNW.

The highlight question in our eyes:

If you could pick any place in the world too (sic) ride where would it be and why?

Nick: On Lake Washington up in Seattle with my Dad, because thats where it all started for me and what made me become addicted to this sport.

Always stoked to see Nick get some mainstream coverage. Nice work Jonesy…keep it up!

Read on for the full interview link and some riding videos of Mr. Jones.

2010 Northwest Riders Wake Series :: 1st Annual Wakeboard Event

This event was fun…and I’m not just saying that because it was our event. I had a blast. Greg had a blast. Our volunteers had a great time. The riders enjoyed it. We also heard the same from Monroe locals (except for that one angry fisherman), the Monroe Parks Department, the City of Monroe Mayor and staff, and on and on. It was fun because all of these people made it just that. Thank you. Anyone that came out and supported us…you are appreciated.

We are sifting through tons of images which we will post here on the BLOG in the coming days. Rhys Logan (rhystomahawk.com) came out to snap photos and will have them for sale for those that were asking/interested. Until then have a look at the edited video Rhys put together and read on …

The CWU wake team has been busy the last few months. Not only did they release their first team video which you can watch in its entirety below…but they also just placed 3rd at Nationals. Congrats to the whole CWU wake team!

Check out photos and a recap article here.

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Kids That Snowboard - Full Video

I received an email the other day from Nick Jones and I’m pretty sure I could feel how pumped Nick was just in reading the words on my screen. Since moving to Seattle in 2005, Nick has been one of the top riders that I have really enjoyed going out on the lake with and even more so, just hanging out with. As many of you know, Nick had a bad foot injury awhile back and was struggling to get back to his old self as the foot kept throwing kink after kink in his riding. Which brings us back to his email.

Nick recently landed a trick that has never been done. He dubbed it the “Big Perm,” which is a pretty funny play on the current trick named the “Big Worm” crossed with Nick’s signature curly hair that sits atop his head and has become a bit of an identifier for him.

Click over for a look at the trick…

The 3rd Annual Pro Team Challenge wakeboard competition is returning to the Pacific Northwest. The three-part competition will feature some of the top pro riders in the world riding for their prospective board manufacturers, a chance to add their names to the Malibu Cup PTC trophy and bragging rights as the best team in wakeboarding for the next 12 months.

The Pro Team Challenge will take place on Sunday, August 2nd at the Bow Lake Water Sports Complex in Bow, WA., just North of Seattle. At Bow Lake, riders will enjoy great water conditions in one of the top private water sports facilities in the Pacific Northwest. Currently three pro teams are scheduled to compete including two-time defending Champions, Team Hyperlite and Teams from CWB and Liquid Force, trying and de-throne the Champs.

Click the link for more info and to view the event flier.

Friends:

I got the chance to go and visit Brandon yesterday as he has already been moved out of the ICU! The doctors have labeled him the Miracle boy. They said that where he is at this point should have taken at least 3 months. God is healing B up double time!

He was super alert and his attitude was amazing. Positive, smiling and laughing at times, and the same old B-Rob we know and love. He may even be released much sooner than expected. That’s not to say he doesn’t still have a long recovery ahead…but knowing him he will turn long into much shorter than expected. Brandon did end up having his right foot amputated. This means he has some learning coming up with a new prosthetic. I know he will be back on the water and the mountain in no time as he told me just that! Please keep praying for his healing and recovery.

Brandon will have some medical costs for various things as you can imagine. Bakes has setup a donation fund for Brandon. If you would like to read more on that and donate to the fund, please visit www.bakesmarine.com/Brandon.

God Bless…please keep the prayers for healing and recovery coming for B.

Zack Clark

Northwest Rider Brandon Robins was in a serious dirtbike accident on July 4th and is currently undergoing various surgeries to repair injuries he sustained. Brandon is a staple in the Northwest wakeboarding scene and those of you that have met him know that he has a huge heart and is a true friend to those in his circle.

Our prayers are with him as he starts the long road to recovery. We will be setting up a fund for donations to help out on the medical costs soon.

We will keep everyone posted here at Wakeboard Northwest and also on NorthwestRiders.com.

Check out this look into the life of Rusty Malinoski. Rusty is a guy I respect because he looks at his wakeboarding as a career and puts in the work to be on top. Too often talented riders rise in the ranks and then fall hard because they take their skill and don’t make the most of it…Malinoski is a true pro athlete in the sport.