Corona New Zealand National Championships Begin Tomorrow!
Thursday, April 06, 2006

The biggest weekend in New Zealand wakeboarding has arrived and it’s set to be the best-attended national championships to date. Competitor registrations have far exceeded expectations, with some events (such as the Men’s 1 and 2 classes, and the Wakeskate demonstration) now to be held on Sunday, April 9.

Saturday (April 8) will see the premier events take place, including the Open Men’s and Open Women’s, Veterans and the highly anticipated Junior Men’s division, featuring some of New Zealand’s best hopes for future international success. With Jeff Weatherall and Brad Smeele duelling for the Open Men’s title, this should be a clash of epic proportions and one to be closely watched.

Andrea Fountain goes into the Open Women’s event as the division favourite – along with Gavin Broadbent in the Veterans class – and both will be putting in spectacular performances in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.

The Corona New Zealand Wakeboard Nationals are taking place at Lake Karapiro, about 10mins south of Cambridge. Once through Cambridge, simply follow State Highway One (SH1) as it runs alongside the Waikato River and turn right at Maungatautari Road. This leads to Horo Horo Domain at Pairere – the venue for the 2006 National Championships.

Along with Corona, sponsors for this year’s event include Mountain Dew and Cadbury; with Dr Woody’s again supporting the now infamous (but hugely popular) ‘Lube Wrestling’! Food and drinks are available at the Pairere waterskiing club facilities, overlooking the competition area.

Registrations for the Corona New Zealand Wakeboard Nationals have far exceeded expectations, making this event the biggest and best-subscribed national competition in the sport’s history. As a result, heats will kick-off a little earlier on Friday, April 7, with riding beginning just after 8am.