Mebourne’s wakeboard champ Daniel Watkins regains Australian Pro Tour of Wakeboarding lead
Women’s tour instigator Amber Wing takes out Round 2

Melbourne, Vic – In a hotly contested head to head battle between old and new blood, experience won the day when three time Australian Pro Tour of Wakeboarding Champion and current WWA World Series champion Daniel Watkins, 29 of Ferntree Gully, took out J-Star Round 2 of the tour, moving Watkins into the tour leadership position.

Round 1 winner Jeff Weatherall took third position alongside Melbourne 21 year old Scott Mackey in his personal best performance.

The result is the three time Australian Pro Tour champion Daniel Watkins now leads Weatherall, who is openly contesting the
championship, in the overall standings heading into the CWB third round at Stoney Park, Port Macquarie on Sunday 22 January.

Thousands of fans lined Caribbean Gardens in Scoresby for the fourth consecutive annual event and were treated to spectacular wake and obstacle riding demanding high levels of versatility from the competitors, in an expression-based format new to many of the women competitor’s contesting the newly created APTW Women’s Series.

The four-rider women’s final was dominated by the internationally experienced riders with the instigator behind the women’s
competition who has competed against the men for the past three years, Amber Wing, 21 year old from Yowie Bay pulling off a huge clean run to take out the competition ahead of tour leader Cathy Williams, 36 years old from Florida, USA and Haley Smith, 19 years old from Cronulla in second and third respectively.

Thirty eight riders from across the globe - from the United States, New Zealand, Tahiti, South Africa - and representing every
Australian state competed in this weekend’s competition, which is stand alone in the world in its circular ride and slide format
featuring four massive skate-park like obstacles including a dragon slider, the 2.6m high 6 m long 45 degree angled wall ride, 1.5m kicker and 18m long 2m high a-frame slider.

Said APTW organiser and Boarder Magazine Editor, Mick Watkins: “With three Australians Josh Sanders (Nowra, NSW), Daniel
Watkins (Ferntree Gully, Vic) and Brett ‘Ike’ Eisenhauer (Wagga Wagga, NSW) dominating the US Pro Tour and World Cup events, riders compete in the international standard Australian Pro Tour to prepare themselves for competitions around the world.”

Alongside the wakeboarding was the Two Bums Miss Boarder Model Search 2006 contest and dirt BMX jumping by the Mongoose team led by World number three, Cam White of Canberra.

Round 2 Final Results