MONROE — It’s like watching a skateboarder or snowboarder do tricks — only on water.
Wakeboarders from around the world came to Lake Tye on Friday to compete in the sport where they’re judged by their skill to perform jumps, flips and stunts.
And the display proved to be a breathtaki
ng show.
Monroe resident John Earl took a break from his work nearby at Canyon Creek Cabinet Co. to introduce the sport to his 3-year-old grandson, Joshua.
“Isn’t that cool or what?” he asked Joshua after a wakeboarder jumped into the air.
It was the first time for Earl to see a competition of this kind and he left amazed.
“It’s pretty neat what they can do when they jump the waves like that,” he said.
This is the second-to-last stop for competitors in the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour.
On Friday, 72 competitors in three different categories tried to qualify for the finals. The categories were Pro Men’s, Pro Women’s and amateur Jr. Pro Men’s. Only half of the participants in each category advanced.
Participants strap their feet onto the wakeboard, which is closer to a snowboard than a surfboard , and are pulled by boats at 25 miles per hour.
Each competitor rode around the lake and then, using waves from the boat jumped, flipped and performed stunts. There was also a ramp on the lake and what wakeboarders call rails, a type of a floating object that helps with tricks.
Travis Christiansen, 20, of Snohomish, was surprised that they were able to hold the event on Lake Tye. He’s practiced the sport in Lake Roesiger and came for Friday’s action.
At first, he thought the three-quarter-mile lake was too small. After seeing a couple of runs, he changed his mind.
“You can see everything that goes around the lake,” Christiansen said.
“It looks like the perfect place to have an event like this.”
Organizers agree.
It is not the first wakeboarding competition held on Lake Tye. Last year, the Northwest Riders Wake Series was held at the city park. The sponsors of that event recommended Lake Tye to World Sports and Marketing, the MasterCraft tour organizers, spokesman Mike Weiss said.
“It’s the ideal venue. We are excited to be here,” Weiss said.
An advantage of Lake Tye is that it allows people to see the entire lake no matter where they are, said Tammy Dunn, sports marketing manager for the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau.
The lake is becoming an ideal venue for water sports and triathlon competitions, she said.
In late June, it hosted the USA Triathlon Race Elite Series competition. In August, it will host the Northwest Riders Wake Series again and the Finish Strong Multisport competition, another triathalon, Dunn said.
The competition continues at 8:30 a.m. today with finals starting at 3:30 p.m.
Awards are scheduled to be presented at 8 p.m.
Tickets cost $13 for adults and $5 for children at the gate.
Competition starts at 8:30 a.m.
Alejandro Dominguez: 425-339-3422; adominguez@heraldnet.com.
Stop by
The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour continues today at Lake Tye, 14964 Fryelands Blvd.
Competition starts at 8:30 a.m. with finals starting at 3:30 p.m. Awards are scheduled for 8 p.m.
There will also be special competitions for the best tricks.
Tickets cost $13 for adults and $5 for children and can be bought at the gate.
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