4th November 2018
62 riders from 9 countries competed in the 2018 IWWF Pan American Wakeboard Championships in Bocalaguna , Chapala in Jalisco, México this past weekend. The event was organised by the Mexican Federation of Waterski and Wakeboard (FEMEW) and was a qualifier for the 2019 Pan American Games.
The Open Woman’s finals caught everyone by surprise with some very talented riders. Team USA’s Mary Morgan’s KGB, Tootsie Roll and Off Axis 540 were some of the tricks that earned her a gold medal on the podium. Vicky De Armas from Argentina slid into the finals with a beautifull and perfectly executed Backroll To Blind to win the silver medal. And fellow country woman Eugenia De Armas added flavor to the competition with her unique slyle of riding.
There was a big battle in the Open Men’s category. Patricio Gonzalez, was the top seed throughout the competition, but after a fall on a Moby Dick 540, things became tense towards the end of his competition, his G-Spot and Skeezer 540 were just enough to earn a bronze medal. Christian Primrose (CAN) left us in awe with his fluent riding and big air tricks. A Cab 720 and a beautiful S-Bend were some of the tricks that earned him the silver medal . Kai Ditsch (ARG), after two hard days of competition, blew people’s minds with an amazing run, which included a Indy Toeside Front Roll to Blind (Indy Tootsie), Toeside Wrap Nose Backside 540 with an overwrap landing and a series of amazing tricks earning him the IWWF Pan American Open Men Gold medal.
For the first time in the history of IWWF internatioanal wakeboard competitions , there was a woman driving the open categories, former IWWF Open Women’s Wakeboard Champion and IWWF World Cup rider Cathy Williams from the USA
Open Women
1st Mary Morgan Howell (USA)
2nd Eugenia De Armas (ARG)
3rd Victoria De Armas (ARG)
Open Men
1st Kai Ditsch (ARG)
2nd Christian Primrose (CAN)
3rd Patricio Gonzalez (MEX)
Team Overall
1st Mexico
2nd Colombia
3rd Argentina
Official Hashtags:
#iwwf
#wake2024
Social Media & Other Important Links:
IWWF’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iwwfed/
IWWF’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IWWFED
Photos by Maria José Alonso
About the IWWF: The International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) is the world governing body for towed watersports and has 91 affiliated Federations worldwide. It was founded in 1946 in Geneva, Switzerland. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the sole authority for towed watersports. The IWWF is an affiliate member of the Association of IOC Recognized International Sports Federation (ARISF) and the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). The IWWF’s sports disciplines include, amongst others, Tournament Waterskiing (slalom, tricks & jump), Wakeboard, Cable Wakeboard, Cable Waterskiing, Disabled Waterskiing, Show Skiing, Ski Racing, Barefoot Waterskiing and Wakesurfing