Watch out, wakeboarding enthusiasts, as Singapore will be playing host to this year’s 4th annual Wakeboard World Cup Series. Organised by the Singapore Waterski & Wakeboard Foundation (SWWF), the World Cup will be held at Bedok Reservoir over the upcoming weekend from 12 noon to 5 pm. Fret not if you don’t weekend plans yet as the next two days will ensure you’ll be packed with fun splashed activities!

Hailed as the fastest growing water sport with an increase of over 30% in participation since 3 years ago, wakeboarding is also the 8th most popular sport that Singaporeans would want to pick up in the next 6 months, according to a survey conducted by the Singapore Sports Council (SSC). Not only so, the same survey also estimated that 50 000 locals have tried wakeboarding at least once in their life.

As for those who have not tried wakeboarding at all, what better way to be introduced to a brand new and exciting experience than to see how the professionals are doing it?

But the athletes might not have the biggest share of the pie. The audience too stands to gain as they watch the best of the best fight it out with flips, spins and acrobatic stunts in the air.

Contenders in this year’s Wakeboard World Cup would definitely be feeling the heat as cash prizes up to USD 60 000 (S$ 94 200) will be offered to 14 winners, 8 from the professional men’s category and 6 from the professional women’s category as differentiated by the ratio of gender proportion. Now, that is one cool incentive to attract wakeboarding wannabes!

With a plethora of 17 countries which includes the likes of Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Britain, Hong Kong, Italy, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, South Africa and the United States of America (USA), rest assured that you’ll be gripping the edge of your seat even before the Cup is over.

Now that there’s a chance for the locals to get up close and personal with the superstars of this favoured sport, Singaporeans should be more than inspired to check out what they’ve been missing out if they’ve not tried wakeboarding yet.

But before you go tying yourself up to speedboats (remember the life jacket!), it’s of paramount importance to check out who will be burning aquatic trails this year. Read on for a sneak peek at who’s who in this year’s competition!

Women

Chen Li Li (China)

– 2006 Asian Champion
– Winner of Wakeboard World Cup 2004
– 2005 World Games Champion

Dallas Friday (U.S.A.)

– 4x X Games Champion
– 2x Gravity Games Champion
– 3x United States Pro Tour Overall Champion
– 2006 United States Masters Champion
– 2006 United States Pro Tour Overall Series Champion

Sasha Christian

– 2007 Riverside Age Group Open Women’s Champion
– Silver Medallist 2006 Asian Wakeboard Championships, Melbourne, Australia
– 2006 Reef Wakefest Hong Kong Champion
– Bronze Medallist 2004 Asian Wakeboard Championships – Zhanjiang, China
– 6th Place (Girls Division) 2004 Wakeboard World Championships in Seville, Spain
– 2004, 2005, 2006 & 2007 Reef Wakefest Singapore Champion
2004, 2005 & 2006 Singapore National Wakeboard Champion

Men

Jeff Weatherall (New Zealand)

  • 2003 World Champion
  • 2005 World Champion

Daniel Watkins (Australia)

  • 2007 Australian Masters Champion

Phillip Soven (U. S. A.)

– 2004 World & X-Games Champion
– Winner of Wakeboard World Cup Singapore 2004
– Winner of Wakeboard World Cup Singapore 2005
– Winner of Wakeboard World Cup Singapore 2006
– 2005 Wakeboard World Cup Overall Series Champion
– 2005 World Games Champion
– 2005 Gravity Games Champion
– 2007 United States Masters Champion
– 2007 United States Pro Tour Champion

Daniel Harf (U. S. A.)

– 4x X Games Champion
– 2006 US Masters Champion
– 2006 US Pro Tour Overall Series Champion
– 2006 Wakeboard World Cup Overall Series Champion

Of course, while this list is not exhaustive, the above mentioned are definitely hot favourites in this year’s competition. Will one of them succeed in bringing home the largest cash prize of USD 15 000 (S$ 23 550) for men and USD 8 000 (S$ 12 560) for women? Or will a dark horse prevail? Find out in this Saturday’s qualifying rounds and the grand finals on Sunday!