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WATERSKI Magazine
Correct Craft Inc. ©, Big Air Challenge
Finals Bring Beautiful Weather and Top Notch Competition
Tempe, AZ ? May 6, 2001 ? The final day of the Correct Craft, Inc. © Big Air Challenge brought a welcome change to the weather to allow for an exciting conclusion to the event. The windy and hazardous conditions, that delayed the first two days of competition, subsided and the huge crowds at Town Lake in Tempe were treated to some excellent performances in men?s ski flying and wakeboarding double up events.
In ski flying, Scot Ellis took top honors on the day, placing first in the semifinal heat and the finals. Ellis? effort of 263 feet behind Correct Craft?s ski fly boat bested Freddy Krueger?s second-place effort by four feet (259) in the finals.
The win for Ellis is his first ski fly victory of the season. Ellis becomes the only man other than Jaret Llewellyn to win a ski fly event in 2001. Llewellyn was entered in the Big Air Challenge, but an injury in a Friday practice session kept Llewellyn out of the competition.
The real battle in the competition was for second and third place. Ryan Fitts got the last spot on the podium on Sunday with an effort of 258 feet, just one foot behind Krueger. Newzealander Kyle Eade took fourth also at 258 feet, but Fitts took the higher place because his jump was just a fraction further. Still, the margin between fourth and second was just one foot.
Ellis, the last man to fly in Sunday?s finals, took the competition with his second effort, then he called it a day.
In the double up competition Darin Shapiro, re-established his handle on wakeboarding?s top spot. Shapiro had won every professional competition in 2001 before a sub-par effort in the Ford Ranger Wakeboarding Pro last week in Pensacola, FL. Shapiro?s sixth-place finish was way off the mark for him.
True to form, Shapiro saved his best efforts for the finals of the Big Air Challenge where he pulled off the top scores of the day. Shapiro?s last double up earned him a judges score of 20.3, the best of the competition. Shapiro?s combined effort of two double ups in the finals earned him a score of 40.1, easily surpassing Shaun Murray who took second place with a combined score of 36.8.
However, for Murray the finish is his best effort of the 2001 season. Murray also had a tough week in Pensacola, failing to make the finals of an event he won in 2000. The finish brings a bit of redemption to one of wakeboarding?s top all-time performers.
Aussie, Josh Sanders proved that a turn on the podium last week was no fluke, earning another spot this week with a third-place finish in Tempe.
Now most of these competitors will have a little time off before the next major event of the season, the Masters in Callaway, Georgia. Unlike the Big Air Challenge, which showcases just two events behind Correct Craft boats, the Masters will present the top athletes in the world in slalom, ski flying and wakeboarding. The event will be held over Memorial Day weekend.
Ski Fly FINALS
1 Scot Ellis 263
2 Freddy Krueger 259
3 Ryan Fitts 258
Kyle Eade 258
Jason Seels 254
Ben Todd 249
Bruce Neville 232
Markham S Smith 215
Ski Fly Round 1
(8 Advance to FINALS)
Scot Ellis 259
Freddy Krueger 254
Jason Seels 240
Kyle Eade 222
Ben Todd 210
Bruce Neville 199
Ryan Fitts 188
Markham S Smith 175
Double Up FINALS
1 Darin Shapiro 19.8 20.3 40.1
2 Shaun Murray 16.8 20.0 36.8
3 Josh Sanders 17.4 17.8 35.2
Brett Eisenhauer 16.6 16.7 33.3
Ricky Gonzalez 14.4 17.4 31.8
Danny Harf 17.4 14.1 31.5
Randy Harris 13.9 16.0 29.9
Parks Bonifay 18.2 11.5 29.7
Shane Bonifay 15.1 12.8 27.9
Greg Necrason 12.4 10.7 23.1
Double Up Round 1
Parks Bonifay 18.2
Danny Harf 17.4
Josh Sanders 17.4
Shaun Murray 16.8
Brett Eisenhauer 16.6
Shane Bonifay 15.1
Ricky Gonzalez 14.4
Randy Harris 13.9
Darin Shapiro 13.8
Greg Necrason 10.7
First Round of Correct Craft Big, Inc.© Air Challenge Begins
After Delays due to Severe Weather
Tempe, AZ ? May 5, 2001 ? The first round of the Correct Craft Inc. ©, Big Air Challenge men?s ski fly and wakeboard double-up competition kicked off on Saturday, a little later than expected. Severe weather conditions, including high swirling winds, have played a big part in shaping the event.
Conditions forced officials to postpone any qualifying on Friday, then ski fly qualifying which was supposed to begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday, was canceled and ski flyers began with second round qualifying.
Ski fly qualifying was finally underway Saturday afternoon. Scot Ellis, Freddy Krueger and Kyle Eade won their heats on Saturday to advance to Sunday?s semifinals. Krueger had the longest effort of the day at 254 feet.
Notably absent from action on Saturday was Jaret Llewellyn. Llewellyn set the ski fly record of 299 feet last year behind a Correct Craft boat at the Big Air Challenge held at Orlando the Watersports Complex. His bid to extend his record was extinguished on Friday during practice. Llewellyn was taken to the hospital where he was kept overnight, thus ending his weekend.
In the double-up competition notables moving into Sunday?s semifinals include Parks Bonifay, Darin Shapiro, Shane Bonifay and Shaun Murray. Murray moved on as the last spot in Sunday?s rounds by virtue of his victor in the Last Chance Qualifier.
For Shane Bonifay, the effort signifies a very good week. Bonifay is coming off a victory in the first major event of the year, last week?s Ford Ranger Wakeboarding Pro in Pensacola, Florida.
Ski Fly Round 2
(1st 2nd place each heat advance to Sunday)
(3rd each heat move to LCQ)
Heat # 1
1 Scot Ellis 237
2 Ben Todd 230
3 Ryan Fitts 223
Frankie Webb 210
Ryan Green 200
Heat # 2
1 Freddy Krueger 254
2 Jason Seels 247
3 Bruce Neville 222
Dana Himham 200
Franz Oberleitner N/S
Heat # 3
1 Kyle Eade 240
2 Markham S Smith 228
3 Curtis Sheers 221
John Carder 180
Jaret Llewellyn N/S
DoubleUp Round 2
(1st place each heat advance to Sunday)
(2nd and 3rd advance to L C Q )
Heat # 1
1 Josh Sanders 16.7
2 Collin Wright 16.4
3 Jason Cooley 14.6
T J Razo 13.8
Rob Brewster 13.4
Scott Byerly 10.9
Heat # 2
1 Darin Shapiro 23.1
2 Greg Falzon 21.7
3 Daniel Watkins 15.3
Brian Francis 14.7
Aaron Grace 14.1
Luke Wulf 13.0
Heat # 3
1 Shane Bonifay 20.7
2 Shaun Murray 18.5
3 Ryan Wolfe 17.9
Shawn Watson 17.1
Jake Huso 15.4
Cody Ramsey 13.2
Ski Fly Last Chance Qualifier
(2 advance to Finals)
1 Ryan Fitts 233
2 Bruce Neville 229
Curtis Sheers 227
Ryan Green 193
Frankie Webb 177
Dana Himham 160
John Carder 0
Double Up L C Q
(1 advance to Finals)
1 Shaun Murray 23.0
Daniel Watkins 20.9
Greg Falzon 13.7
Ryan Wolfe 11.3
Collin Wright 10.5
Jason Cooley NS
Ski Fly Round 1
(1st place each heat advance to Sunday)
(2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th each heat move to 2rd round)
Heat # 1
Frankie Webb did not run the round
Ryan Green
Ben Todd
Ryan Fitts
Scot Ellis
Heat # 2
Dana Himham
Franz Oberleitner
Jason Seels
Bruce Neville
Freddy Krueger
Heat # 3
Curtis Sheers
John Carder
Markham S Smith
Kyle Eade
Jaret Llewellyn
DoubleUp Round 1
(1st place each heat advance to Sunday)
(2nd, 3rd and 4th each heat move to 2rd round)
Heat # 1
1 Ricky Gonzalez 20.7
2 Darin Shapiro 19.9
3 Shane Bonifay 18.4
4 Luke Wulf 16.9
Chad Morin 14.8
Corey Marotta 14.0
Heat # 2
1 Danny Harf 24.3
2 Ryan Wolfe 18.8
3 Rob Brewster 18.6
4 Shawn Watson 18.5
Billy McKee 18.2
Thomas Horrell 13.3
Heat # 3
1 Greg Necrason 19.3
2 Greg Falzon 19.0
3 Brian Francis 15.3
4 Jake Huso 12.7
Tom Marquardt 11.8
Bryan Lill 3.3
Heat # 4
1 Randy Harris 20.3
2 Scott Byerly 18.0
3 Jason Cooley 16.5
4 Daniel Watkins 13.9
Chris Sayer 12.1
Mike Fulton 8.3
Heat # 5
1 Parks Bonifay 19.2
2 Josh Sanders 16.0
3 Aaron Grace 15.9
4 T J Razo 12.5
Heath Hernandez 10.2
Trevor Hansen N/S
Heat # 6
1 Brett Eisenhauer 20.4
2 Shaun Murray 20.1
3 Cody Ramsey 18.0
4 Collin Wright 16.8
Ryan Augustine 16.5
Charley Patterson 15.4
Kyle Schmidt 13.6
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