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WATERSKI MagazineIn a humble way, Dean Lavelle has always prided himself in being a one-man show. A former marquee act at Sea World Orlando, Lavelle has also been among the world's best wakeboarders, freestyle jumpers and Air Chair riders. But until he captured the 1996 World Wakeboard Championships title in October, the limelight in which he stood wasn't fulfilling.
Lavelle had wanted a major title so badly that he even left Sea World a year ago, in part to focus more on wakeboarding, which had become his bread and butter. But every time he had his fingers on the top rung of the ladder, he lost his grip or got stepped on.
“In the big tournaments I'd get close but when it counted, I didn't step up,” says Lavelle, whose only “major” title had been the one this magazine stamped on him – “Mr. Everything” – in October 1994. At the ESPN X Games in July, he earned the top seed going into the wakeboarding finals, only to take a plunge. His consistency on the 1996 Sea-Doo Wakeboard Series would have earned him the season championship any other year. But 15-year-old Parks Bonifay came out of the woodwork last year to push Lavelle down to runner-up.
Two months after the tour season ended, Lavelle finally exploded – and stayed dry in the finals – at the Worlds. He broke Bonifay's world record in the semifinals, then cracked it again in the title round with 21,539 points.
Says Lavelle: “I thought I had a good chance to win the tour, but this is where I wanted to be at the end of the season, on top. It's definitely the pinnacle of my career.”
Maybe not for long, though. As soon as Lavelle wrapped his fingers around the world championship plaque, the expectations were raised again.
“He's the man to beat now,” says chief judge Jimmy Redmon. “The competition will be tighter than ever in '97. But I think Dean, because of his show skiing background, will thrive on being the man.”
Wakeboard Worlds Results
Pro Men:
1. Dean Lavelle 21,539 pts.
2. Parks Bonifay 21,024
3. Jeremy Kovak 20,427
4. Drew McGuckin 19,559
5. Gregg Necrason 19,158
Division Champions
Pro Women: Andrea Gaytan
Amateur Women: Mero Narita
Boys: Shane Bonifay
Jr. Men: Hunter Brown
Men I: Anthony Monaco
Men II: Gerry Nunn
Masters: Tony Klarich
