CLOSE
Sign up to get news on contests, pro events, new products and special offers.
RistoWatch the Ultimate Fantasy Camp Class of '07 strut their stuff behind the Malibu Response LXi and see how they measured up against each other—and their pro teammates—in this highlight reel of the 2007 Pro Slalom Shootout Fantasy Camp ProAm.
For More Information
www.waterskimag.com
Event 4: Pro Am
Tow Boat - Malibi Reponse LXi
Rules
Each of the nine fantasy campers is teamed with a pro. Each team skis the course (the camper first, followed by the pro). Campers are scored subjectively from 1 to 100 based on technique and effort; pros are scored on buoy count. Point totals combine for a final team score. Campers are allowed to ski the course in any capacity (any speed, line length, shadow buoys, around buoys, etc.) and are given one mulligan for falls.
The Story
It was the first heat of the Fantasy Camp ProAm, and level-four skier Glen Juback had already used his mulligan. Setting up for his second try at the 32-off pass, he must have been feeling the pressure.
As he took off and neared the gate, the rest of the fantasy campers were on their feet. “One!” screamed level-two skier Lynn Pitts as Glen carved around the first buoy. “Two!” as he got around the second. “Three! Four! Five!” Now all the campers were chanting as Glen made his way through the course. As he stretched around the six ball, a few campers yelled “Six!” while the others just cheered. Suddenly it was clear that the real point of this ProAm wasn't who won, but who skied.
Taking place on the last day of the Shootout, the ProAm was the culmination of the Ultimate Fantasy Camp experience for the nine WaterSki readers involved. Though filled with nerves and exhilaration, throughout the event competition seemed secondary to what else was happening on the water. “As soon as I was on the water and saw my ski tips, all the nerves went away,” said Lynn after her own turn. “I even remembered to do my little wave for the crowd!”
It was a vibe the pros picked up on right away. “I hadn't seen her ski until today, because I wasn't part of the clinic,” Seth Stisher said of his partner, Heike Neumann. “But from what I've heard about the things she's done and learned in the past few days, she really did a good job of getting aggressive, and she went out there — despite the nerves that we all have before we compete — and did her best. It was just great.”
In the end, Alberta's own camper, Jay Kolewaski, and pro Trent Finlayson from Saskatchewan took home the title for what was affectionately dubbed “Team Canada.” But if you ask any of the campers how they did in what was for most of them their first tournament ever, you'd quickly learn that there was more than one winning team in this ProAm.
Pro Am Results
1. Trent Finlayson – Jay Kolewaski – 208
2. Thomas Degasperi – Glen Juback – 207.5
3. Andy Mapple – Imanol Luisa – 205
4. (tie) Thomas Moore – Nestor Agramonte – 203
4. (tie) Chris Parrish – Lynn Pitts – 203
5. Seth Stisher – Heike Neumann – 200.5
Pro Analysis
“We both skied pretty well. I feel like Jay carried me a little bit, but we sealed the win for the great white North. The format of ProAm is so cool. It's just something different, with the combined points like that. You match up pros and amateurs, and we're all just feeding off of each other. Jay went out there and killed it, and it just got me amped up. I don't want to let him down. I don't know about Jay, but I was nervous watching Willy [Asher] out there, taking a stab at 41.” — Trent Finlayson
Amatuer Analysis
“I definitely think I got some good pointers from the guys during the clinic day. It's really some stuff that I can take home and practice. I couldn't be happier that Trent and I won, but it was all about the fun for me. I've got to admit, though, watching everyone else go, I got a little nervous just waiting, waiting, waiting.” — Jay Kolewaski
