For anyone who has been out to Tempe Town Lake in Arizona this past week, they may have noticed something new. If you peer across to the north side of the lake, you can catch a glimpse of what will soon become the centerpiece of the largest wakeboard event to hit Arizona.
On April 3 and 4, the city of Tempe will host the second annual Red Bull Wake Lab on Tempe Lake. Since making its debut in Orlando in Sept. 2008, the Red Bull Wake Lab has become an instant success with riders and fans alike. This year’s event will take place in conjunction with the Circle K Tempe Music Festival, with acts like Kid Rock, Mutemath, Shiny Toy Guns and 3 Doors Down performing during the contest.
Influenced by the design of the modern skate park and snowboarding snow park, a massive “wakepark” is being constructed to include a mix of hand and transfer rails, sliders, an elevated pool and a 16-foot high wall ride/quarterpipe. The result will be a massive floating skatepark, dubbed “The Wake Lab,” that allows riders to perform sets of tricks that were once impossible.
In addition to the show-stopping line up that Tempe Music Festival has put together, Red Bull has invited the top wakeboarders from across the United States to attend the Wake Lab, such as Parks Bonifay, Adam Errington and JD Webb, just to name a few. With the success of last year’s event in Orlando, Red Bull is ready to see what Arizona has to offer.
The spectator-friendly lake has been the location of many large events over the years, and it will prove to be a prime location to expose the rapid growing sport to a new crowd. This event is putting Arizona’s wakeboard scene on the map and should open up the door for many who maybe new to the sport.
For more information, check out redbullusa.com/wakelab
