Pine Mountain, GA (May 26, 2017) – The 58th Nautique Masters Water Ski & Wakeboard Tournament® presented by GM Marine Engine Technology officially kicked off today. The 25th Junior Masters started the weekend behind the Ski Nautique 200 and Super Air Nautique G23 at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia. With the world’s best junior waterski and wakeboard athletes on the water, the day was met with great conditions that saw incredible performances from the future pros of the watersports world.
The PCM, GM Marine Engine Technology powered Ski Nautique 200 pulled Patricio Font and Brooke Baldwin to Junior Masters championships in the Junior Men’s and Junior Women’s trick ski disciplines. Patricio Font (MEX) scored a 9,460 behind the Ski 200 while Brooke Baldwin (USA) won the women’s division with 7,630 points. Nautique team athlete Paige Rini came in second place in the Junior Women’s division with a score of 6,640.
Canadian skier Jaimee Bull claimed the Masters Junior Women’s Slalom title after running 3@38-off behind the record-setting Ski 200. Nautique team athlete Paige Rini (USA) followed her in second place when she ran 2@38-off. During the Junior Men’s Slalom final, it was Ryan Canepa (USA) showcasing his talents and receiving a Junior Masters title after he ran 0.5@39.5-off.
In Junior Women’s Jump, great conditions along with the legendary Ski Nautique 200 pull saw Dominique Grondin-Allard (CAN) jump an incredible distance of 142 feet (43.2m) to win the 25th Junior Masters title. During the Junior Men’s Jump, it was Louis Duplan-Fribourg (FRA) with a distance of 185 feet (56.5m) to win the Junior Men’s Jump portion of the event.
When it was all said and done, it was team Nautique athlete Paige Rini taking the overall Junior Women Masters title. With a couple second place finishes, Paige had an increedible day of skiing to earn the victory. “The Masters is my favorite tournament of the year,” said Paige. “This is my fourth year competing and to win the overall is a dream come true. Thank you to Nautique for making this event so amazing every year!”
On the Junior Men front, Louis Duplan-Fribourg took the overall win after getting on the podium in all 3 disciplines. His first-place in jump, third-place in slalom and second in trick was enough to stake his claim as the 25th overall Junior Masters champion.
The award-winning Super Air Nautique G23 set up perfect wakes for the Junior Men’s Wakeboard riders, and after the smoke cleared it was Guenther Oka (USA) taking his first-ever Junior Masters victory. After laying down two perfect passes to land on top including a Pete Rose and a switch Pete Rose, Guenther found himself on top of the rest of the field.
For complete up-to-date scores of the 25th Junior Masters, please visit masterswaterski.com/standings/
An invitation to compete in the Masters is universally considered an acknowledgement of achievement for reaching the pinnacle in a given watersports discipline – only the world’s most elite athletes compete at the Masters. To view the 2017 criteria please visit the Masters website. This tournament is sanctioned by IWWF/USA Water Ski and WWA. Watch all of 58th Masters action live on Saturday May 27th starting at 8:00AM EDT, please visit masterswaterski.com.
