Cresting the mid-season hump and gearing up for an exciting end to the season, the 3rd stop of the Pro Wakeboard Tour returned to Groveland, in central Florida, a spot many of the competitors call home.
Would proximity play a factor in this year’s result? Without having to work through the disruption of a flight, hotel stay and transport to and from the site, would we see an advantage for those closest by?
Yes and no. Last year, the same PWT stop with the same format, at the same venue, boat contest aficionado Supra Boats team rider Nic Rapa was able to sleep in his own bed, go through his normal morning routine and drive 6 miles down the road to Lake David in Groveland, FL. No clear advantage here as he was ousted in the first round in 2023. “I didn’t like the format last year, but this year I came into it with a different mindset and really enjoyed it.”
Unique to this stop, riders have the chance to showcase their skills outside of the traditional quarters, semis, finals structure with 2-passes, 6 to 8 trick lines and sometimes a double-up in the finals. Here, riders are looking to win 2 out of the 3 categories of 3 trick line, single best trick off the wake (2 attempts), and a double-up.
“You have to be very strategic going head to head and with this format, if you are first off the dock you are going out on a hunch of what the other guy might do,” said Rapa. Known for having a head for competitive situations over the long haul, he continued, “You need to have belief and bank on yourself and what you are capable of.”
With a lot of tools in his kit, Rapa was able to get through the first two rounds with a three- trick line of HS FS 9, Switch Back mobe 5, and a double indy tantrum. For his best trick attempts he would boost an indy backside 7 into the flats as well as a mute double cab roll way past the second wake.
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Starting in the Semis against a rider that any rider would like to have on the other side of the bracket, Corey Teunissen has any boat contest in his grasp. But so does Rapa, as he switched up his run to incorporate the indy back 7 and double cab into his 3 trick line and drop the trick of the contest, a double indy tantrum to blind in both the semi and final rounds. He was the first one to land that trick off the wake in a contest run in 2022 and needed it to secure the victory.
The crew heads straight up to Lenoir City, TN minutes from the Supra Boats factory in Maryville. The race for the overall winner is very much in play for Guenther Oka, Nic Rapa, Corey Teunissen, and Tyler Higham with Shota Tezuka holding a narrow lead over the field.
On the wakesurf front, Jett Lambert pulled off a perfect 3 for 3 in winning each of the Pro Wakesurf Tour stops as this served as the season finale. He is now a back-to-back overall champion and smart money has him as a favorite in 2025.
