Barefoot Water Skiing with a Senior Citizen

Karen Putz (@DeafMom) tweeted Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) with this great barefooting article she wrote for the Chicago Tribune. It is as an extremely inspiring read!

Twenty six years ago, I went from hard of hearing to deaf in an instant. I was water skiing on my bare feet and crossing over the wake when I caught a toe and hit the water sideways. When I climbed into the boat, I thought I simply had water-stuffed ears; it wasn't until weeks later that I realized that being deaf was here to stay.

Last fall, my husband sent me a link to the Today Show featuring Judy Myers, a 66-year-old woman who took up barefooting at the age of 53. Judy competes in tournaments and she can barefoot backwards and on one foot. Judy inspired me to get on the water again. In the spring of this year, I flew down to the World Barefoot Center and I went back to barefoot water skiing at the age of 44. I've been having a blast ever since.

To read the entire article visit the Chicago Tribune online.

Thanks for sharing Karen and congrats on getting back on the water! Keep footin'!

Great Wakes Lenoir City, TN Tops All

Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) received a Facebook
message from Malibu boat owners Neil and Faith Rupp. Neil wanted us to know about his amazing experience with Malibu boats dealer Great Wakes Boating, Inc. located in Lenoir City, TN. Neil is part owner and President of a grain and feed company in Ohio and knows how important customer service is. While on a final fling family vacation to Laurel Lake, KY, they found themselves in need of a little engine service. They called Indmar Marine Engines and found a dealer 125 miles away and yes, you guessed it Great Wakes came to their rescue!!

Neil tells us “Brett Houghton the owner, Ray the mechanic and the entire staff made us feel at home and did way above and beyond to get our family back on the water so we could enjoy what was left of our vacation. We of course weren’t a regular customer but we sure felt like it.!!! With our situation they could have taken us to the cleaners on repair costs but they treated us far more than fair. I challenge anyone to find a dealer more honest and customer service oriented. Thank you Neil Rupp Archbold Ohio”

Great Wakes is an excellent family oriented, owned and operated Malibu dealer located in Lenoir City, TN. They offer the ultimate in service, sales, and hospitality.

Thanks again Neil, for telling us about your great experience!

Girls Ride the Wake Recap from WakeWorld.com

Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) pulled the Girls Ride the Wake (@GirlsRideWake) event in Northern California earlier this month. It was a big success! WakeWorld.com (@WakeWorld) just posted this recap. Great article! Check out the full Girls Ride the Wake article and images too.

For two years now all the girl riders in Northern California get together at a lake just outside of Sacramento called Camp Far West for an annual weekend event called Girls Ride the Wake. Even though I'm not a girl, I got the chance to sneak in for a day to check out all the festivities and I must say that Becky Carter did an amazing job putting all of it together. It was a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be.

Shelby KantarJust over 50 girls from all over the west coast had a blast and got the chance to ride and learn from some of the best female wakeboarders in the game today. Names like Shelby Kantar, Raequel and Shawna Hoffman, Jenacee Jackson, Danni Petraitis, Evelyn Nelson and Andrea Tomcik Ensminger were the stars and coaches of the weekend. These female pros switched in and out of four different Malibu and Axis boats the whole weekend spreading their knowledge and even getting to show all the girls how it's done themselves.

In addition to the four boats that Malibu forked out, Pulldozer winches provided a winch for pulling the girls over some rails and random objects next to shore, which most of the time was pure entertainment as there were some serious crashes going down. Up on shore The Liquid Playground and Hyperlite wakeboards had a booth demoing boards and even selling boards to anyone who felt like having a new board in their life.

Girls Ride The Wake After day one came to an end and the sun was on its way down to China, everyone gathered around the BBQ for some good ol’ fashioned burger eating. The crew then gathered around a giant production screen to watch the new Body Glove video, Slick City, which, of course, featured the one and only Shelby Kantar. When the video was finished, it didn’t take long for everyone to scatter to their tents and get some shut eye since it had been an extremely long day in the sun and they all had to do it again the next day.

Shawna Hoffman Day two started off bright and early with all the girls ready and raring to go along the shoreline. I had the chance to hop in the boat with Shawna Hoffman and her crew for the morning session. I got to watch Shawna coach the girls and even show them how it was really done by taking her own set. However, I must say that Shawna did a great job helping out all the ladies with, not only their riding, but showing them a good time.

When it was time to head in it was pretty much time to head out as well since most of the boats were already back in and everyone was gone. Again, Becky did an awesome job and did a lot of hard work to keep the stoke going for the grass roots of women's wakeboarding by putting on this event and getting all the sponsors which included Malibu Boats, Larson Marine, Hyperlite Wakeboards, WakeWorld.com, Screen Designs, The Liquid Playground, Fifty1Fifty, Wake Fitness Bootcamps, Belter Insurance and Fast Forward Cylinder Heads. So keep your eyes and ears open around this time next year because I'm sure you will be hearing about year three of Girls Ride The Wake.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Girls Ride Wake | Wake World | Northern California | girls wakeboarding | wakeboarding | wakeboard boats | wakeboard boat | Larson Marine | Belter
Insurance

Video of June Fladborg Setting Pending World Jump Record

Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Pro Team member, June Fladborg (@JuneFladborg) just set a pending Women's World Jump Record yesterday behind a Malibu Response LXi ski boat. June hurled herself to the pending world record at the 2010 Cray Valley ProAm at Hazelwood Ski school in England. Her jump was 57.4 meters (188.3 feet). This is nearly 3 feet farther than the previous world record set by Elena Milakova (56.6 meters/185.7 feet) at the 2002 Malibu Open.

Way to go June! You are an amazingly dedicated athlete and this record illustrates just how talented you are. You're the World's best!

Tags: Malibu Boats | June Fladborg | Response LXi | ski boat | Hazelwoods | England | world record | Women's World Jump Record | jumping | water ski jumping | water skiing

Win A Piece of Wakeboarding History from Dallas Friday

Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) is honoring the most successful female wakeboarder in history with an autographed Dallas Friday jersey give-a-way. Worn by Dallas during the 2008 Malibu Open, we thought this unique prize could help a lucky winner wave bye to the 2010 pro wakeboard season and begin looking forward to Dallas's return. Sing-up for the Malibu Boats Enews to enter to win. If you win and you follow Malibu Boats on Twitter or are a Malibu Boats fan on Facebook you'll receive a bonus Malibu Gear gift card.

Dallas's season was cut short by injury this year, but she is already well on her way back to World Champion condition. The doctors say she is making as many game changing moves in her recovery as she has in competitive wakeboarding. In 2008 she took home gold at the Malibu Open Wakeboard and Water Ski Championships in Michigan. That victory and the 2008 season was huge for Dallas as it was an amazing comeback from another much more serious injury. Dallas wore this rash guard jersey during all of her Malibu Open heats including the final round, where she shut the door on the competition.

Perfect for a game room, man cave or kid's room, this is a one-of-a-kind piece of sports memorabilia that will add to any pro wakeboarding enthusiast's collection. Do you have a wakeboarder on your gift list who is impossible to buy for? Enter them to win!

We're giving this signed Dallas Friday 2008 Malibu Open pro athlete jersey away on the last day of Summer: Tuesday, September 21, 2010. The winner will be chosen randomly from Malibu Boats email list sign-ups between now and September 20th. Malibu Boats will ship the signed Dallas Friday 2008 Malibu Open jersey to the randomly chosen winner no matter where they are in the world. If you win and you follow Malibu Boats on Twitter or are a fan on Facebook you'll receive a bonus $100 Malibu Gear gift card.

To enter, sign-up for the Malibu Boats Monthly Enewsletter. Each month you will receive an email featuring the latest news from Malibu Boats including new product information, fun photos and videos, as well as articles on Malibu Boats athletes, boat owners and events. You will even learn about boat promotions and Malibu Gear specials before anyone else. So sign-up for Malibu Enews and you will automatically be entered to win the autographed Dallas Friday 2008 Malibu Open jersey. Your piece of pro wakeboarding history could only be a "Send" button click away.

Email blog@malibuboats.com for more information.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Dallas Friday | give-a-way | contest | sports memorabilia | pro wakeboarding | wakeboarding jersey | Malibu Open | Summer | wakeboarding | female wakeboarder | world champion | Malibu Boats Enews | Enewsletter | autographed

Soven Crowned King of Wake Again

Team Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Pro Rider Phillip Soven (@PhillipSoven) captured his 3rd WWA (@TheWWA) King of Wake (@KingofWake09) Title this past weekend in Orlando, FL.

Reposted from WakeboardingMag.com (@WakeboardingMag):
Phillip Soven’s second-place finish earned him his third King of Wake title in four years. “I wanted to finish off the season with a win, but I’m not going home empty handed, I still won King of Wake,” said Soven.

Phillip has had a pretty good August! He just captured the 2010 Pro Tour Championship. He took delivery of his new 2011 Wakesetter VLX and stomped his first 1080 on the maiden voyage, then a day later he did it again. Now he gets to wear the King of Wake crown for another year. He is also in the running to dominate the World Cup and win the Wakeboard World Series. Can you say Wakeboarding Grand Slam?

Malibu Boats is pulling for you all the way, man! Way to go and good luck!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Phillip Soven | King of Wake | The WWA | wakeboarding | Wakesetter VLX | wakeboard boat | wakeboard boats | Wakeboard World Series | Wakeboard World Cup | Pro Wakeboard Tour

SBC Reports Raph Derome as the Best on Rails

Canadian Malibu boat (@MalibuBoats) owner Raphael Derome joins his brother Olivier as one of the most promising wakeboarders moving up through the ranks right now. Specifically, Raph is being pointed out for his rail-shreddin expertise. SBC Wakeboard (@SBCWakeboard) made this bold statement yesterday and backed it up with a telling video. "Raph Derome: The Best Rail Rider In The World?"

Read the title, then watch the video and make up your own mind. Also remember that Raph has won the two biggest rails contests in the world this summer: the Nokia Fise and Red Bull Wake the line. We already know where we stand on this one and if Raph doesn't win Rail Rider of the Year at the Wake Awards, we're filling an official protest. A big thanks to Jonathan Ferguson and the Still Not Famous crew for the video. - Reposted from sbcwakeboard.com.

We'll keep you posted on the results for Rail Rider of the Year at the Wake Awards. It's hard not to agree with SBC, after seeing the video. Amazing! Malibu Boats is pulling for you Raph!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Raphael Derome | Olivier Derome | Team Malibu | rails | sliders | Canadian | SBC+Wakeboard | video | wakeboarding | Wake Awards

Argentina "Viva Las Chicas" Girls Wakeboard Video

Received this video featuring a Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) 21 vRide this morning. It's pretty sweet! Filmed in Argentina at the "Viva Las Chicas" Girls Wakeboard clinic, this video was edited with some great music, cool boat shots and features the girls for their day on the lake. There's even some fun riding shots behind the Malibu Ride. Viva Las Chicas was sponsored by Malibu Boats Dealer Druck S.R.L. in Argentina, Rip Curl, Liquid Force and Monster.

The Chicas: Sofia Sequeiros, Sofia Grimau, Vicky Armas, Euge Armas, Mariela Palacios, Natalia Escola, Laura Mendez, Magda Urrea, Mabel Lemoine, Marlene Mazzuchini

AGRADECIMIENTOS Crew: DAN, FREDY, WALTER, CAROLA, TIA, FEDE, PELADO, GRAVEDAD ZERO, ESTEBAN Y LOMBI Y TODOS LOS QUE HICIERON POSIBLE ESTE EVENTO CON SU BUENA ONDA!

Thanks to Kris Lassen and Druck S.R.L. for sharing this great video!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Malibu Argentina | Malibu International | Argentina | Viva Las Chicas | girls wakeboard clinic | wakeboarding | wakeboard boats | wakeboard boat | 21 Ride | girls

Dash the Kneeboarding Dog!!

These great Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) shots were taken by Mary Licht. Mary and her husband Mike are proud owners of a 2002 Malibu Sportster. Mary tells us “Even our dog has joined in on the fun behind our Sportster! We have two children competing in the 2010 National/International Kneeboard Competition at Callaway Gardens, GA next month, Hal is 12 and Olivia is 10. Our 3-year old Jack Russell Terrier, Dash, seems to enjoy it as much as the rest of the family”!

These are great! Thank you for sharing them with us. Tell Hal and Olivia “Good Luck” at the competition from Malibu!!

If you capture or come across a cool Malibu Boats-related photo like this one let us know. We would love to post it on the Malibu Boats Blog and Flickr Channel. We will even Tweet about it on Twitter and add it to the ever-changing Malibu Boats Screen Saver. You can also submit your photo or video through our Malibu iPhone App.

E-mail blog@malibuboats.com with links and/or images. Also make sure to include the name of the person who took the shot and give us a short description of the photo's contents. If you do not know this information and you are only forwarding a link, we can track it down. Thanks!

Shane Carwin Contest Winner!!

These awesome Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) photos are from the Shane Carwin “ Come Boating With Me Contest"

On May 10th Shane posted this on his Blog:
I wanted to thank my sponsor Malibu Boats for making a dream of mine come true. So what I came up with is this:
I will fly one person from anywhere in the Continental US to come to Greeley and go boating with me, my family and my VLX Wakesetter
by Malibu Boats. The winner also gets two nights in a hotel and $100.00 spending cash. We will hit the lakes and have a blast.
To enter you have to follow Malibu Boats on Twitter.com (@MalibuBoats) and tweet this "#Boating is Better with @Malibuboats" if you tell them VLX Shane sent you, you will be entered to win a secondary prize.
This is a great company who builds an exceptional product. I am proud to be on Team Malibu Boats.
I will select the winner when they reach 5000 followers so spread the word.

Well we reached and exceed the 5000 followers and Shane picked a winner!! 27 year old Josh Pulsifer, from Broken Arrow, OK.

Wow, what great a day! We were told “Shane enjoyed the day. It was nice to meet a fan and it was a beautiful day on the lake”.

See more photos of "Come Boating With Me" on our Flickr Channel.

If you capture or come across a cool Malibu Boats-related photo like this one let us know. We would love to post it on the Malibu Boats Blog and Flickr Channel. We will even Tweet about it on Twitter and add it to the ever-changing Malibu Boats Screen Saver. You can also submit your photo or video through our Malibu iPhone App.

E-mail blog@malibuboats.com with links and/or images. Also make sure to include the name of the person who took the shot and give us a short description of the photo's contents. If you do not know this information and you are only forwarding a link, we can track it down. Thanks!

Soven Lands a 2011 VLX and a 1080

Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Pro Team Rider Phillip Soven (@PhillipSoven) just took delivery of his new 2011 Wakesetter VLX. That would be news in and of itself, but Phil decided to get everyone talking about the first major move he landed behind the boat too. Phillip launched his Wakesetter VLX and promptly took it out for a session. On this first trip he decided he was going to land the coveted 1080, a move he has been trying to land for the last 8 years. Wouldn't you know it, not only did Phil stomp the triple-360 he executed what Alliance Wake Magazine's Patrick Wieland calls, "...one of the cleanest 1080s I have seen."

Way to go Phil! You make it look so easy! You are truly a champion and Malibu Boats is proud to have you as a part of the team!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Phillip Soven | 1080 | Wakesetter VLX | wakeboard boats | wakeboard boat | wakeboarding | 2011s | Team Malibu | pro wakeboarder

Fabulous Days in our "Stinga Boo Malibu"

This Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) 2005 VLX belongs to George & LaTonya Cisneros. LaTonya tells us about this photo. “This was one of many fabulous days that my husband and I spend on New Melones Lake wakeboarding with friends and just relaxing on our "Stinga Boo Malibu"! New Melones Lake is located in Angels Camp, CA. Also in the photo are their 4 legged babies Diamond the Lhasa Apso and Dallas their Golden Retriever.

LaTonya sent this photo to us through our Malibu iPhone App.. Thank you for sharing this great photo with us!

If you capture or come across a cool Malibu Boats-related photo like this one let us know. We would love to post it on the Malibu Boats Blog and Flickr Channel. We will even Tweet about it on Twitter and add it to the ever-changing Malibu Boats Screen Saver. You can also submit your photo or video through our Malibu iPhone App.

E-mail blog@malibuboats.com with links and/or images. Also make sure to include the name of the person who took the shot and give us a short description of the photo's contents. If you do not know this information and you are only forwarding a link, we can track it down. Thanks!

Mike Norgard's VLX

This Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) photo was sent to us from Mike Norgard through our Malibu iPhone App.. Mike shared this great day he had with his daughter Emma who is only 9 years old. "After having my daughter ski for the first time, we were sitting on the dock sharing an ice cream cone. The boat was tied up to the side of the dock and I just happened to have my new iPhone 4 in my pocket and took the picture. I had the malibu app on the phone and sent the picture off to share with the rest of the Malibu family"

Thanks again Mike for sharing and sending us these great pics!

If you capture or come across a cool Malibu Boats-related photo like this one let us know. We would love to post it on the Malibu Boats Blog and Flickr Channel. We will even Tweet about it on Twitter and add it to the ever-changing Malibu Boats Screen Saver. You can also submit your photo or video through our Malibu iPhone App.

E-mail blog@malibuboats.com with links and/or images. Also make sure to include the name of the person who took the shot and give us a short description of the photo's contents. If you do not know this information and you are only forwarding a link, we can track it down. Thanks!

Malibu Open Video

The Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Malibu Open crowned three new water skiing champions over the weekend. Dubbed as one of the best pro ski tournaments ever, this event began with a field of powerful professional water skiers who put it on all on the line to capture a Malibu Open WaterSki Championships title. April Coble Eller captured the 2010 Malibu Open Womens Slalom champion. April ran 1.5 @ 39 off beating out Regina Jaquess for the title. Team Malibu Boats Skier Will Asher (@WillAsher) is the 2010 Malibu Open Mens Slalom champion. Will won in a head to head final against Jamie Beauchesne. And finally, Ryan Dodd jumped 222 feet to become the 2010 Malibu Open Jump Champion.

The Malibu Open held in Milwaukee, WI at Veteran's Park was a great event. Check out this Malibu Open video to witness some of the fun that went on. The entire field of skiers lined-up to sign autographs and meet the fans. With record crowds in attendance Friday and Saturday, they were buys for a while, but had a blast doing it!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Malibu Open | Dana Reed | water ski tournament | Wisconsin | Milwaukee | Veteran's Park | water skiing | slalom skiing | ski jumping | Will Asher | April Coble | Ryan Dodd

Wakestock Adds to List of Champs

2010 Wakestock Canada pulled by the Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Wakesetter VLX added new names to the prestigious list of Wakestock Champions taking the coveted Wakestock belts and prize money: Bob Soven – Pro Wakeboard (top photo); Grant Roberts – Pro Wakeskate; Melissa Marquardt – Pro Women!

In a hotly contested Billabong Pro Wakeboard Men's final where three of the four finalists were past Wakestock Champions, it was the young American challenger Bob Soven who came out on top besting defending champ, Canadian Aaron Rathy; the two-time champ Team Malibu Factory Rider (and older brother) Phil Soven (@PhillipSoven) ; and the veteran champ Andrew Adkison!

Likewise in the Malibu Boats Pro Wakeskate final, American Grant Roberts edged out fellow countrymen and 5-time Wakestock champion and Team Malibu member Brian Grubb (@BrianKGrubb) for his first Wakestock title.

WAKESTOCK WWA (@TheWWA) WORLD SERIES PRO WAKE FINALS

BILLABONG PRO WAKEBOARD – MEN'S FINAL
Presented by Monster Energy & Malibu Boats
1. Bob Soven USA 66.67
2. Aaron Rathy CAN 58.33
3. Phil Soven USA 51.67
4. Andrew Adkison USA 36.67

SEMI-FINAL
(Top 2 advance)
Heat 1
1. Andrew Adkison USA 70.00
2. Bob Soven USA 58.33
3. Austin Hair USA 51.67
4. Trevor Hansen USA 36.67

Heat 2
1. Aaron Rathy CAN 70.00
2. Phil Soven USA 63.33
3. Olivier Derome CAN 53.33
4. Shawn Watson USA 33.33

QUARTER-FINAL
(Top 2 advance)
Heat 1
1. Bob Soven USA 80.00
2. Andrew Adkison USA 65.00
3. Nick Jones USA 43.33
4. Kyle Rattray CAN 33.33

Heat 2
1. Aaron Rathy CAN 60.00
2. Olivier Derome CAN 46.67
3. Padiwat Jaemjan THAI 36.67
4. Scotty Broome AUS 25.00

Heat 3
1. Trevor Hansen USA 80.00
2. Shawn Watson USA 70.00
3. Danny Thollander USA 60.00
4. Raph Derome CAN 46.67

Heat 4
1. Phil Soven USA 80.00
2. Austin Hair USA 66.67
3. Shane Bonifay USA 50.00
4. Dustin O’Ferrall CAN 40.00

MALIBU BOATS PRO WAKESKATE FINAL
Presented by Monster Energy & Billabong
1. Grant Roberts USA 88.33
(Spy, Fox, DVS)
2. Brian Grubb USA 84.33
(Malibu, Billabong, VZ, Red Bull)
3. James Balzer CAN 79.00
(Monster Energy, Nike 6.0, VZ, Body Glove)
4. Yan Lecomte CAN 68.33
5. Stuart Shinn USA 53.33
6. Dan Brown CAN 36.67

BILLABONG PRO WOMEN'S FINAL
Presented by Monster Energy & Billabong
1. Melissa Marquardt USA 93.33
2. Erika Langman CAN 80.00
3. Leslie Sparkes CAN 70.00
4. Kelsey Chiappa CAN 56.67
5. Steph King CAN 51.33
6. Susie Mallory CAN 46.67
7. Emily Tenwestinied CAN 39.00
8. Ally Boothroyd CAN 16.67


Tags: Malibu Boats | Wakestock | Phillip Soven | Brian Grubb | tow boat | wakeboarding | wakeboard boat | tournament | The WWA | World Series | Wakesetter VLX

2010 Malibu Open Revitalizes Pro Water Skiing

The Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) 2010 Malibu Open was a huge success! One of the best venues and the biggest crowds at a professional water skiing event. Read this post from TheProSkiTour.com to learn just how great this sport-changing event was!

Wow....2010 Malibu Open... what a tournament...the best professional water ski tournament I have seen in my years around pro water skiing. Dana Reed took Milwaukee's Veteran's Park Lagoon, a location with crowd access and untested water skiing potential and turned it into the perfect venue to show case professional water skiing. The location, crowds and performances of the Malibu Open are just what our sport has been needing to revitalize pro water skiing in the United States/North America. Hats off to Dana Reed and Malibu Boats for putting together the best pro water ski tournament that I have ever attended. To all the people who worked behind the scenes, sponsors, volunteers, officials and skiers - a job well done. Exactly what we have needed to put the excitement and attendance back in our sport.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Malibu Open | Dana Reed | water ski tournament | Wisconsin | Milwaukee | Veteran's Park | water skiing | slalom skiing | ski jumping |

Next generation Malibu Boat Driver!

This 2008 Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Response LXi is just the boat for 9 month old Joshua Evan Hatch. Joshua is the grandson of Malibu boat owners Conray and Sheryl Wharff. We can’t forget to mention the proud parents Conray and Sheryl’s daughter Rachael and her husband Evan.

Thank you Sheryl for sending us this adorable shot!!

If you capture or come across a cool Malibu Boats-related photo like this one let us know. We would love to post it on the Malibu Boats Blog and Flickr Channel. We will even Tweet about it on Twitter and add it to the ever-changing Malibu Boats Screen Saver. You can also submit your photo or video through our Malibu iPhone App.

E-mail blog@malibuboats.com with links and/or images. Also make sure to include the name of the person who took the shot and give us a short description of the photo's contents. If you do not know this information and you are only forwarding a link, we can track it down. Thanks!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Wharff Family | grandson | Joshua | baby | Response LXi | ski boat

2010 Malibu Open Running Order

Open Women Slalom
Caroline Cooper
Randolph Cooper
Michaela Cooper
Shannon Strickland
Caroline Hensley
Jenna Mielzynski
Rhoni Barton Bischoff
Jill Knutson
Kate Adriaensen
Breanne Dodd
April Coble Eller
Karina Nowlan
Anais Amade
Whitney McClintock
Karen Truelove Kreuger
Regina Jaquess (16)

Open Men Slalom
Tyler Lorenz
Mike Kusiak
Wade Williams
Seth Stisher
Brian Moore
Jason Seels
Austin Abel
Tom Henderson
Corey Humburg
Daniel Odvarko
David Miller
Jeff Rodgers
Cale Burdick
Brooks Wilson
Sacha Descuns
Tom Brantley
Thomas Moore
Terry Winter
Billy Susi
Nate Smith
Ty Oppenlander
Jon Travers
Marcus Brown
Jodi Fisher
Jamie Beauchesne
Thomas Degasperi
Nick Parsons
Aaron Larkin
Chris Rossi
Will Asher
Chris Parrish

Open Men Jump
Tyler Lorenz
Treece Barringer
Kole Magnowski
Brian Kinney
Mark Lane
Rodrigo Miranda
Zack Worden
Scot Ellis
Jason Seels
Ryan Dodd
Damien Sharman
Freddy Krueger (12)

2010 Malibu Open Schedule of Events

The 2010 Malibu Open will take place Friday and Saturday, August 6-7 at Veterans Park in downtown Milwaukee.

Schedule of Events

Friday
8:00 AM Open Women Slalom Round #1 qualifying (17)

10:00 AM Open Men Slalom Round #1 qualifying (33)

2:30 PM Open Women Slalom Round #2 qualifying
Top 4 seeds from Round #1 receive bye

4:00 PM Open Men Jump Round #1 qualifying (15)

6:00 PM Free Style Jump (12)


Saturday
9:30 AM Open Men Slalom Round #2 qualifying (29)
Top 4 seeds from Round #1 receive bye

1:30 PM Free Style Jump competition (6)

2:30 PM Open Men Jump Round #2 qualifying (11)

4:00 PM Open Women (8)

5:05 PM Open Men Slalom (8)

6:10 PM Barefoot Demo

6:45 PM Opening Ceremony Pyramid (National Anthem)

7:00 PM Free Style Jump Finals (4)

7:45 PM Open Women Final (4) head to head

8:10 PM Open Men Final (4) head to head

8:35 PM Open Women Final (2) head to head

8:50 PM Open Men Final (2) head to head

9:00 PM Barefoot Demo

9:20 PM Freestyle Jump Finals (2)

9:35 PM Open Men Jump Finals (8)

10:45 PM Awards presented by Lani Farmer, Scott Clack

New Tantrum T Inspired by 9 Year Old INT Rider

The Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Gear web site is posting new clothing additions daily. This week Malibu has added a new youth t-shirt inspired by young INT League (@INTLeague) wakeboarder Mitch Kappler and his family. Owners of a Malibu wakeboard boat, the Kapplers ride behind Malibu Boats in and out of competitions.

We met Mitch back in 2008 at the age of 7 when he landed his first Back Roll behind a Malibu Boats Wakesetter VLX at USA Nationals. Since that time we have followed Mitch as he has progressed through the ranks of INT, an amateur water sports organization.

One of the most memorable posts we did about Mitch was titled "8 Year Old Throwing Tantrum Behind Malibu Boat." This blog post inspired Malibu Boats gear designers to develop a youth t-shirt featuring a youngster throwing a tantrum. No, not that kind; a Tantrum wakeboarding move. It only seemed right to model the shirt's design after Malibu's favorite Tantrum thrower and young wakeboarder, Mitch Kappler. So the artist sketched an action shot of Mitch and named the new youth t-shirt "The Kappler Malibu". The caption reads, "I See A Tantrum In My Future."

So when you buy your Kappler Malibu t-shirt think of Mitch. The first kid to be commemorated on a t-shirt for throwing a Tantrum. Take care Kapplers! We are proud to call your family a part of ours and we look forward to following Mitch as he has fun riding behind Malibu boats.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Malibu Gear | Tantrum T-shirt | Mitch Kappler | wakeboard boat | INT | youth | t-shirt | wakeboarding | Tantrum | Back Roll

Malibu Boats: Case Study in Social Media Excellence

Opened the Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Twitter account this morning to find this mention. @WebSavvyMrkting: @MalibuBoats: A Case Study in Social Media Excellence. Read my blog entry and personal experience @ http://b2l.me/aeqx57. We were excited to see the tweet and quickly surfed the link to check out Rebecca Gill's blog post on www.Web-Savvy-Marketing.com. While we recognized Rebecca's Twitter handle, as belonging to one of our Malibu Boats Family members, we didn't put 2 and 2 together until we read on...

Re-posted from Web-Savvy-Marketing.com
When I met my husband many years ago, I quickly became painfully aware of his two loves: hunting and boating. No matter how great his love for me, I could not interfere with his beloved hobbies. In 2008 we purchased a new Malibu Boat to continue his tradition of summer days spent on the water. Our Malibu Wakesetter was a major purchase and something I personally struggled with until I realized we spent every weekend on the boat and dragged along numerous friends and families with us. We are now known for our “super cool” Malibu boat that produces “monster waves” and our desire to get everyone and anyone surfing behind it.

Earlier this summer we experienced some problems with our Malibu Wakesetter. While it sat in service, by husband called the owner of Skiers Pier, our local Malibu dealership. My husband had know Ron, the owner, since he was a kid and Ron was a major factor in us buying our Wakesetter back in 2008. He had complete confidence in Ron addressing our concerns. I, in turn, vented my frustration on Twitter. My tweet was:

Skiers Pier please finish my @malibuboats Wakesetter so I could enjoy the sunny weather this week! Stuck in service hell for weeks. #fail

I did not expect any action on this, I was just venting. I spend the majority of my day on Twitter managing social media accounts for my clients. Complaining online is normal for me. My husband just about died when I stated what I had done.

But something magical happened. I say magical, because it is rare. Within thirty minutes I had a direct message on Twitter from Malibu Boats. They had already called Skiers Pier and left a message with Ron about my boat. They promised to help resolve whatever issues I was encountering.

Before I knew it, they did. In fact, Malibu Boats and Skiers Pier were so great at their customer service; my husband and I traded in our two year old Wakesetter for one that could hold three more people. Our “super cool” boat became even cooler because we could hold more people and spread our boating love even further.

While Skiers Pier may not have a clue about social media and Twitter, Malibu Boats makes great use of their Twitter account. And while Ron may not be a computer guy, my husband and son love him and he is one of the best examples of good old fashion customer service. That is a rarity these days.

After all this played out, I had to publicly thank Malibu Boats for their exceptional customer service on and off the computer. Skiers Pier could not have taken care of us as well as they did if Malibu Boats was not supporting their efforts from afar. I may be quick to vent on Twitter, but I’m also quick to compliment and provide praise. My next tweets were:

Off to Skiers Pier to pick up our new @malibuboats Wakesetter! Many thanks to Ron and Malibu Boats for such excellent customer service!

@malibuboats – The new Wakesetter made the perfect Father’s day gift. Surfing in the Michigan sun is the best way to spend the day for Dad.

So Malibu Boats, I salute you and your entire team. Not only are you great at customer service, you are great at social media. You may have won my husband’s heart back in 1985, but in 2010 you won mine. And quite frankly, you’ve also won the accolades of everyone we invite to share our love for Wakesetters, lake surfing, and long summers days spent enjoying the warmth and sun in Michigan.

You are extremely welcome! Thank you... for taking the time to compose this blog post, Rebecca! We are so glad that Malibu Boats and Skier's Pier could help you get back on the water. If you need anything else we are only a Tweet away! Take care and have a great summer in your Wakesetter.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Web Savvy Marketing | Rebecca Gill | Malibu Wakesetter | wakeboard boat | customer service | boat owner | Malibu Dealer | Skier's Pier | Detroit | Twitter | Social Media

Smooth Water Sports Shot!

This Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) 2011 Wakesetter VTX awesome shot was taken by Peter Brown owner of Smooth Water Sports. It is being launched into the Upper Hudson River in Glens Falls, NY. Check out the Boatmate trailer with runway lights!

Cool shot Peter, thank you for sharing it with us!!

If you capture or come across a cool Malibu Boats-related photo like this one let us know. We would love to post it on the Malibu Boats Blog and Flickr Channel. We will even Tweet about it on Twitter and add it to the ever-changing Malibu Boats Screen Saver. You can also submit your photo or video through our Malibu iPhone App.

E-mail blog@malibuboats.com with links and/or images. Also make sure to include the name of the person who took the shot and give us a short description of the photo's contents. If you do not know this information and you are only forwarding a link, we can track it down. Thanks!