Red Bull Double or Nothing powered by Mastercraft brings the top wakeboarders in the world to Orlando in a winner-take-all, best trick competition behind the legendary MasterCraft XStar S. The competition pushes the sport’s best athletes to redefine what’s possible on a wakeboard. 

Parks Bonifay is the creator of Red Bull Double or Nothing and a certified legend in the sport. He’s recruited the best of the best from around the world to compete on Saturday, September 16. Every year the world’s top wakeboarder’s attempt huge, never-done-before, history-making tricks at Red Bull Double or Nothing, and this year will be no exception.

The event gets its name from the “double-up”, which is the moment when two wakes combine into one, growing more than three times the size of a usual wake. This allows the pros to get massive air, allowing for huge tricks, and risking huge crashes. 

Parks, an Orlando resident, is stoked to bring the world’s best back to his hometown crowd to compete; “Red Bull Double or Nothing is the most progressive wakeboard contest to date. As a rider in the event, one of the things I’m super pumped about is having a packed shore line full of people cheering and pushing us to land a trick that’s possibly never been done before. With $10,000 on the line, who knows, we might see the first ever triple flip! Gonna be a wild day, come down to Lake Ivanhoe and join the vibe!”

For the first time in the event’s history, two of the best women in the sport will be participating in a double-up exhibition on Saturday afternoon. Meagan Ethell is a 7 time World Champion living in Orlando. Jamie Lopina is also a World Champion and former Rider of the Year. Each will showcase their world-class talent and get in on the action, going bigger than either ever have ever before and  attempting their own double-ups. 

Australia’s Sam Brown won last year’s event by nailing a Switch Double Moab (double backflip with a full 360), earning him the winner-take-all $10,000 prize. Sam will be returning this year and has plans to land that first ever triple flip.  Other stars of the sport that will be vying for that prize purse include Cory Teunissen, Steel Lafferty, Shota Tezuka and Luca Kidd. Judges include 2020 winner Guenther Oka and veteran pro Jimmy LaRiche. 

Last year the event introduced two wild card spots, saved for boarders in the general public who submit a video for a chance to be selected by Parks to compete. This proved to be a massive success, with twin Argentinian brothers Ulf and Kai Distch securing those spots, and then absolutely crushing it at the competition. They will both return as invited riders this year, with two new wildcard spots open. The submission phase is open as of August 18th and will close on September 1st. Tag @parxxx on Instagram with hashtag #doubleornothingwildcard before then send in your submission!

To see Parks and company send it on Lake Ivanhoe in person, head to Gaston Edwards Park on Saturday, Sept. 16^th from 9am-5pm. The day will be complete with food trucks, family-friendly games, and an open area for some of the best views of the lake to see a spectacle unlike any other in wakeboarding. 

For anyone that can’t attend, all the action will be streamed live. Tune in to Send It Official’s YouTube Page on the 16th! 

Red Bull Double or Nothing Athlete Roster 

• Parks Bonifay 
• Cory Teunissen 
• Shota Tezuka 
• Steel Lafferty
• Danny Harf 
• Sam Brown
• Luca Kidd 
• Tyler Higham 
• Rusty Malinoski 
• Thomas Herman 
• Kai Distch 
• Ulf Distch
• Wild Card 1 
• Wild Card 2 

Follow redbull.com/us-en/events/double-or-nothing to stay updated about this year’s event!

The post Women to Ride as Red Bull Double or Nothing 2023 Comes Back to Orlando appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

Nautique Adds Double Up & Expression Session Contest to 2012 Wake Games

Orlando, Fla. — Nautique, the title sponsor of the 2012 Wake Games, is upping the ante at this year’s contest by sponsoring two new pro events worth more than $10,000 in cash prizes. The boat manufacturer will front cold, hard cash for both a traditional double-up contest and an innovative expression session challenge that will be held on site at the Orlando Watersports Complex immediately following the event’s Pro Men finals.

“Since 2006, the Nautique Wake Games has brought together riders of all ages and skill levels to celebrate water sports in a fun and unique contest setting,” said Nautique CEO Bill Yeargin. “Now we are taking the excitement of this event to a whole new level by challenging wakeboarding’s best to push the limits of the sport in two new added events.”

The double-up contest will give each rider two opportunities to land the most impressive trick possible off a natural kicker generated by two of the Nautique’s massive wakes. The top three trick performers will split the $6,000 cash purse.

Following the double-up contest, Nautique will host a winner-take-all expression session challenge for $5,000. The rider who lands the most innovative trick never before landed in a contest will take home the cash prize.

“Expect to see attempts at a 1260,” said tournament director Chris Bischoff. “With one of the meatiest wakes in the industry, we’re going to witness tricks never seen in a public forum.”

Both pro events will be held on Saturday, April 14, following the finale of the seventh annual Games. The Nautique Wake Games, presented by Rockstar Energy Drink, will be held April 11-14 at the Orlando Watersports Complex in Orlando, Fla.

The Nautique Wake Games is a unique wakeboard contest, allowing professionals and amateurs to work together in a team-formatted points race. Riders from 22 skill-level divisions are drafted to the teams of 10 preselected captains, where they will contribute points based on placement in their individual divisions. The team with the highest collective score will win the overall title.

The post Double Up & Expression Session Added to Nautique Wake Games appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

Double-ups have really allowed wakeboarding to progress to the next level. They definitely helped me land the first backside 900 and gave Danny Harf the boot to land a 1260. Wakeboarding wouldn’t be where it is today without double-ups, but they aren’t easy to tame. I hit at least 12 of them a day — about four each time I wakeboard — and nothing can help you master them more than practice. — Rusty Malinoski

Get behind the wheel: I suggest you start by actually driving double-ups and watching how they unfold. This will let you create a vision in your mind of how to approach them, and that’s the first step. You also want to make sure you have an experienced wakeboard boat driver when it’s your turn on the water. You can only hit a double-up as well as someone can steer one, so driving is pretty important when you’re making your first attempts.

Start small: Don’t go for broke right out of the gate. Instead, focus on your timing. Go for a simple grab and get used to the feeling. I actually used to learn most of my wakeboarding tricks off the double-up because it gave me more height and distance, so I had more time to really focus on the move. Once I got it dialed, I’d move it to the wake.

Pick your preference: I like to hit my double-ups T-ed up, meaning the rollers are at a 90-degree angle to the boat. This gives you more straight-up pop and height off the wake. If you open them up a little more, they tend to give you more distance, so it’s all a matter of preference.

High roller: Which roller you hit also affects how you’ll get booted. If you’re trying to go really big, the third roller is usually your best choice. But if you’re looking to land a more technical move, the second roller is a better option, because you’ll actually have less tension in the rope.

Get punted: The bottom line is there’s no better feeling than going huge off a double-up behind my X-Star and getting absolutely booted as big as I can go. So don’t be afraid to get out there and hit them. You never know what you can land with that extra push.

Photo: Aaron Katen

The post Master the Double-up appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

On the cover:

Brian Grubb

Shifty nose bone

Orlando, Florida

Photo: Aaron Katen

Contents:

26 Airtime

“I wound up getting second due to that fact that I didn’t actually land anything off the double-up, but we all know who had the most style.” — an excerpt from this issue’s letter of the month, In Box, p. 30¬¬¬¬

The Pulse

34 Startup

40 The Jumpoff

44 On Point: Phil Aslinger

46 Media

47 Reviews

48 How to: Learn Raleys

50 The Crown Room

52 Proving Grounds

Aaron Rathy and Harley Clifford surge ahead and Phillip Soven gets back in the game as the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour stops in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, Knoxville, Tennessee, and Elizabethtown, Kentucky.

56 Full of Firsts

The 2009 Air Nautique WWA Wakeboard National Championships played host to a number of breakthroughs on the water.

The Photo Album: Best of Summer 2009, p. 61

62 Recreational Vehicling

64 2009 Byerly Bus Tour

66 Touring Texas

68 BROstock Goes Big

70 Far Flung

Photographer Josh Letchworth documents Nike 6.0’s journey through the Philippines to gather footage for its first-ever video, Aqua Frolics.¬¬¬¬

78 Sessions

86 Next Year’s Gear Now

A sneak peek at what to expect from 2010.

How to:

Ride Strong, p. 90

Rule Re-entries, p. 92

Front-Hand Grab, p. 94

96 My Scene: Phoenix, Arizona

106 Last Blast

The post September/October 2009 appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

Rusty Malinoski

The Bone Crusher didn’t have enough to take home a World Championship, but he definitely didn’t give up without a fight.

Andrew Adkison

Always a contender, here’s Andrew’s third-place run from Worlds in Orlando, FL.

Danny Harf

Danny had a few uncharacteristic falls early in his run that landed him in fifth and took away his double-up attempt.

Harley Clifford

Rookie Harley Clifford had a chance at not only the Worlds title, but also the 2009 King of Wake crown.  Unfortunately, despite a tech-heavy run, Clifford didn’t have enough to take out Aaron Rathy and he landed in the second place position.

The post Videos: 2009 Worlds Pro Mens Finals appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

Murray’s Biggest Air-winning Raley had a duration of 53.5 video frames, one fewer than Chad Sharpe’s biggest recorded air from the 2004 Double Or Nothing.

“It’s incredible to see Shaun back from his knee injury and be able to charge it like he did,” Parks said. “First he got 51 and 52 frames, then there was one double-up that he got every piece of. To come out and win Biggest Air after what he’s been through is amazing and I definitely look up to Murray for that.”

Shane’s toeside backside 720 was the first ever landed in a contest. He also finished second in the Biggest Air category with a Batwing attempt that lasted 53 video frames.

Parks was impressed by the tricks attempted, which included 1080s, backside 900s and double back roll to blinds, by the 20 qualified riders. “This event brings out the highest level of riding, and it’s important for the sport to have this,” Bonifay said. “It’s wakeboarding to the max.”

Red Bull stepped it up big time with an energy station as well as some improvements for photography and video, including high reaches and a helicopter for the first time at Double Or Nothing. Fox Riders Co. macked out the riders with custom jerseys and the X-Star served up the meaty double-ups.

Parks would like to thank Red Bull, MasterCraft and Fox Riders Co. for sponsoring the Double Or Nothing as well as Bubbalous BBQ and Cypress Gardens Scuba Ski for lake access. “These sponsors mean everything to this event,” Bonifay said. “Red Bull, Fox and MasterCraft have been behind me ever since I came up with the idea, and it wouldn’t happen without them.”

The post Bonifay, Murray Tops at Double Or Nothing appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.