Waking the Beast: Oakley’s Oli Derome Makes His First PWT Podium in Colorado Springs
It was always in him.
Oakley’s Oli Derome finally smashed his way onto a Pro Wakeboard Tour podium this past week in Colorado Springs.
Fans lined the shores of Memorial Park to catch the final rounds of action at the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour stop. Riders in the Pro Men and Jr. Pro Men division spent the day battling it out on the water behind the MasterCraft X-Star in hopes of winning the fourth stop of the 2010 season. The pros kicked off the day with their quarterfinal round of action, where 20 riders hit the water in five heats of four to battle for a spot in the semifinals. Only the top two pros from each heat advanced, cutting the field of riders in half and creating some massive upsets in the process.
In the semifinals, the Aussies paved the way, as former Australia Pro Tour champs Dean Smith and Oakley’s Harley Clifford each won their respective heats. Brothers Phillip and Bob Soven also advanced to the six-man final, along with Olivier Derome and Andrew Adkison. In the final round of action, Bob Soven took the victory with an amazing run. Andrew Adkison in second and Oakley Team Rider Oli Derome rounded out the podium with his first ever PWT top three finish.
“I’m pumped to have made the finals and finish on the podium,” Derome said. “It was a fun weekend in Colorado and I can’t wait to come back next year.”
It was a busy weekend for the Oakley team as they rode well in the contest and spent time signing autographs, greeting fans and showcasing all the new Oakley apparel and HD Polarized eyewear that was available thanks to Tommy’s Boardshop. Hundreds of lucky fans waited patiently in line to meet the team: Keith Lyman, Aaron Rathy, Harley Clifford and Oli Derome signed copies of Oakley’s Push Process DVD on Sunday before the finals.
This was Bob Soven’s first Pro Tour win in the Pro Men’s division. Though older brother Phillip didn’t win today, he remains the points leader in the standings at 345 points. Harley Clifford trails in second place at 330 points, while Rusty Malinoski rounds out the top three with 246 points.
Following the Pro Men’s finals today, the Pro Tour went right into the Indmar Double Up contest where Rusty Malinoski was declared the winner, sticking another 1080. Next, the Pro Tour hosted its Rockstar Energy Drink Big-Air Challenge where Bob Soven took top honors. Top top it all off, Malinoski and Soven each took home $1,000 for winning their respective events.
With Colorado Springs in the books, the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour will now head to its final stop of the 2010 season in Knoxville, Tenn., Aug. 13-14. Other venues included Acworth, Ga., Fort Worth, Tex. and Elizabethtown, Ky. To catch all the high-flying, rail-sliding, water-sports action of the Colorado Springs Pro Tour stop on television, tune in to FUEL TV on Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. EST.
Congratulations to the O Team for handling business in Colorado!
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