MasterCraft Pro Tour #1 - Write up... "Behind the Mic"
03 Jun 2008

The H2Oz Pro Swerve is in the books. The Pro Water Ski Tour is back and will be 'the Premier Water Sports Tour' soon enough. All is said and done. Checks have been signed, sealed, and delivered. What a weekend it was.

Throughout the weekend every emotion a human could possible have in their head, I have had. The weekend was full of ups, downs, and all arounds.

For the week building up the event, preparation was being done to make this not just a first class event from a skier's perspective, but to ensure that from a spectators point of view, both on site, and webcast viewer, we built the best package of entertainment that we could. This was a culmination not just months and months of planning, but a lifetime’s dream of creating the best Pro Water Ski Event that I could. When all was said and done, did this happen? We will cover that shortly.

Back to the event....
Come Friday, the banners were out, the boats were shined and dialed in, and the event was underway.

The Masters Men, threw down and warmed up the waters of Whitestone Lakes posting some absolutely brilliant scores. Scott Tynan topping the likes of Greg Badal, Lucky Lowe, Chad Scott, just to name a few. With a handful of scores at the 41 off (10.25m) line length, I knew this weekend was going to be nothing less than explosive on the water. Things ran quite smoothly as Friday ended up being a quick day on the water.

Saturday arrived and the weather could not have been more perfect. With a full slate of action on the water, 2 rounds of qualifying for Open Women and Open Men, we could not have paid for a better day.

The athletes most definitely did not disappoint, taking full advantage of the world class site in Talking Rock, GA.

First the Women - Between the resident mainstays of the Pro Women elite, Karen, April, Emma, Regina, and the fresh new blood - Nicole, Karina, and the newest of all of them, Caroline Hensley, the women ripped the water to shreds all day long. Thoughts of Deena, Camille, Helena, and Jennifer went through my head as these women carved it up turning buoy after buoy. Of course, Jennifer on the water battling it out with all these women was definitely a treat. She still has it for sure, and could possibly end up in a final at one of the upcoming Mastercraft Pro Tour Stops. With Karen, Regina, Emma and April taking down 38 (11.25m) quite easily, the Sunday finals seemed way too far off, as these ladies definitely left you wanting more and more.

As for the Mens prelim rounds, well, it was much much more than I had expected. Of course you knew names like JamieBeauchesne, Chris Parrish, Willy Asher, and Drew Ross would slay 39 off, but how about the newbies coming onto the scene, John Travers, Fred Halt, Jason McClintock, and Cale Burdick showing the vets that the big check at the end of the weekend was not going to come that easy.
With over 10 skiers with scores at 41 off (10.25m) (some skiers with multiple 41 off scores) I was blown away, and this is coming from someone who has trained with the best of the best close to my entire life. Of course, Jamie had to make sure he took the top score of the day with a 3@41. I would not have expected anything less from the "Live Free or Die" New Hampshire native.

Saturday was expected to be a long day and it was with over 95 pulls all day long, but with skiing like that, I could have watched 95 more. After screaming at the mechanical sphere all day, I was a bit exhausted, as were my vocal chords, but I was sure nothing could bring me down. Famous last words...

As dawn broke Sunday morning and I arose from a much needed rest, I was bewildered as my clock said 6 am, but outside it still looked to be midnight. Low and behold, mother nature kicked me in the stomach (but lower) again. Reminiscent of the freak tropical storm at the inaugural Pro Swerve just a year before, the heavens opened up with such fierceness that I thought the actual lake may blow away. Sitting at the starting dock with Dana Reed, Chris Eller, Tommy Harrington, Seth Stisher, amongst others, trying to figure out what to do, how to piece together what started out as quite possibly, one of the most epic tournaments ever, I just wanted to run to the hills not to be seen again.

Then, the rains subsided, the clouds broke, and we got our chance to get the wheels in motion, to get things moving again and scrap together whatever we could come up with to turn this dreary day into something special. To be honest, I just wanted to get through the day, just wanted to get skiers on the water and finish it off. We lost about a 1/3 of the day, so some things had to change. Formats had to be changed. The head to head format had to be scrapped... Or did it.

We made the decision to start off the Masters Men with a straight shot and run the 12 semi finalists right through till we had a champ. Then move along and get to the Open divisions. It was not going to be an extreme head to head battle, it was not going to be the greatest water ski format that I know of, just a straight shot through to get a winner. We would still crown a champ, it would still be good, the first ever Pro Tour Masters Men champ would be known, it would just not be as I envisioned it. It would be much much better.

The script could not have been written better by an Oscar winning screen writer.
The skiing began, with a slight drizzle still going. Then came Jay Leach's turn to swerve some buoys. This average guy from Mississippi who had backed out of the event the previous Monday due to personal issues, only to be persuaded by his wife and by his ski partner, Chad Scott, to make the drive the day before the event started, completely changed my outlook on the day, perhaps my outlook on water skiing in general, perhaps my outlook on life. Never in my wildest dreams did I think one man, who I did not know until just a few days ago, could change my perspective on how things should be, how life has a funny way of ending up just right.

Jay Leach came out in the rain and ran 39 (10.75m) in the rain, for only his third time ever. What an accomplishment, what a feat!! Wow, today was going to be OK. David Miller and Scott Tynan ended up making their way through 39 as well, and all three tied with 1@41.

So, what started as a straight shot through the finals, ended up as a Head to Head to Head runoff. Just then, the webcast began. We were going to be able to bring this brilliant story to all the water ski fans throughout the world. This was amazing, Jay Leach was in a runoff for the first ever Masters Men title in Pro Tour history. That would have been a great way to end the event in itself. But Jay had a different plan. This man from Mississippi, who had only run 39 off 2 times in his life, who just ran it for the third time ever in the final round of a Professional event, did it AGAIN!!!

Chad Scott blew by me hootin and hollerin all the way down the lake. It seemed as he was back at his day job as a DEA agent going to bust some bad guys, but instead he was running down the lake in excitement for his good friend who just blew everyone's mind by smokin 39 (10.75m) off not once but 2 times within 40 minutes. Jay Leach ended up taking the title from two of the world’s best Masters Men competitors. My sore throat burned as I screamed through the mic, trying to let everyone know the man from Mississippi, who came out of nowhere, just took home the first ever Masters Men Championship on the MC Pro Tour. Right then, right there, I knew, this event was going to build steam and become one of the most epic, thrilling events, I had ever seen. In that instant, everything was perfect. In my head, the sun was shining, the water was butter, and Jay Leach linked the most perfect turns ever. Somehow, one man, took all that rain and put it in his back pocket and made the day special.

Next, the Women took to the water. Again, a shortened format for the women. We were going to run the 12 semi-finalist straight through down to 4 finalist and run them in a head to head battle for the title. Karen, April, and Emma kept their spots and took 3 of the top 4 spots. Regina ended up going down a little early and the 2008 Masters Champ's day was over. Enter Karina Nowlan. Karina is no doubt a rising star in the world of Women's water skiing and she wanted to make the Pro Swerve her coming out party and take the title from 3 of the worlds top Women Swervers. Karina took the top seed with a stellar performance of 3@39 (10.75m)

So here is what we ended up with, Head to Head battle: Karina Nowlan vs. Karen Truelove. April Coble vs. Emma Sheers.

Skip to the Head to Head Showdown. First up, Karina v. Karen. Both women smoked 38 off (11.25m). Karina going out first, got a score of 1@ 39. Karen, the sly vet came out second, and knowing exactly what she needed to do, got herself around 2 ball to knock out the young up and comer. But believe you me, Karina has moves on the water and I guarantee we will be seeing her again.

Emma and April come out next. This was a battle of the Titans for sure. A rematch of the Moomba Masters from earlier this year. This time April came out on top and punched her ticket to a fight with Karen Truelove in the final matchup. This being a rematch from the finals of the first Pro Swerve last year in which Karen came out on top after multiple runoffs at 39. Yes, the North Carolina Duo would battle once again for the top spot, a story that has gone on for over 20 years. Best of friends, fiercest of competitors, another story that could not have ended up more perfect. In the end, Karen Truelove showed her supremacy and took April down to secure back to back titles at the H2Oz Pro Swerve and be the first woman to win a Pro Tour Event in over 7 years. At this point, my voice was dead and I was running on pure adrenaline.

And I still had the Men's division to yell about!
Yes, what started off as the worst day of my life, was quickly turning into one of the best.

Here come the guys....
This was the marquee division. A Who's Who of Pro Mens Slalom Skiers would be battling it out for the Pro Swerve title.

The Coach: Seth Stisher.
The Editor: Todd Ristorcelli
TWhisper: Terry Winter
Face To Face: Marcus Brown
Billy "The Kid" Susi
Tdegs, the World Champ, Thomas Degasperi
The Tower, Chris Parrish
Bobby Bo: Jamie Beauchesne
Will Asher
Drew Ross
JP: Jay Parades
Jeff Rodgers
JT: John Travers
Cale Burdick
Fred Halt
Jason McClintock

You know most all of the names listed above.
If you are a slalom skier, most likely you try to emulate any one of a majority of the names above. But who is Fred Halt? Where did Jason McClintock come from? Finally we get to see Cale Burdick at a Pro Event! And just how good is John Travers???
We had the chance to find all of this out and more by the time the spray settled.

The men got the chance to go head to head, all the way through.
As I know I have been somewhat long winded already, I am going to stick to the highlights here. First upset, Todd R. "The Editor" taking out a podium mainstay Drew Ross. You kidding me?? Drew Ross going down in the first round?? What else could happen? Epic Battle #1: Tdegs v. CP. I am shaking just writing about this one. Tdegs takes him out. Epic Battle #2: MB v. Willy. Best onside turn contest ever!! Willy moves on, knocking out Face to Face.

Moving on. The Editor's storybook tourney takes another step. He proceeds to take out Masters Champ Will Asher in the next round to get himself into the final 4. Was Jay Leach not going to be the only storybook ending of the tourney? How could things get more exciting?

Here comes John Travers. This kid has been burning up the line everywhere he goes. Scores at 41 coming out of this kid faster than the price of gas rising! He and Cale Burdick had one of the most epic brackets of the tourney and quite possibly stole the show, letting everyone know that the future of slalom skiing is in good hands. JT takes down Cale and moves on to the final 4.

TWhisper looking strong, regaining his form from a few years back when he took his first title at the Waterski Magazine Shootout. He makes the final 4.

Oh yeah, less we forget about "Live Free or Die". JB should have only showed up on Sunday as he knew he would be in the final four before anyone else and was not ready to let anyone knock him out, not without a fight.

So here is what we end up with:
JT/JB. The strongest skier in the last decade vs. the hottest young gun out there today.
JB tells John to put up a score as he lets JT out first. JT puts down another 39 and gets himself 1@41. Amazing performance and guts this kid has. Unfortunately for him, that is not enough to knock out , the guy who many believe is "THE MAN" in slalom skiing. B 2@41 and moves right along to the finals with a grin and a donkey kick off the wake on the way back to the dock.

TWhisper v. "The Editor" Todd Ristorcelli. Long story short, the storybook tourney keeps on moving and The "Editor" wins a shot at the title. Kind of bitter sweet, how do you really win, when you have to face a guy like Jamie?
When the dust settled, fatigue took down "The Editor" and ended his dream event as JB took the title in crowd pleasing fashion and made sure everyone got wet in the end putting up a wall of water on the diehard fans who lined the shore.

Taking nothing away from Jamie, but it was Todd's day as he got his best finish ever in a Pro Event and legitimized himself as a contender on this fledgling Pro Tour. He definitely had a smile on his face and was happy to finish runner up to Champion Beauchesne.

All in all the event was one not to be forgot.
Plenty of new names are known and a new wave of rippers made sure that everyone knows they are a force to be reckoned with.

Huge Congrats go out to Fred Halt, JMAC, Cale, JT, and of course the "Editor".
Karina and Nicole made sure that girls like April, Emma, and Karen must be on their A Game to earn future wins. Most notably, Jay Leach, the man from Mississippi, the Cinderella story of the weekend, made sure everyone knew that great things happen to good people. Nice guys truly do finish first.

As for the Pro Tour...
Many many questions have arose. The answers are being sought out as we speak.
We need to make sure we produce the best package that we can. This weekend was a test, a trial, and we learned a lot. We are currently taking the knowledge that we learned and implementing it as we speak. Things will move on and we will prevail and create the best Pro Water Ski Tour that you have ever seen.

Webcast is the way of the future. It will be integral in making sure that the Pro Tour sticks around. Most importantly, the Pro Tour needs support from water ski enthusiasts. Positive support! Go to the event! Watch the webcast! Give feedback! Be positive! Support the sponsors! Support the skiers. Grow the sport! Our thanks go to Tom & David for the effort they have gone to in putting on such a great Webcast.
With growth and education of the sport we all love, we can make it easier to do all over the world.

Let the Pro's motivate, educate, and entertain you.

Many many thanks go out to all who made the event possible.

Dana Reed, Aarne Clow.

Whitestone Lakes Estates: (Drew, JoAnn, Kyle, AJ, Tim, Carey, Joel, Julie, Jason, Janet, Grahams, Tony, Nolans, Emily, Big Tony, Andy R., Andy W., and I am sure I’ve forgotten some people, but you know who you are)
Jenna Schreiber, the best Chef ever!
Kristy Petrillo, Natalie Hamrick, and Wade Cox, my co-announcers.

Webcast-TV: (Tom, David and Pam Grey + Crew)

Stisher, JStizz, PJ Mac.

The officials of the event: Gary, Meredith, Becky, Ray, Alan L, Kim B., Brian K, Daniel K, Tommy, Chris, Lyman, Taylor, Jim J., Jerry J., Jeff G., George L., and everyone else who helped out judging.

The Sponsors: Mastercraft Boats and Water Sports Central. Zero Off, Indmar, OJ Props, Boaters World, HO, Obrien, Radar, D3, Goode, Connelly, Straightline, Eagle Sports, Brown Equipment, Kiker Financial, Georgiamountains.com.

I hope I did not forget everyone, but if I did, it was unintentional and I apologize, and thank you very much for helping make this event possible.

See you in Baton Rouge at the Night Jam!!!

Article by - Tadd Schreiber