Malibu sponsored athletes put on an impressive showing at the 2008 Malibu Open in Pontiac, MI last week. In a total of five events, Malibu skiers and wakeboarders amassed four first place finishes, leaving little room for anyone else to share the glory.

Malibu team riders Philip Soven and Dallas Friday proved too much to handle on the wakeboard side of things. While Soven’s win was impressive, given the season he’s had, it didn’t come as much of a surprise. Right now there’s no one else in the world that can compete with him when it comes to the shear number of tricks he throws, and the technical nature of his riding.

Friday’s win is even more spectacular, given that she is still on the comeback from what could have been a career ending injury. The fact that she has been able to return to the caliber of riding we’ve known her for so quickly makes it clear that she’s still the best female wakeboarder in the world.

It was another successful year for the Malibu Open, and with this year’s event wrapped up, all attention is turned to next year’s contest. We’ll let you know as soon as Malibu announces the location.

The 2008 Tige Pro-Am is just around the corner, and Tigé is upping the ante in an effort to draw some more attention to the inaugural event. With the number of riders that have landed a 1080 in practice closing in on a half a dozen, Tigé has put $10,080 on the line for the first rider to land three spins at the Tigé Pro-Am.

The potential for a five digit payday for an amateur rider that can pull of The Ten is huge. Sure, the likelihood that a local rider will land the elusive 1080 is small. It’s much more realistic to expect a Danny Harf or Rusty Malinoski to walk away with the big check, but even then, that’s quite a bonus for an afternoon of work.

If you’re in the Pacific Northwest, make plans to check out the Tigé Pro-Am at Blue Lake Park in Portland Oregon. It’s a great venue that was cut from the pro wakeboard tour this season for no apparent reason, and is a great place to watch a wakeboarding event.

Check out the full press release after the break.

DRIVE The Video is set to premiere. Northwest native Sean Kilgus and BFY Productions have finished the NEW 16MM wakeboard film. Kilgus has teamed up once again with the top riders in the world and captured the riders throwing down some of the best tricks ever caught on film to date… ! ! !

DRIVE is the follow up film to a long list of amazing releases by Kilgus. Most notably “The Butter Effect” and “Bent Felix”.

Riders featured in DRIVE are : Rusty Malinoski, Randall harris, Danny Harf, Chad Sharpe, Jeff McKee, Ben Greenwood, Jimmy Lariche, Adam Errington, Trevor Hansen, Gabe Lucas, and JD Webb.

Come see the world premiere of “DRIVE” at the Showbox SODO in Seattle, WA. DRIVE Premiere details are posted after the jump……

For the past few years Malibu dealers across the country have teamed up to provide on water demos of their latest models on the same day. This year, on April 26th, dealers across the country will have 2008 model Malibu boats available to drive, ride, ski and explore. If you’re in the market for a new boat, and Malibu is on your list, this is a great opportunity to compare Malibu’s most popular models on the water to determine which one is best for you.

Many dealers throughout the nation are participating, so there’s a good chance one near you will have boats on the water and ready for you to experience first hand. Unfortunately, we doubt any dealers will have the 2008 Malibu Corvette Limited Edition available to demo, but the brand new Wakesetter 23 LSV should serve as a nice substitute.

Visit Malibu’s National Demo Site to find your nearest participating dealer.

You can read the full press release after the jump.

Board Up Miami is back for another year and it’s happening April 12-13, so get ready for South Florida’s premier watersports event. Mixed in with motorcyle stunt shows, fashion shows and some long distance swimming is a unique opportunity for amateur wakeboarders to compete against some of the best riders in our industry.

Check out the full press release after the jump, and if you’re in the area, head down and check it out.

The Toe Jam Wakeskate series is back for its sophomore year, and after an impressive freshman showing, the 2008 version will have some big shoes to fill.

Fortunately Rock Star and O’Neill are on board again as sponsors, and they’ve even added a four stop in Canada. This year’s Toe Jam tour will consist of three qualifiers, each offering a $10,000 purse, and each giving contestants a chance to earn a spot in the main event, the Byerly Toe Jam Orlando, FL. A total of 16 riders will compete for the crown in the September final, with the 6 main event champs from last year earning and automatic invitation. The remaining 10 spots will be filled by the 6 division qualifiers from this year’s tour, along with 4 wild card entries.

The first event is coming up, April 17-19 at The Projects, so stay tuned for full coverage. WAKEOrigin will be bringing you all of the action this year, so even if you can’t witness the best wakeskaters in the world in person, at least you can get your fix online.

Check out the full press release after the jump.

When Shaun Murray first vocalized his Pay It Forward idea, the response from wakeboarders hoping to get a chance to ride his new board was overwhelming. After some initial confusion about the particulars of the program, how the boards would be tracked, and when they would go to the first riders, it looks like the time is coming soon.

Shaun recently posted the pictures in the attached gallery on WakeWorld of him getting the boards ready to go out to their first riders. Hyperlite even saw fit to include Sub 6 boxes with each of the boards to ensure they will survive multiple trips through your local mail carriers grubby hands.

If you’re not already on the list, head over to WakeWorld and get signed up for your chance to rider Murray’s latest and greatest Hyeprlite creations.

[Courtesy of WakeWorld]

Gallery: Hyperlite Pay It Forward Promo

Scratch Films new flick “Godspeed” is set to release soon. To set off the occasion, there will be multiple premieres over the next few months. “Godspeed” is the follow up to “Evergreen,” “The Good Times,” and “The Good Times 2.” The video is getting plenty of coverage and should feature the same great riding and fun times in wake as prior releases.

If you are live in the Seattle Metro area, you should go check out the first premiere of Godspeed tonight in Kirkland.

View the Godspeed Video Premiere Poster after the jump.

Now that the Malibu Open is officially a part of the WWA World Series tour, Malibu has decided to step it up and deck out the official tow boat for the event in a custom wrap. In years past the boats pulling the event have been stickered up with sponsor decals, but nothing to the extent of a full graphical wrap.

They’ve chosen the VLX as the official boat for the wakeboard event, which is a surprise since the 23 LSV received a redesign for 2008. Typically Malibu selects the latest and greatest model as the tow boat for their namesake event, but this year, the 21 footer gets the nod.

Hit the jump for a picture of the wrap on the boat.

Following up on the success of last year’s event, WakeSports Unlimited is hosting the second annual San Diego rail jam at the Del Mar boat show.

With a host of riders, including Danny Harf, Shane Bonifay, Kevin Henshaw and Collin Harrington competing in the warm So Cal weather, it should be a great early spring event. And if the level of riding at the 2007 event is any indication, we can only hope to see a number of “firsts” this year. The event is scheduled for March 26-30, and will take place at the Fred Hall Fishing, Tackle and Boat Show. This is a great chance to see some of the best riders in the world in person, which doesn’t often happen that far down in California. If you’re in the San Diego area, head over and check out the event in person.

You can read the full press release after the jump.

[Courtesy of WakeWorld.com]