Thomas Olson landed a toeside 900 in the finals to WIN his first BAKES NWI title against defending 2 time Champion Bret V. Everyone who showed up to watch the NWI witnessed a passing of the torch between these long time friends from Gig Harbor. Many folks know that Bret V has been a mentor and significant influence in Thomas Olson’s wake career to this point. The 4th Annual BAKES NWI had the teacher give way to the protege’ in the closest finals decision the event has ever seen…

The official recap and links to event photo galleries are posted after the jump

Media Courtesy of [ WakeboardNorthwest.com ]

Click Image to View Gallery

At the beginning of June we brought you the first unofficial pictures of 2009 Malibu Wakesetter VLX. Now Malibu has released a few shots of the completely new model on the water, and we have to say, it’s a hansom looking update.

Based on the brief preview we posted early, the 2009 Wakesetter VLX looks pretty much like we thought it would. This latest round of pictures of the boat in it’s natural setting do a much better job of showcasing the lines of the new boat.

Check out our summary of the major changes after the break.

Gallery: 2009 Malibu Wakesetter VLX Official Pictures

Drive the video is out (we’ll have a review up soon), and is on its way to being the most popular wakeboard video of the year. If you don’t have a copy yet, we want to hook you up with a free autographed copy of Drive, courtesy of Wakeside.com and BFY Productions.

All you have to do to win is post a comment on this post about why you deserve a free copy of Drive the movie. The winner will be chosen at random, so we aren’t judging the quality of your comment, but it needs to be on topic.

Here are the rules:

• Only one entry per person. That means you can only comment on this post one time, if you comment more than once you will be automatically disqualified.
• This contest is open to residents of the Continental United States (sorry, it’s not by choice).
• Contest ends 11:59PM PST on July 30th, 2008.

We’ll announce the winners within one week of the close of the contest. If you can’t wait until then to watch Drive, you can purchase a copy right now at Wakeside.com. Good luck!

Sean Kilgus, BFY Productions, has delivered another masterpiece in DRIVE. This is his follow up film to such titles as Butter Effect, Bent Felix, and Running on Empty. Wake films we all have watched over and over.

The rider line up in this film is ridiculous and includes many of the worlds best. Randall Harris, Rusty Malinoski, Danny Harf, Chad Sharpe, Trevor Hansen, Jimmy Lariche, Ben Greenwood, Gabe Lucas, JD Webb, Jeff McKee, Erik Ruck, and Adam Errington all have sections.

Order your copy from Wakeside.com and check out a short trailer after the jump.

The wakeboard industry has seen a number of substantial changes in the last few years. From the purchase of nearly every major manufacturer by Bob Archer, to the emergence of new companies like Ronix Wake, it’s safe to say things have been in transition.

And now, although there has been relative stability through the last couple of seasons, there is another new player on the horizon, this time in the form of Company Wake. Although details are thin, and they’ve chosen to take a decidedly cryptic approach to marketing, some information is starting to leak out. What we know at this point is that the company is the brain-child of Justin Stephens, a veteran of the industry. With Surf Expo ‘08 set as their public unveiling, we can expect to see quite a bit more from this young company.

Until then, check out the viralish video they’ve released for more teasing and not much information after the jump.

We’re fast approaching the release of the 2009 model year boats from every major manufacture, which is an exciting time for anyone that gets excited for the newest wakeboarding toys. It will probably be a few weeks until manufactures start to release official pictures of their new product, but we’ve got the first shots of the 2009 Malibu Wakesetter VLX here, along with some additional information about Malibu’s new flagship wakeboarding boat.

Check out the information we’ve gathered, along with additional pictures after the break.

Update: Sorry everyone, Malibu is throwing their weight around and forcing people to remove any images that are posted ahead of the official unveiling. Hopefully we’ll have press quality images from Malibu soon.

Update #2: Pictures are back up. Official product pics will be releases shortly, and the pictures shown here do not represent the final product, so the production version of the 2009 Wakesetter VLX may be even better than what’s shown here.

It’s no secret that Rusty Malinoski’s new Hyperlite MAREK pro-model is getting a lot of attention right now. It’s definitely the most anticipated wakeboard of 2008, and with the world release coming up on May 15th, wakeboarders won’t have long to wait until they can ride the MAREK themselves.

If you can’t wait for the official release, we’ve got your MAREK wakeboard fix after the jump. Hyperlite released a video showcasing the construction process of Rusty’s new pro-model, everything from designing the graphics to pressing boards is detailed, and backed up with an awesome soundtrack.

Hit the jump to check it out.

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……

Here’s an entertaining video we found on YouTube that serves as a great reminder of how boring things would be if we didn’t have wakeboarding. You have to admit, the guy has some skills to be able to throw down on a piece of a wood and a folding chair, but it’s still lacking some of the appeal of putting your feet in the bindings and going for a ride.

It’s starting to warm up throughout the country, so hopefully people are getting out on the water. Have you started riding yet this year?

Every Wednesday we partner with WakePics.com, the premier wakeboarding media site, to bring you new and unique wakeboard media. Enjoy it, and head over to WakePics.com to view more user contributed wakeboard images and videos.

The next time you’re frustrated with your riding, choppy water, or in a bad mood when you’re on the water, think of Gnarlio, and the fact that he’s way more committed to this sport, and to living life than most of us will ever be. Remember, it’s all relative, and wakeboarders that don’t make excuses and rip like Gnarlio should be an inspiration to all of us.

Visit WakePics.com for more user contributed wakeboard pictures and videos.