Gabe Lucas wins second straight Texas Wakeboard Tour Rail Jam Event. JD Webb takes 2nd place. In a charitable display of class, JD Webb donated his winnings to a little girl with cancer which the event was raising funds for.
An all-star line-up of Texas based riders converged on the brick streets of downtown Lubbock. The Rail Jame was centered on historic Buddy Holly Avenue for the 3rd stop of this years Texas Wakeboard Tour.
Gabe Lucas Wins TWT Stop#3 - Riptank Rail Jam Event
TEXAS Wakeboard Tour : Press Release
LUBBOCK, TEXAS (April 2007)
You could describe the #3 stop of the 2007 Texas Wakeboard Tour in four words…SMALL TOWN…BIG PARTY!It was called the “Riptank Rail Jam – Jam at the Garden” presented by Nissan North America. This was a partnership with the Riptank Boardshop, Lubbock’s wake, snow and skateboard headquarters. The event took place on the brick streets of Buddy Holly Avenue at the Beer Garden in the heart of the cities entertainment district. In addition to the wakeboard rail jam, there was plenty of live music including the evening’s headliner – Vanilla Ice!
The first band hit the outdoor stage at around 7:30pm as the crowd began to file in. By 8:00pm…the street was filling up and the line at the front gate was still growing – we knew we were going to be in for a good party!
The rail jam kicked off at 8:30pm and it featured an all-star line-up of Texas best riders including Gabe Lucas, Brian Sasser, Tom Fooshee, Joey Bradley, Richie McKee, Dustin Shows, Danny Sherrill, Joe Lemberg and Rusty Scott. Hyperlite Pro Team rider JD Webb also made the trip out from Orlando to hang with the Texas crew. The rail jam set-up, provided by Dallas based Ridin Rails, included two fifty foot pools separated by a forty foot platform with two rails attached. Riders had the option of hitting the lower kinked rail or attacking the new Monster Energy Rail that towered five feet above the platform.
The riders were split into two heats of five, with the top three (3) in each heat moving on to the finals. It was an open jam format with the judges looking for the best tricks. Heat number one featured Lucas, McKee, Scott, Sasser and Webb. Each had five attempts to lay down their best trick in hopes of advancing to the final round and a shot at over $2000 in cash and prizes. At the end of the first round it was Gabe Lucas, JD Webb and Brian Sasser who would move on. They were joined by Tom Fooshee, Joe Lemberg and Danny Sherrill from Heat #2.
The finals got underway at around 9:30pm. The music was pumping, the rails were lit up and the enthusiastic crowd of spectators was lined up five or six deep along the entire 200 foot course. Sherrill, Sasser, Fooshee and Lemberg went to work on the smaller rail and some used the kink to launch big spin variations. Gabe Lucas and JD Webb chose to focus on the taller Monster Energy Rail. The crowd was loud and all the riders had three final attempts to bring it. By the time they got to their final pulls, it looked like JD Webb’s stylish frontside board press with 180 out would take the win, but then Lucas took it to the next level with a text book backside 270 out on the Monster Rail. With the crowd cheering, JD had one last shot at redemption…but it was not meant to be. Lucas got the win and a check for $1000 courtesy of Riptank Boardshop. JD Webb took second place and a check for $500 and Tom Fooshee rounded out the podium and received a set of JL component speakers – provided by Vision Audio, for his work!
By 10:15pm, the rail jam was in the books, but the party was just kicking into full gear. The line at the front gate was still a block long and local bands Falling Jupiter and Hero Factor where getting ready to set the stage for the much anticipated headliner – Vanilla Ice!
In addition to Nissan North America, the Riptank Rail Jam – Jam at the Garden was made possible with support from Monster Energy Drink, Family Power Sports, Budweiser/Bud Light, Hyperlite Wakeboards, H20 Clothing, TBKS and promotional partners the Beer Garden and Riptank Boardshop.
For more information, visit the Texas Wakeboard Tour Website
