What do pro wakeboarders do when they have a layover and they’re trying to kill time? Hop on a website and spread rumors about their new board and bindings of course! Shaun Murray was stuck in the airport on a layover while flying up to Canada for the Kelowna Pro Tour Stop. In between exchanging movie recommendations and food reviews with other riders he threw out some details on his new wakeboard and wakeboard boots for 2008.

For Murray’s 11th season riding for Hyperlite it sounds like they’ve been hard at work improving the dynamics of the gear bearing his name to make a setup that’s better than ever before. For the last few years Mr. Murray wakeboard and wakeboard bindings have been the launching platform for new technology. From the asymmetrical Hyperlite Temet wakeboard to the closed toe Murray boot two years ago, new ideas have made their debut under his feet. The same should be true of next year’s gear.

Read on for some insight into the changes that are in store.

Brandon Thomas is coming of the best season of his young career, with multiple video performances capped by numerous contest wins, proving that Brandon will be a force for many years to come.

To commemorate his quick rise to the top of the wakeskate world Hyperlite has bestowed him with his very own pro model wakeskate, the Vinyl. But who cares about that, the real reason to be excited is that Hyperlite is giving you a chance to upgrade your wakeskate to a brand new 2008 Vinyl 108.

Check out the full details of the contest, as well as how you can enter, after the jump.

Sean Kilgus, of BFY Productions, is in the process of filming “DRIVE”. The latest filming trip took the BFY Productions crew to Arizona with JD Webb, Danny Harf, Randall Harris, & Rusty Malinoski.

Wakeboarding Magazine’s June Issue has a brief feature about the trip. Check it out when it hits stands in a few weeks.

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 Jam was centered on historic Buddy Holly Avenue for the 3rd stop of this years Texas Wakeboard Tour.

Check out the recap of the Texas Wakeboard Tour Stop #3 by Bill Geiger after the jump.

The day after its founder’s and namesake’s birthday Reed Hansen took the honors at the inagural event of Byerly’s 4th Toe Jam wakeskate tour. As the premiere wakeskating event, the Toe Jam series attracks the best wakeskaters in the world, partly for the quality of competition, and party for the relaxed and entertaining atmosphere.

Reed combined solid riding behind the Wakeboard Edition Sea-Doo and made easy work of the 10 rail obstacles on the course to best impressive riding from the likes of Brandon Thomas, Brian Grubb and suprise performer Nick Taylor. The overall level of riding in this years first stop of the Toe Jam Series proves just how quickly the level of riding is improving.

The full details of today’s final round, along with the dates of the remaining tour stops are after the jump.

Round 2 of the first Toe Jam stop of the season fell on host Scott Byerly’s birthday, and featured more impressive wakeskating from the best riders in the world. The 16 riders that advanced from yesterday’s preliminary qualifying round tore it up behind a 220 Nautique, throwing down multiple flip tricks and spins out into the flats. The surprise upset of the day was Nick Taylor knocking out Aaron Reed in round 5 of the qualifying. Even with a couple of big names failing to advance to tomorrow’s final, the stage is set for some great wakeskating.

Tomorrow will see the conclusion of the first stop of the Toe Jam tour, so stay tuned to see which skater will take top honors. The full summary of today’s action, along with the results are posted after the jump.

The Byerly Toe Jam wakeskating tour kicked off with the first stop in Orlando Florida today. Created by Scott Byerly, the goal of the Toe Jam series is to gather the best wakeskaters in sport for a showcase that focuses on the riders and having a good time. Forget about trick lists or time limits, this is all about the riding and hanging out with friends.

Hosted by The Projects, and put on by Rockstar Energy Drinks, day one of this three day event featured preliminary qualifying behind the Sea-Doo on a course filled with 10 different sliders. The top two riders in each heat moved through to the quarterfinal round to be held tomorrow. For the most part today was upset free, with the exception of Tim Kovacich and Scott Byerly failing to qualify for the next round.

Check out the press release for the full details along with the results after the jump.

The world of wakeboarding has always had one name that everyone from the vet to the grom can recognize…Scott Byerly. Byerly has never stopped pushing the sport and progressing things from all angles. This year he adds his own twist with a full line of gear that bears the name of the Legend himself. Scott has always had innovation in mind when designing his products, and he is sure to keep pushing the envelope with the likes of his new wakeskate shape to his artistic and creative thoughts going into his graphics and softgoods.

With the recent addition of Rusty Malinoski to Hyperlite’s team of pro wakeboarders, the obvious question is, when can we expect a new pro model. Rusty has made inroads for heavier riders by proving that extra strength can make you a better rider in both smooth and rough water alike. Not since Darin Shapiro have we seen such a powerful rider dominate the industry to the degree that Rusty has over the last 18 months. From numerous contest titles to two 1080′s (switch frontside no-less), Rusty is proving to be a well rounded rider that can compete in any conditions. He’s no longer a one dimensional rider that can only win in rough conditions.

Things are definitely bright for Jimmy LaRiche. First there was the news of his induction to Hyperlite’s illustrious new team. Then we learned that Correct Craft wanted him on their team as well. Yes sir, things are looking up for the young ripper, and here’s a video courtesy of Hyperlite that shows why he’s such a sought after commodity right now.