Clever tricks were the order of the day as Red Bull Double Up provided the climax to the first round of the Argentinian Wakeboard Cup.
The qualifying tournament for the Pan-American games and the showpiece Double Up which followed were dominated by the Martin brothers, who have bossed wakeboarding in Argentina for the last decade – Cutun has taken 10 domestic titles and leads the standings in Argentina after the first round of the latest Wakeboard Cup, with hermano Juan (pictured, above) filling the runners-up spot eight times.
“The water is perfect for tricks,” Cutun said after his successful Moby Dick during the competition. “A Double Up is the perfect chance to do the big tricks that the people come to see.
“I was 15ft [4.5m] up for my trick – when I made the handle pass, I was certain I was landing it.”
'I cannot believe how much this event is taking off – 70 riders this year…' – Ezequiel Buzza
With Cutun (pictured, below) having performed, and other pro riders Federico Bruland and Mariano Solari landing an Indie 911 and pulling off a 540 respectively, it was Juan Martin’s time to tackle the Double Up. Before taking to the water, Juan had told friends to expect something special, and he didn’t let them down as he performed the first Indie Heelside Backside 360 Off Axis ever seen in Argentinian competition, winning the contest.
“I love Double Ups and I think they are my strongest discipline,” he said after taking the 700 pesos prize. “I am so glad I nailed my trick. I was riding well all weekend and I was a little bummed to fall off in the other competition.”
That he was in the water at all is no small achievement after he suffered the kind of accident that keeps riders all over the world awake at night. During a practice session in 2007, Juan fell onto a discarded outboard motor and had to have his appendix and a kidney removed as he went under the knife twice.
But this was all forgotten as the presentation was made among fireworks reflecting on the lake of the usually tranquil Club Náutico Escobar.
Keeping the 300-strong crowd informed of events on the water was Ezequiel Buzza.
“This is my 10th year at the event. I would like to be out there, but connecting the riders and the crowd is good enough for me” Buzza said, in between translating the tricks for the sunbaked crowd. “I cannot believe how much this event is taking off – 70 riders this year and 10 pros registered for the season.
Gustavo Cherro/Red Bull Photofiles
“I’m friends with all the guys out there and I wish them all the best… I’ve told them I want to see a 1080 in the Double Up.”
DJ Freeeeky-G also kept the crowd pumped as he blasted out his set out from the Red Bull Marquee. Another long term supporter of Argentinian wakeboarding, the DJ was impressed with what he saw over the weekend.
“This event is always great fun, watching all that talent giving it everything,” said the man behind the decks. “I have seen all the riders come up through the ranks, I saw them riding as kids. Now they are pulling off amazing tricks and giving the crowd plenty to cheer about.”
With wakeboard fever turning itself up a notch over the weekend, it remains to be seen what tricks the Martin brothers still have in the locker for the next round of competition.
For the lowdown on the Moby Dick and other tricks, check out www.wakeboarder.com/tricks
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