LF Faithful,

LF Faithful,
 
It’s been a while since we last spoke… So much has happened… there is much to talk about, so let’s dive right into it…
 
For those that have been wondering about the fires…
Thanks for your concern.  We have received numerous calls from well wishers and they definitely were appreciated!  Although several of the LF crew and their families were evacuated this week, all now appears to be good in our world.  The fires are still burning but our LF family seems to have come out fairly clean.  It has been a crazy week here in Southern California and our thoughts go out to all of those that have lost their homes… we wish you a quick recovery!
 
Now to the happier news…
 
Love is in the air at Liquid Force
“First things first…  Let’s give big congratulations to Don Wallace and Susan Biggins… or shall I say Susan Wallace…  Don and Susan, both key members of the LF crew exchanged vows October 6th in La Jolla, California.  The wedding was spectacular but the reception was even better.  You knew it was going to be a serious party when both the bride and groom started off with a ceremonial Beer Bong in true BROstock fashion.  Way to keep it real Wallace’s…” –Aaron Grace
 
On to business…
 
Phillip Soven Dominates 2007 Contest Season…
As if winning the 2007 Pro Tour wasn’t enough for Phillip Soven, he also just claimed the 2007 WWA World Series, and the prestigious “King of the Wake” World Cup Title.  He clinched the WWA World Series title last month with his 5th consecutive win at Board Stock, in Clear Lake, CA. Phillip became the first person in the history to win all 5 WWA World Series events.  Phillip has been on an absolute rampage this year, winning just about every event he has entered.  When asked about the contest series, Phillip said “The World Series is a great because it incorporates competitions worldwide so you get a taste of everything from Japan to the U.S.”  If your short on a little cash, maybe asked Phillip to spot you a dollar or two, Phillip won an additional $10,000 for claiming the overall title.    As if that wasn’t enough, Phillip captured the King of the Wake World Cup by winning the Tige Pro-Am contest in Cancun.  Phillip became the first rider to win the Pro Tour, the WWA World Series and the King of the Wake World Cup.  The following is a news release sent out by WakeBoarding Magazine…
 
2007 King of Wake Crowned: Phillip Soven Makes Action Sports History
ORLANDO, Fla. – After sweeping the Tigé Pro-Am Wakeboard Championships, Phillip Soven, 18, of Longwood, Fla., made action sports history today, as the 2007 wakeboard world champion became the first rider ever to win the Pro Wakeboard Tour, the WWA World Series and the King of Wake World Cup in the same year.
“Ever since I was a little kid, I have dreamt of winning the World Cup,” said Soven. “It’s an incredible feeling to accomplish your dreams.”
The King of Wake World Cup is the ultimate wakeboarding series, bringing together the sport’s top events under one ultimate season-long points chase. The 2007 series included five stops on the Pro Wakeboard Tour, plus the Wake Games, the National Championships and the World Championships, and concluded with the Pro-Am Championships. Of the nine contests in the series, Soven has captured seven wins, including the Wake Games, four Pro Tour stops, the World Championships and the Pro-Am Championships. These victories launched the two-time world champion to the top of the standings, earning Soven the 2007 King of Wake title and the largest cash prize in the history of the sport, $25,000. The Florida native becomes the youngest rider, at 18, ever to win the King of Wake World Cup. For more information, go to www.kingofwake.com.
 
If you’re short on cash, Phillip might be the guy to ask to borrow a couple of Dollars from… Phillip won an additional $10,000 for claiming the WWA World Series to go along with the $25,000 for the King of the Wake.  
 
In Wakeboarder’s on NBC news…
Collin Harrington and a few other top riders were invited to compete in the Dew Action Sports Tour this weekend in Downtown Orlando.  The format was a rail jam, and our very own Collin Harrington took the top honors and was shown slaying the rail on NBC this past Saturday.  Collin has had one of his most productive seasons, nabbing several magazine covers and traveling the world this year and we’re stoked to see him end it with a great contest result with a national audience… congrats to our waterman, Collin! 
 
In cable news…
Tom Fooshee has been on fire all year in the WWA Wake Park Series, an all cable contest series.  Tom has been dominating the field and will be riding for the overall title November 10th at the Ski Rixen in Deer Field Beach, FL.   Good luck Tom!!!
 
Raimi Places 2nd in Singapore…
At only 14 yrs old Raimi Merritt entered her first Pro contest in Singapore at the World Cup event to place 2nd just behind Dallas. Raimi has been competing in the Girls divisions for the last three years of her young competitive career. Raimi announced she would be riding in the Pro division after her Girl's win at the Worlds in Reno. We look forward to Raimi representing Maven and LF on podiums next season. She may be fresh to the Pro division but Raimi is going to shake things up in every finals run next year . . . we're excited to see the progression of women's riding from someone so young. Congrats to Raimi and here are a few words from her . . . “It was an awesome experience to watch and ride with the other pro riders. It was tough competition but I managed to pull through and get 2nd place so I'm pretty happy about that!!! I can't wait till the next pro contests!!!! Thanks Liquid Force for everything!!" –Raimi Merritt
 
Last, but not least in contest news… Shane adds another solid contest result to his resume…
September 11th is a date none of us will ever forget, but especially Shane Bonifay.  This was the day that Shane won the very prestigious event run by his brother… Parks’ “Double or Nothing” double up contest.  Shane won the contest by the landing his second TS BS 720, but this one was special because it was the first one landed in a contest environment.   This contest generally brings out the best in all of the top riders and is widely considered one of the most prestigious for a rider to win!  Nice work Shane!
 
International Travels….
Even though the wakeboard season is quickly coming to an end, the LF team is still on the go.  Shane Bonifay and Tino Santori just returned from a trip to Japan.  Shane and Tino were touring around Japan with the Liquid Force distributor helping with demos and clinics and also making some shop appearances.  Not that these two guys weren’t before, but I can now assure you that Shane and Tino are definitely international super stars.  They both came home with carpel tunnel from signing so many autographs.  
 
Mike Ennen and Silas Thurman just returned from a 2 week adventure in Spain.  The two friends traveled to Spain for a Liquid Force dealer meeting and to attend some demos. Mike and Silas were busy talking to the local dealers about their boards for the 2008 LF line.  Mike was busy talking about his new board, the Press.  Mike not only helped create the feel of the ride, he was able to incorporate his own artwork into the board.  The 142 was created for him and he created another Mike Ennen masterpiece by crafting the art on Shane’s 136 Press Model.  Silas will be showing off the highly anticipated SST which should be hitting store shelves any day now, a few of you may already have them in your local shop.  If so, be sure to go and purchase an SST, you will not be disappointed.  Here are some words from our traveling duo…
 
“Let me tell you about Spain. The good part is that there is a surplus of hot women. None of them seem to talk to us though. Unless they know us because of our wake friends. I'm not going to complain about that though. Sometimes you have to drop that card. Here's the bad part. We've been here for 7 days and the only bag that has showed up is Mikey’s clothing bag. I've been wearing the same shirt for a week. We didn't have any of our gear to ride. Luckily it was a LF demo and an SST showed up. The only shoes I have are soaked because I had to ride in them and my jeans smell like ass. Other than that Spain is Rad!  The people at LF Spain are great and the demos have been really fun.” –Silas Thurman, Team Rider/Designer/World Traveler.
 
Liquid Force to launch new clothing line…
If you’ve been paying attention, you may have noticed some new board shorts being worn by a few of our key athletes… you may not have known what brand they were, though.  Well, we’re proud to announce a new line of products that will be hitting the best Liquid Force wake shops soon!  Endorsed by Mike Ennen, Tom Fooshee, Steele Lafferty, Melissa Marquardt, Shelby Kantar, Steph Wamsley, and several other LF riders, the line is creating quite a buzz in the world of pre-season orders.  Tony Finn worked out the partnership agreement with C&C Traders, and had the following to say about the new partnership…
 
“At Liquid Force, we have had tremendous demand for board shorts, walk shorts, t shirts, fleece, hats and other apparel.  However, we were never really able to do it right. Our focus has always been, and will always be on making the best, most innovative boards and boots we can.  So, instead of coming out with bad board shorts or not doing it all, we decided to partner with someone who is an expert in making super cool unique and functional apparel- that company is C and C. They have made apparel for Gotcha, Redsand and Rusty to name a few, and they are a super cool motivated company.  We just started showing the clothes last month and the response from the athletes and the customers has been truly amazing. Everyone is stoked on the stuff.  Check it out!!!” –Tony Finn, LF Founder
 
The line is being endorsed by Mike Ennen, Tom Fooshee, Steele Lafferty, Melissa Marquardt, Shelby Kantar, Steph Wamsley, and several other LF riders. All of the riders will have significant input into future designs, including signature model products for several of them.  The line is creating quite a buzz in the world of pre-season orders and should be arriving in most key shops this holiday season.
 
And… in Maven Sessions news…
Well . . . we set out to meet and “Session” more of you this summer than last and we certainly did . . . With over 30 tour stops in the books from April to August, from Seattle, WA to Orlando, FL and Carlsbad, CA to Pt. Pleasant, NJ we think we covered most of this great nation. We met over 800 of you and have never been more inspired to see that women’s wake sports are hugely on the rise. Some of you drove up to 8 hours to come see us and some of you even hopped on a plane to come ride with the Maven crew. Steph, Shelby, Amber, Barrett, Andrea, Stef, Cathy, Melissa and Kara all send out their most sincere thanks for making their summers so much fun and so rewarding. Thank you to all of the first-timers for trying these sports we love and giving us a chance to share our fun with you. Thank you to all the girls we met who are pushing it and trying to progress the sport—we have seen a few of you at comps since then and expect to see more! Keep up the good work and we will see you next summer. Flip through the photo gallery to reminisce the good times and stay inspired over the winter. We hope to see all of you and more next summer!
 
The Exclusive Kick Flip Club: Tale of Two Steph/fs
Last month “Stef with an F” joined “Steph with a PH” in the exclusive club of Female Kick-Flippers. Stephanie Wamsley and Stef Tor are still paving the way for women’s wakeskating and are adding to their bag of tricks every month. Check out Tor’s KF at http://www.steftor.com/StefKflip.mov
 
Amber Goes Back Home and Shelby Goes Back to School
            It’s Fall! And that means back-to-school time for many of you a few of our riders. It also means its back to Australia and New Zealand for all those who live the Endless Summer life. Amber wrapped up her incomparable summer of competition wins (PWT#1 and Worlds) and world travels while filming for Oakley’s Push Process—to premier November 10th here in So Cal. Shelby is closing her season down after her Pro Tour Title win and an invite to the World Cup in Qatar. Shelby is one of few Professional wakeboarders who manages to go to school full-time as well. She is studying Kinesiology at Sac State and will continue to ride through the next three seasons and be ready to defend her PWT title next summer.
 
Well… that’s it for now… We certainly hope this was enough to make you all forget our lengthy delay in delivering “The Truth”… stay tuned for more updates soon!