Austria got a Wakeskate vice world champion and I know now how the D.R.I.V.E. Judging system works!
28.March 2009

At CWC is something going on, the winchpark and the boatlake got finished. If you still get bored its your fault. There was not much queueing, it got all split up well. 

Dameon from france and me where the first in 3 month which rode the Pro Winch Set up!

The event was pretty big and took 5 whole days. In the evening there was always Partie with Bands, DJ´s and firework. There were not so many competitors than last year (instead of 230 just around 130) But it was still a big get to gether and very nice to meet old and new friends. A very nice thing was that the cable opened every day at 6 in the morning, so also if you already got disqualified you still had the chance to do some riding.

I am enyoing the airtime at the cwc boat like while doing a nice tailglid - feels good!

Next year they will probably make the WWA Wake Park Word Championships in Antalya Turkey. But the Governor said that he still will do an international contest next year. This time it will probably be in sept or oct. 2010.

4 Riders competed for Austria. Kevin Cobb from Vienna Wien started at the Pro Wakeskater but unluckily fell and didnt made it to the finals.
Linda Posch (Pro Women) from Vienna too, closly (1point) didnt made it to the finals. Linda could also start at the amateure devision, whe she probably would made the first place.
Marcel Bokr from Vienna got the gold medal at the Wakeskate Amateuren groupe, he did a clean run and a good job. Congratulations again and all the best for the future.

Kevin, Linda, Marcel and me Ich

How I did, you can read here in the write up I did at the some day:

"Today I was in the second groupe out of 6 with 5 Riders and the top 2 always went to the semis. I had two good riders in my groupe. Marc Shuster (USA) and Keith Lidberg (USA). Marc started infront of me and did the run of his life, I thought, Ok. let him go to the semi, I keep me best run for the next rounds. Unluckily I had to start before Keith so I had to gamble, but I decided to did my run like I planed, it was a bit harder run than the year before, where I won the qualy with 10 points in the lead. I cleared the whole run clean and consistent. Than Keith started and he fell at the second trick, my first thought was, I dont wanna be meen but that fall was important. Than Keith fighted hard like he was in the last head to head final. He put a lot out, not clean but he did it. Everybody knew it will be a close decicison. What winns? A clean medium hard stand up run against a hard scatchy run with a fall? "

At the WWA there are 3 judges each one criteria (obstacle 30%, flat 30%, composition 40%). What they told me, was that I won the obstacles and Keith won the flat. So it was now up to the composition judge, he said it was an hard, difficult and close decision. So he explaned with in the D.R.I.V.E. System, thats what the use for an argument base:

D = Difficulty: Keith won, because he had more technical tricks
R = Risk: Keith won too, because he started with a 540 and me just with a 360
I = Intensitiy: I won, because I had more grabs, and more higher and intens tricks...
V = Variation: Keith won, because ? I forgot
E = Execution: I won, because I had clean landings

So it was 3 wins again 2 wins for Keith. And I say thank you to the Judges for the time and the explanation!

I didnt feel said about the decicion, I wasent even  in the mood to get wasted that night. I woke up early the next day and landed my planed final run at the first attemped. (sw ts fs 900 from the dock, ts fs 720 gap aframe, Frontmobe, bs 450 transfer, etc...) That felt so good, just a bitty for the others that they couldnt watch this fantastic run at the finals. BTW Keith`s and Marc`s run got worser in the next rounds!

If I look back into my whole competiton carriere, I think it was the first time that I did a clean run and still didnt qualify. Normaly I disqualify because of a slam. So I learned a lesson, its not worth to safe tricks for the next round, if you dont even make the next round. In future I will help the judges with a clear dicision to may advance.

Am Ende der drei Stündigen Pricegiving Ceremony!

More Photos at the Gallery!