LAKEPORT– BoardStock XII brought world-class athletes and cheering onlookers to Konocti Vista Casino. Daredevil exhibitions featured stunts that were new to the event this year, according to creator and promoter Rob Stimmel.
The extreme sports event was the last stop on the World Wakeboarding Association (WWA) series this year.
Attendance was estimated at 5,500 over the event”s four days, down substantially from last year”s reported 50,000 attendance. Stimmel was fairly optimistic about the financial impact.
“Hopefully it”s in the few thousands rather than the tens of thousands.” Stimmel said he”s still crunching numbers.
Dominating the wakeboarding scene as the world champion in the men”s professional competition was Phillip Soven, 18. Stimmel said after being one of the youngest athletes ever to compete in BoardStock five years ago, Soven walked away this weekend with a grand total of $19,000 in prize money.
Jamie Beauchesne won a run-off for first place in slalom skiing with Will Asher, making for a “nail-biting” finish and his second consecutive year in the top spot, according to Stimmel.
The featured events were; skydiving, street bike and freestyle motocross exhibitions. Sky divers did stunts they hadn”t done before, Stimmel said, and freestyle motocross riders did back flips in close succession that created the effect of a trapeze act.
“The families loved it ? they were in awe. Each time there was an exhibition, the crowd just flew over in droves yelling and screaming,” Stimmel said.
Alcohol was not allowed at the event, according to David Arciero, marketing manager for Konocti Vista Resort and Casino.
Arciero said the resort hotel, restaurant and bar all sold record numbers. Arciero said BoardStock is welcome back next year, and that he hopes to host the event in mid-August.
Stimmel said he was impressed with the hospitality of the rancheria, but approximately 90 percent of the boaters on the lake did not pay to see the show, making the loss more profound.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
