School’s in!

On Sunday I joined Edinburgh Uni Wakeboard club for their first outing to the local loch as the new term got underway. I was greeted by club president Kate Unsworth manning a top class barbie, and doing her best to cure the other students of their freshers week hangovers! As the sun threatened to come out from behind the clouds I got to know a few of the crowd of new faces who’d turned up to get involved in the action, and caught up with some of the regulars who were keen to welcome the new members.

The boat ran all day on flat water and several boatloads of newcomers made the most of the student prices and coaching from club heartthrob James Filsell! The riding ranged from first timers getting their first taste of the wake to more seasoned riders throwing down for the crowd! Everyone came off the water with a smile, and like any good Uni club found their way to the pub afterwards to finish off with an equally good night out.

It was great to see even more people get stoked on our sport, and what better place to meet like minded people than your Uni club- not to mention getting cheaper riding than the rest of the population! So if you’re a student and don’t know about your wakeboard club, why not head to the Sports Union and check it out; and if your Uni doesn’t have one then get some mates together and start one!

Want to tell people about your club? Send us some words and pics to team@loch-stock.com and we’ll help spread the word!

Scottish tour ends in style at Loch Lomond

The Loch Stock tour came to an explosive finish on 7th and 8th August as the final stop took place at Loch Lomond Wakeboard’s stunning hideaway at Sallochy Bay. The event saw the biggest turnout yet with the addition of the LWC rail jam which kept folk on the shore entertained as the Mastercraft X2/tour workhorse took riders out all day. Expert coaching was provided courtesy of Robin Coates and Liquid Force’s Kurt Graham. The jam came to a climax as Robin Coates and Defiantwake rider JJ Mowbray took turns at impressing the hen party who’d come down from Ardlui Retreat, each nailing some massive inverts off the incline rail.

Saturday night went off once again in the party tent as DJ Steven Willison warmed up the crowd in time for Darrell Gough and Krist McKenna of Battlemode DJs to take the roof off with yet another epic set! On Sunday morning the air was full of the sound of Relentless cans being opened as riders and spectators got themselves fired up for an intense day of competition. The X2’s monster wake was shown no mercy as the riders threw down their best runs for their last chance to take home the title of Loch Stock Champion. After some close fought battles in every single category the winners were decided and several months of speculation finally ended at a packed prizegiving.

The 2010 Loch Stock tour exceeded all expectations and we can only imagine what’s going to happen next year. So many people put so much into making the tour into what it is and the list of people to thank is almost endless. Of course without the sponsors’ backing, the tour would not have happened, and neither would the huge progression of the Scottish wake scene over the past few years; Mastercraft Boats, Fox Clothing, Ardlui Retreat, Loch Lomond Wakeboard, Relentless Energy, Liquid Force and O’Brien, Xtreme Gene and Alliance magazine.

Until next year…!

Full results as follows;

Overall winners

Loch Stock champions

Open men A                      -                              Si Shephard

Open women                    -                              Sammi Filsell

Open men B                       -                              Jamie Adams

Juniors                                  -                              Ryan Butterworth

Rookies                                  –                              Jess Knight

Scottish champions

Open men                          -                              Gordy Forsyth

Open women                    -                              Sammi Filsell

Juniors                                  -                              Ryan Butterworth

Stop 3 results

Open men A

1st          -              Kurt Graham

2nd -              Matt Williams

3rd -              Robin Coates

Open women

1st          -              Becky Hall

2nd -              Sammi Filsell

3rd -              Suzie Lennox

Open men B

1st          -              Arwell Thomas

2nd -              Ali Brotherton

3rd -              Jamie Adams

Juniors

1st          -              Ryan Butterworth

2nd -              Dominic Band

3rd -              Taylor Knight

Rookies

1st          -              Nina Fraser

2nd -              Ben Fraser

3rd -              Jo Houghton

Ready to jam?

Just to wet your appetite for the weekend…

Loch Stock Promo from The Lancashire Wakeboard Club on Vimeo.

Final stop update

Less than a week now till we end the Loch Stock tour in style!

For your pleasure the now legendary Kurt Graham and fast-up-and-coming Robin Coates will be sharing their expert knowledge on Saturday; Robin will also be coaching at Loch Lomond Wakeboard the week following the final stop but spaces are already booking fast so don’t delay in getting in touch!

Camping at the weekend event costs £10 pp/pn and INCLUDES toilet facilities (because you can’t hold it in ALL weekend!). Pitches available on arrival- don’t forget Ardlui Retreat also offers top class accommodation just minutes away, but book soon as rooms are filling up quickly.

Coaching, competition, party, rail jam and much more… there’s no reason NOT to be there!