The 2012 World Wake Surfing Championship is preparing to deliver the largest cash prize purse in organized wake surfing ever, between 27th-29th September.
Wake surfing's premier and most prestigious event, to be held in Parker, Arizona, will offer $40,000 in cash for the Pro Surf and Pro Skim style wake surf divisions, with equal payouts for men and women.
"We are elated that the event has been able to double last year's purse. It’s a true testament to the validity of the sport of wake surfing", says Todd Gaughan, tournament director.
Historically, the World Wake Surfing Championship has released unprecedented awards of $20,000 and $15,000, in 2011 and 2010 respectively. In wake surfing, a surfer trails behind a wakeboard boat, surfing the boat's wake without being directly attached to the boat.
The popularity of wake surfing in watersports today has helped Centurion, the official sponsor, to raise $40,000 doubling last year's purse. In addition to cash, there will be $15,000 worth of prizes awarded.
The 2012 World Wake Surfing Series include seven global qualifiers totaling 327 unique riders who all set out to earn a qualifying spot in September's World Championship.
The best wake surfers in the world will battle in several divisions: Amateur, Outlaw, Masters (40+) and Professional, for both men and women.
In the Outlaw and Pro divisions competitors are separated into two categories - Skim and Surf - based on the style of rider and creating a total of twelve divisions and twelve champions.