Rob Rausch is hopeful a weekend of wakeboarding, good tunes and fun will add up to success this coming weekend and become an annual event here in Osoyoos.

Rausch, who is the owner of the Osoyoos-based Wakepilot: The Watersports Experts, has organized the first annual Livewater Festival this coming Friday and Saturday. Livewater is a grassroots wakeboarding festival including free riding, equipment demonstrations, a Pro-Am “Double up” wakeboarding competition and live music on the shores of beautiful Lake Osoyoos.

“This event is all about promoting our sport and having some fun in the sun,” said Rausch. “It’s also about putting some heads in beds in the local hotels and bringing a lot of people into town and helping out the local business community. It should be a lot of fun and I’m really looking forward to it.”

The festival kicks off Friday at the Kekuli Bistro at the Nk’Mip Campground and RV Park. Singer-songwriter Brent Tyler will perform between 4-9 p.m. and there will be wakeboarding demonstrations during the same hours.

The focal point of the weekend will be the “double up” Pro-Am wakeboarding competition starting at 10 a.m. Saturday from Walnut Beach Resort’s private dock and beach. Non-ticket holders can watch the competition from Haynes Point Provincial Park.

For tickets holders, there’s a VIP viewing area at Walnut Beach Resort followed by an afternoon licensed beach party, including well-known Vancouver DJ GLObal, a burger buffet lunch, boat demonstrations by Wizard Lake Marine and free riding.

Professional wakeboarders from across British Columbia will be competing for a $1,000 purse provided by Wakepilot, said Rausch.

Confirmed riders include well-known wakeboarders Matt Bibby, Nick Dorsey, Nicole Elliot, Mike Ennen, Drew Kennedy, Brendan Lieb and Keaton Roper. Amateur riders will be competing for one or two Ronix board set-ups from Penticton’s Freeride Boardshop and HO Sports Canada. Confirmed amateur riders include Rich Baadsvik, Travis Blacklin, Jordan Hallam, Tristan Makaroff and Cole Poznikoff.

Regular sanctioned wakeboarding events aren’t great for spectators and that’s why this event isn’t sanctioned by the B.C. Wakeboarding Association and is designed to give spectators a thrill, said Rausch. Instead of a straight single line far out on the lake, competitors will “double up” on large wakes and do some amazing tricks.

“The boats will create a wake, do a 270-degree turn and cross again … and the riders time themselves to hit what’s called the double wake, which lifts them into the air and they can do some really cool tricks,” he said. “Instead of a sanctioned sporting event for a few people into the sport, what we wanted was a chill party that celebrates water sports here in Osoyoos.”

The winner will be decided by the competitors themselves.

“It won’t necessarily be the best rider out of the pros because if somebody does something truly spectacular, they’re going to win the top prize,” he said. “Whoever comes up with the biggest, baddest trick is going to rock the crowd and be declared the winner, be it a pro or an amateur maybe no one has heard of.”

Wakepilot has been around for 11 years and the timing is right to create this festival because wakeboarding is one of the fastest-growing sports in Canada and his school is now the largest in western Canada, said Rausch.

Tickets for the kickoff bash on Friday are $10. Tickets for the double up competition are $35. Tickets for the after-party at the Owl Pub are $15. The after-party features live music from Wassabi Collective starting at 8 p.m.

“This band has a very solid following in Osoyoos as they have played here on numerous occasions,” said Rausch. “They’re an indie band that play a rock-reggae fusion and really get the crowd going. We’re thrilled to have them back playing at our event.”

For more information, visit www.wakepilot.com.

BY KEITH LACEY

Osoyoos Times