The world’s top wakeboarders took to the waters of Lake Moser at Texas MasterCraft today for the opening rounds of the 2008 MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour in Fort Worth. The Tour kicked off the three-day contest with qualifying rounds for the Pro Men and Jr. Men divisions.

More than 55 riders from throughout the globe turned out to qualify for the Pro Men’s Division at this weekend’s event, including Tom Fooshee of San Marcos, TX. Fooshee finished second in his heat of four with a score of 86.00. Placing in the top-two of his heat earned the Texas native a spot in tomorrow’s Pro Men Round of 40, where Fooshee will go up against the top riders on tour. Fooshee was the only Lone Star State rider to advance past the opening round.

“It’s a killer feeling when you ride well at a pro event, but when you do it in your home state, it’s that much sweeter,” said Fooshee. “Going up against some of these big-name riders will be challenging, but if I step up my riding and stomp some killer tricks, who knows what can happen.”

Tom Fooshee and the rest of the top-40 riders will hit the water tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.

Wakeboarding’s future stars took to the water today for the Jr. Men’s Division qualifying round, where 39 of the world’s most talented young rippers, ages 14-18, battled it out on Lake Moser at Texas MasterCraft to try to earn a spot in tomorrow’s Jr. Men quarterfinals.

After everything was said and done, only the top-two riders from each of the 10 heats advanced, sending nearly half the competition home packing. Jimmy LaRiche (Boca Raton, FL) was not only among the 20 riders to advance past the opening round, but he also posted the highest score of the day with a 78.33. LaRiche and the 19 other quarterfinalists will faceoff tomorrow at 10 a.m. for the second round of the contest.

Day two of the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour will be heavily dominated by the Pro Women’s Division, as the contest will host qualifying and semifinal rounds for the female riders with all the action set to begin at 8 a.m. Tomorrow’s rounds will mark the first time ever the Pro Women’s Division has competed in Fort Worth.

Current Tour leader Nicola Butler (Cape Town, South Africa), ESPN Espy winner Dallas Friday (Orlando, Florida) and 2007 women’s wakeboard world champion Amber Wing (Sydney, Australia) highlight a field of talented female riders.

Fort Worth is the second of five stops on the 2008 MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour. Following Fort Worth, the Tour will visit Twin Cities, Minn. (June 7-8), Phoenix, Ariz. (June 28-29) and wrap-up in Reno, Nev. (July 11-13).

The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour is a season-long points chase toward the tour title and the Indmar Performance Award, a $10,000 cash bonus to the top points earner in the Pro Men’s Division and a $5,000 prize for the Pro Women’s Division winner.

The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour is a three-day carnival of water-sports action. But not all of the action takes place on the water. On land, fans will experience tons of great food and music; athlete autograph signings; chances to win free gear; and shopping at the most cutting-edge stores for water-sports equipment including boats, wakeboards, wakeskates, sunglasses and the latest in wakeboarding and surfing fashions.

Tickets can be purchased on-site May 30-June 1 for $10 (general admission), $5 (ages 6-12) or free (ages 5 and under). To purchase tickets in advance, visit www.prowakeboardtour.com. General-admission tickets are buy one get one free online only until May 30, 12 p.m. EST.

To catch all the wakeboarding action from home, tune in to Fuel TV. For exact air dates, visit www.prowakeboardtour.com.

Fuel TV is a 24/7 action-sports lifestyle network for wakeboarding, skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, BMX and freestyle motocross. A unit of Fox Cable Networks, Fuel TV was launched July 1, 2003, and is seen in 24 million U.S. homes. To subscribe to Fuel TV, call 877-4-FUEL-TV. For program times and other information, visit www.fuel.tv.

MasterCraft is the exclusive tow boat for the Pro Wakeboard Tour, as it has been since the Tour’s wakeboarding events began in 1992. Indmar Marine engines will provide the power for MasterCraft’s X Series line of competition tow boats.

Rockstar is the world’s most powerful energy drink. Developed to improve the recovery time of those who lead active and exhausting lifestyles, Rockstar Energy Drink is available in 10 flavors -- Original, Sugar Free, Juiced, Zero Carb, Guava, Pomegranate, Punched, Roasted Mocha, Roasted Vanilla Light and Roasted Latte -- at convenience stores and retail grocery outlets across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia and the United Kingdom.

WakeBoarding, published by Bonnier Corp., is the official magazine of the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour. WakeBoarding is the definitive source on all things wakeboarding, with expert coverage of professional instruction, gear, boats and the latest news.

The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour has the support of the following sponsors: MasterCraft, Rockstar Energy Drink, Mona Vie, the U.S. Air Force, Indmar, Billabong, Hyperlite, CWB, Gator Boards, Ronix, Oakley, Reef, Cire, wakeworld.com and theliquidcircus.com.

Friday, May 30 – Day 1 Results:

Pro Men

Qualifying Round Heat #: 01