LAKELAND, FL--(Marketwire - Aug 1, 2011) - Extreme water ski athletes from around the world will compete in this year's World Ski Fly Tour event finale, the Rocketman Night Jump, at Fluid Ski & Sports located on Lake Grew across from Florida's USA Water Ski Hall of Fame on Oct. 8. The winner of the world tour will be presented with the World Ski Fly's Pit Bull Energy Bar Championship Belt.
Water ski flying is an extreme sport that propels professional athletes upwards of 240 feet in the air in 90-inch long water skis over 6-foot tall ramps. Many reach speeds up to 70 miles-per-hour with the extremeness of the sport intensified by taking place at night using only the glow of floodlights to guide the skiers. World Ski Fly Tour has held events in Louisiana, Michigan, Perth and will stop in London and Madrid before ending in Florida this year.
"Night ski flying was only conceived about five years ago," says Scot Ellis, a professional ski flyer and co-host of the Rocketman Night Jump event. "The sport has gained massive popularity around the world; we have athletes from seven different countries competing this year. It is an experience like no other."
Ellis is based in Orlando and is currently ranked No. 3 in the World Ski Fly Tour standings. In fact, over half of the top 15 ranked water ski flyers in the world call Florida their home. Ryan Dodd is the world's No. 2 water ski flyer and moved to Palm Bay to set up his personal training facility on a private lake in his backyard.
"Right now we are an underdog in the extreme sports world, but we want fans to experience our sport firsthand and know that this entire extreme water ski movement is being birthed right here in Florida," says Dodd. "This is the most extreme sport on the water and Florida is our training ground."
The free event is drawing support from corporate sponsors like Pit Bull Energy Bar who says the story behind Florida's ski flying aligns with its mission.
"Our company has a reputation of being the underdog in the sports energy nutrition business so we make it our goal to support those athletes who are not getting the huge endorsements and air time that they deserve," says Biviana Carrillo, COO of Energy Lane Inc., makers of Pit Bull Energy Bar. "In Florida we recognize extreme water skiing as one of those energy driven sports that we can really get behind and support to expose as many people as possible to these amazing athletes."
The Rocketman Night Jump event is an all-day, free event that will include musical entertainment and a bikini contest for cash prizes. Tickets to the VIP Pavilion will be available and include prime seating and up-close interaction with water ski professionals including: Freddy Krueger, Ryan Dodd, Scot Ellis, Guillermo Moreno de Carlos, Kole Magnowski, Igor Morozov, Damien Sharman, Rodrigo Miranda, Zack Worden, Brian Kinney, Natallia Berdnikava, Alex Lauretano, Marion Mathieu, Lauren Morgan and Saaya Hirosawa. The event is made possible by corporate sponsors: Nautique, Pit Bull Energy Bar, Militia Clothing, Honu, Nutrition Corner Store and D3 Jumpers. For more information visit www.worldskiflytour.com.
Contact Information:
Media Contact:
Amy Summers
813-335-1959
Pitch Inc.
