The final two brackets came down to Jeremy Newby-Ricci of the UK against 2012 Champ Todd Ristorcelli or Orlando Florida. Ristorcelli put out a score of 3.5 at 39 off and Newby-Ricci came back with one buoy better with 4.5 at 39 off.

Thank you to Nautique, O’Brien and all the sponsors for your dedication to the best water ski event of the world. We would also like to recognize all the officials, Ski Club of the Palm Beaches, Palm Beach County Parks and Rec and all volunteers. Congratulations to all the skiers who made it to the finals and hope to see you next year for the 11th year of the Big Dawg Series.

The final two came down to Todd Crow who ran 3 at 39 off and Mark Johnson getting 3 at 38, crowning Todd as the Senior Tour Champ under the lights.

Thank you to everyone who participated and all the sponsors for your dedication to the series.

The two legends of the Nautique Big Dawg World Tour went head to head for the final two on Sunday.  Ben Favret challenge Dave Miller and Miller with both running a trying 39 after two days of skiing.  Dave Miller put up a score of 2 at 41 and Favret came back with .5 at 41 giving Dave Miller the title of the Big Dawg of Michigan.  Thank you to all the sponsors and our gracious hosts Jeff, Patty and Whitney Smith.  A special thanks to all the sponsors who help contribute to the different and exciting show of water ski athleticism.  Also, thanks to the skier who dedicate their time and passion for this sport and to Nautique for bringing us this series.  See you at the finals in West Palm Beach!

Final Brackets

SATURDAY PRELIMINARY ROUNDS

It was off to a slow start this morning with only a few guys getting into 41 off in the first round.  But after the warm-up, the Big Dawgs were fighting to get into the Sweet 16.  Weather was not a factor.  There was no wind and sunshine all day.  Water temp is about 80 degrees and the shore lined with cheering spectators.  Congratulations to the Sweet 16.  Start time 9:00am on  Sunday.

Saturday Scorebook

FRIDAY SITE REPORT

Lake Conditions – Like butter
Weather – Calm, no wind, blue sky
Water temp – 80 degrees F
Air temp 85 degrees F
Skiers – Ready to go
Time Zone – Eastern
Twitter –  Follow @skibigdawg

RUNNING ORDER

Location
Jepawhit Water Ski Club
Lake Jepawhit
Gaines Township, Michigan
Lake Jepawhit is located at 9209 Baldwin Rd. in Gaines Michigan 48436. From Flint Bishop International Airport FNT only 15 minutes. From Detroit Metro Airport DTW one hour.

Entry Fees
$180.00- Checks made to BAREFOOTING UNLIMITED INC. WE ALSO TAKE VISA-MASTERCARD-DISCOVER. Must have all paperwork and fees paid in full to be considered officially entered in this tournament.
Deadline is 7/1/2013
Late Fee – $10 per day
USA WATER SKI ENTRY INFORMATION 

BIO - Online

Send Entries to:
Patti Smith-Big Dawg
4037 W Silver Lake Rd.
Fenton, MI 48430
810-343-6358
sssports@silverspraysports.com

Accommodations
Fenton-Fairfield Inn-810-629-0400. Fenton-Holiday Inn Express-810-714-7171. Flint-Holiday Inn Gateway Center-810-232-5300. 15 minute drive from each hotel to the ski site.

Grass air strip available at Lake Jepawhit ski site with prior approval by site owner. Please contact Jeff Smith at 810-343-6357.  Also Price-Linden Airport available with paved runway for small plane accommodations 7 miles from ski site.

Practice
Practice will be run at the site on Friday July 12 with start time TBA.

Schedule
Saturday July 13-8AM Sunday July 14-9AM Subject to change-weather permitting.
Saturday July 13 two round qualifiers. Saturday evening on-site banquet. Sunday July 14 slalom Head-to-Head Finals and the presentation of cash awards. Subject to change.

Congratulations to Jeremy, the European Nautique Big Dawg World Tour Champion.

2nd Thierry Malhomme
3rd  Fabrizio Merlo

FINAL BRACKET RESULTS

Sweet 16 finals – Saturday

The Nautique Big Dawg World Tour in Chile on Saturday was full of excitement as skiers competed for the Sweet 16, then immediately into the Elite 8, followed by the Final 4 with once again Andy and Todd going head to head competing for the win.  Todd finished the day with 1.5 at 41 and Andy went for the win with 2 at 41.

We would like to thank the sponsors for supporting the Big Dawg and also Miranda’s Ski School for their hospitality and  great conditions.  A  big thank you to officials, skiers and everyone who helped organize the event.  Next stop, Moomba.

View the scores and final brackets.

ROUND 1 and 2 SCORES

FINAL BRACKETS

Friday Prelims

It’s only February and the first tournament of the year for some of the  Big Dawg skiers and many admitted to being nervous on the dock.  Miranda’s festive atmosphere with music and enthusiastic skiers,  helped to calm the nerves.  There was a newcomer in the middle of the pack, Rodolfo Guzman.  He pulled out a clean 4 at 39 (10.75) early on in the running order.  He may be one to watch on Saturday for the 2nd round.

Saturday will be exciting because the skiers will compete in the 2nd round at 10:00am Chile time, then a short break to organize the brackets for the Sweet 16, followed by the Elite 8 and Fabulous Final 4 to determine our winner.  The Sweet 16 will be determined by the best score of the two rounds and 8 spots are reserved for Latin American skiers.

FRIDAY ROUND ONE SCORES

RUNNING ORDER

For photos and more information, LIKE us on Facebook and check in for more details soon.  Follow us on Twitter @skibigdawg for up-to-date information.

Thanks to PTM Edge for donating a panoramic mirror and congratulations to our winner.

Greg Davis presenting Camilo Mena PTM Edge panoramic mirror he won in a drawing.

Wednesday and Thursday Dawg Treats

Wednesday was a day to explore the canyons and visit a restaurant on the raging river called La Tribu.  This campground-style restaurant has a chic outdoor eating area and just below your table is a river that is mad with rushing water.  You would not think for such a dry climate that water would be so abundant, but it is coming from the tall mountains that surround almost everywhere your eye can see.

Thursday was an adventure as “The Americans” navigated their way to a cow pasture trying to find Chilean Ruben Rosenberg’s lake.  After the Italian, Fabrizio Merlo raced to the Americans rescue, and found them going in the wrong direction, there was finally some practice skiing behind the new Nautique 200 on this beautiful setup.  The water temperature is about 80 degrees and the sky is full of sun.

After skiing, Ruben escorted the crew to a very local restaurant called La Ruca.  La Ruca serves meat on little grill fireplaces at your table complimented by fresh vegetables and potatoes.  Todd Ristorcelli was given a Dr. Seuss-style balloon hat as a souvenir, but we don’t know why.   A visit to another Chilean lake was spectacular with its surroundings, and little pup Kotarsky was forced to ski on a borrowed ski with borrowed gloves and borrowed handle and there was some success rounding one buoy and a nice crash for the Editors camera.

Upon return back to Miranda’s ski site, reality set in because banners were in place, Nautique Boats were pulling practice and rows of tables and chairs were ready for the start of the event on Friday.  Big Dawg skiers take to the water at 1:30pm Chile time.

For photos and more information, LIKE us on Facebook and check in for more details soon.

RUNNING ORDER

John Shealy AKA Juan Chealy traveling to Chile

Okeeheelee skier, John Shealy, AKA Juan Chealy, took the week to ski at Miranda’s ski school along with Tim Huston, Jeff Smith, Ed Hickey, and Andy Mapple. Last year, Shealy traveled to Peru for the Big Dawg and was crowned the name “Juan Chealy.” This came about because he was anxious for practice time and the practice segments were going by country. Every time it was his turn to ski, there was a mechanical issue, break for lunch, or equipment failure. The South American team, mainly instigator Ruben Rosenburg decided to adopt the American but he needed a new name, therefore, John Shealy, became Juan Chealy and was moved to the top of the practice list with the Latins.

John Shealy enjoys traveling the world for the Nautique Big Dawg Series

Before leaving West Palm Beach, John spent most of his time in the gym doing his typical winter training. The weather in Florida has been superb, so he was able to kick up the skiing and get some short-line training at 39 off. In Chile, he plans on skiing two sets a day before the competition. Skiing on a foreign lake with different conditions has its challenges. He focuses on balance and rhythm and his Goode Nano One gives him the confidence he needs in unknown waters. John has skied many tournaments in Miami that were part of the Latin American Tour, and has had the opportunity to meet the Latin skiers and become good friends with most of the group. One of his memories from the Peru stop last year was going to Juan Carlos’s beach house for lunch and the amazing atmosphere and food served.

John travels to the Latin Big Dawg because he enjoys the southern hospitality and positive attitude of the series. Last year in Peru, John landed on the podium with a bronze medal and he hopes to stand on the box again this year. He has run 5 at 39 many times in a record tournament so he will be part of the top skiers in the boxing ring for a placement.

John said, “I would like to thank all the members of the Ski Club of the Palm Beaches for always supporting me, and I encourage all skiers to follow their addiction to the sport and enjoy the journey.”

ABOUT THE CHILE TOUR STOP

RUNNING ORDER

The first stop for the Nautique Big Dawg World Tour kicks off in beautiful Santiago, Chile.  The weather will be perfect with blue skies and temperatures in the 80′s for that time of year.  The Big Dawg competition begins on Friday, and the Finals will be held on Saturday.  Sunday is left open to visit some of the interesting area attractions.  You can experience scuba diving, snorkeling and the beach is only one hour away.  Chile has some of the best wines in the world and a vineyard tour may be planned for guests.

Location:

Mirandas Water Ski (in Spanish)
Mirandas Water Ski (in English)

Site Address:
11333 Camino Los Morros
Santiago San Bernardo, Chile

GPS:
Latitude:   33° 38′ 21.62″S
Longitude: 70° 41′ 5.02″W

Tourism:

Diving and Snorkeling
Area Excursions

Dates:

Friday, February 1, 2013
2 rounds of qualifier

Saturday, February 2, 2013
Sweet 16 head to head and Final 8

Banquet and awards following tournament to be held on-site

Sunday, February 2
Open for planned tourism event; Beach, Scuba or Wine Tour

Entry Fee:
$180 - Lunch provided
ENTRY FORM

BIO

Practice:
$30 / 6 passes

Accommodations:
2 houses available to rent on-site
$100 per house (sleeps 5-6)
Local hotel information coming soon

Airports:
Santiago, Chile (SCL)
Lake is 45 minutes from airport.  There will be a shuttle from the airport to the lake for guests in the on-site guest houses.

Car Rental:
At the Airport

Big Dawg Running Order PDFBig Dawg Live Brackets

Senior Tour Running Order PDFSenior Tour Live Brackets

NAUTIQUE BIG DAWG WORLD TOUR FINALS SCHEDULE

Thursday, August 15
Nautique Big Dawg 40 Skiers Prelim
8:00am – 5:00pm
Main Lake

Thursday Prelim Results To be posted after the event

Friday, August 16
Big Dawg Sweet 16 Head-to-Head
3:00pm - 5:00pm
East West Lake
Take down to Elite 8

Nautique Senior Tour Prelim
16 skiers head-to-head off the dock
4:00pm – 6:30pm
Main Lake
Take down to Final 4

Nautique Senior Tour Final 4
8:00pm - 8:45pm
East West Lake

Elite 8 Big Dawg Skiers
8:45pm - 10:45
East West Lake – Under the lights

____________________________________

HOST HOTEL

Embassy Suites
1601 Belvedere Road
West Palm Beach, FL 33406

AIRPORTS

Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)

7 miles  (10-15 minutes)
Northeast of  Okeeheelee and services most major domestic airlines.

Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL)

45 miles (approx. 50 minutes) south of West Palm Beach and services most major domestic airlines and several international airlines

AREA INFORMATION

The Nautique Senior Tour Finals will be based upon the results from the five Big Dawg stops. The Senior Tour Finals will consist of a sweet sixteen head-to-head format held in conjunction with the Nautique Big Dawg World Tour Finals at Okeeheelee Park in West Palm Beach FL on August 16, 2013.

The two competitions will be working together to promote water skiing and to expand opportunities for skiers to participate in the head-to-head format. The Senior Tour will be pulled exclusively by the world record breaking Ski Nautique 200. Below are the five stops of the tour and how to qualify:

• San Bernardo, Chile: Feb 1-2, 2013 – 3^rdand 4^thplace skiers from the Entire Latin American Sr. Tour.
• Melbourne, Australia, Moomba Masters: March 6 -11, 2013- Top two Australian skiers.
• Canton, Mississippi: June 29-30, 2013 – Top 5 skiers that did not qualify for NBDWT.
• Baurech, France: July 6-7, 2013 – 4^thand 5^th place skiers from European NBDWT qualifier.
• Fenton, Michigan: July 13-14, 2013- Top 5 skiers that did not qualify for NBDWT

“We are extremely excited to expand the Nautique Big Dawg World Tour,” stated Nautique’s President/CEO Bill Yeargin. “The Nautique Big Dawg is clearly the most prestigious 35 and older ski event in the world and we look forward to continuing to give skiers around the world an opportunity to participate in this exciting format,” Yeargin added.

Nautique Big Dawg World Tour and Nautique Senior Tour Rules

The event attracts the world’s best skiers in the disciplines of Slalom, Trick, Jump, Wakeboard and Big Dawg, who all vie for the coveted honour of winning a Moomba Masters title.

During the Moomba Masters, there is also displays from the VWSA Ski Show division, for the thousands of spectators who line the bank of the Yarra River to watch the action on the water.

March 6-11, 2013

For more information go to MOOMBA MASTERS

2012 Moomba Masters

Chile:  February 1 – 2, 2013

Moomba:  March 6-11, 2013

Cedar Ridge, Mississippi:  June 29-30, 2013
Entries not accepted until February 18, 2013 at 8:00pm, Eastern Time.
Must have current USA Water Ski Membership when registering.

Fenton, Michigan:  July 13-14, 2013

Baurech, France:  July 6-7, 2013

West Palm Beach, Florida Finals:
Qualifying Rounds – Thursday, August 15, 2013
Final Head to Head – Friday, August 16, 2013

Nautique Senior Tour - Schedule to be announced

The first stop was held at the Moomba Masters in Australia, with Thierry Malhomme taking the top spot on the box.  The second Big Dawg adventure was a trip to Peru at the beautiful Bujama Lacus water ski lakes.  The Peru stop was held in conjunction with the Latin American Tour and Big Dawg enthusiast Dave Miller  took home the gold medal to Canada in that event. 

Big Dawg skiers were ready to enter the Texas qualifier and as registration opened up, a flood of entries came rolling in, making the tournament full in just a few days.  

RUNNING ORDER AND INFORMATION

ENTRIES RECEIVED
(not a running order)

2011 Big Dawg in Cypress Texas

1. Drew Ross (scratch)
2. Chad Scott
3. Jay Leach
4. Kyle Tate
5. Kyle Jones
6. Jerry Goodson
7. Jason Staab
8. Todd Crow
9. Dane Coke
10. Jeff Danos (scratch)
11. Marc Shaw
12. Scott Larson
13. Time Huston
14. Kreg Korinek
15. Todd Kuykendall
16. Chad Baker
17. Ben Favret
18. Mike Dehlinger
19. Dean Drozd
20. Greg Kuykendall
21. Gene Levines
    

    2011 Big Dawg Final 4

22. Hutch Haines (scratch)
23. Steve Cesnauskas
24. Eric Kelley
25. Chris Clark
26. Dave Miller Canada
27. Chet Raley
28. Bruce Dodd
29. John Shealy
30. Ed Hickey (scratch)
31. Steven Binkley
32. Jeff Smith
33. Dave Goode
34. Lonnie Harris
35. David West
36. George Levien
37. Greg Badal
38. Ward Mclain
39. Scott Tynan
40. Herald Hintringer
41. Seth Stisher
42. David Miller Ohio (scratch)
43. Jeff Kepchia
    

    Cypress Lakes

44. Mike Munn
45. Mike Baldwin
46. Scot Jones
47. Bruce Butterfield
48. Richard Moyer
49. Todd Johnson
50. Kris Lapoint
51. Tim Henderson
52. Marco Bettosini
53. Don Ascenbrenner
54. Mark Brandt
55. Joe McCreary

Waiting List

1. Jeff Greathouse