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.

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

Located in beautiful British Columbia, Albert Dyck Park was the home of the fifth stop of the Nautique Big Dawg World Tour.  The Fraser Valley Water Ski Club thanks all the Big Dawg skiers and their friends and family to this premier Canadian stop of the 2012 Big Dawg season.

RUNNING ORDER – SATURDAY

HEAD TO HEAD BRACKETS

1st Place – Todd Ristorcelli

2nd Place – Scott Larson

3rd Place – Dave Miller

4th Place – Eric Kelley

Fraser Valley Water Ski Club Website.

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

The top 5 skiers in the Latin Tour series and Non-Latin Skiers who achieve a score of 3 @ 10.75 meters/39 off in Peru will be qualified for the finals held at Okeeheelee Park in West Palm Beach, Florida.

SUNDAY, ROUND 3 AND HEAD TO HEAD

The final day of the Nautique Big Dawg was an exciting event as the last chance to qualify for the head to head.  The Latin American head to head consisted of 8 matchups:
Dave Miller vs. Dave Goode  – Dave Miller winner
Ruben Rosenberg vs.Juan Carlos Cuglievan  – Ruben winner
Todd Kuykendall vs. Jose Saad – Todd winner
Raphael Negrao vs. John Shealy – Shealy winner

The second bracket of the final four

Ruben Rosenberg vs. Dave Miller – Dave winner
John Shealy vs. Todd Kuydenall – Kuykendall winner

The final two came down to a battle of Dave Miller vs. Kuykendall and the energy level was starting to fade as this was a 35 off start and the 5th set of the weekend. 39 off/10.75 meters did not go down this weekend but it was close with Dave Miller cranking his turns to get 5 at 35 and Todd following with only 2.5 at 39/10.75 declaring Dave Miller as the Big Dawg.  Dave was presented with a headset by Polk Audio and Masterline rope.

Thank you to all the sponsors, officials, tournament hosts and skiers.  A special thanks to Juan Carlos Culglievan for his wonderful hospitality and help to organize the Nautique Big Dawg World Tour in Peru.

The Final Scores

Photo Gallery

Preliminary Tournament Highlights

SATURDAY, ROUND 1 and 2

There were a lot of happy faces Saturday as some of the Latin American skiers ran their personal best behind the Nautique 200.  As we speak, there is a massage therapist that just arrived on site to offer a well-deserved massage to the skiers.  The Latin American tour has a festive atmosphere with music, food and skiers that are always in a good mood.  The perfect weather, sunshine and light breeze and temperature may contribute to the relaxation.

Dave Miller is still worried about his next meal, John Shealy is analyzing his 3rd round strategy, and Todd Kukendall is hold up well with his injured ankle from the Michigan Big Dawg last year.   A wrap of black duct tape is all it takes to hold bones together.  The competitors are very appreciative of all the sponsors who helped to contribute to the Nautique Big Dawg Series Presented by O’Brien.

FRIDAY, PRACTICE DAY

The Nautique Big Dawg in Peru is ready to go. On Friday, the red and black Nautique 200 was busy pulling skiers all day for practice.  The ski site is all dressed up with banners, tents and bright blue skies.  It doesn’t rain in Peru, so no chance of a rain delay this weekend. A few highlights from Friday were Dave Miller talking about ceviche for hours, John Shealy not being able to get the blue dye off his hands from the TSA, Todd Kuykendall carefully inspecting the food, Dave Goode trying to encourage his competitors to drink more pisco sours and Rubin Rosenburg translating.  John Shealy was adopted into the Latin tour stop with a new name of Juan Cheely.  Greg Davis got in on the action with getting a van stuck in the grass, but thanks to some very skilled helpers, the van was pulled out. This is the reason you keep old ski ropes around.

Once again, the beach houses are available to rent and the sound of the waves crashing can sooth your nerves for the competition.  In this area of Peru, there are beautiful beaches everywhere with surfers taking advantage of the breakers.

Now what about the skiing?  The conditions are great, the water is about 80 degrees F and the air temperature the same.  The water has a little salt in it, so it may be different and some skiers and they may need to adjust.  Everyone skied well in practice and the athletes are looking forward to an exciting weekend of good skiing, sportsmanship and sharing this experience with others who love the sport and the Big Dawg Series.

A special thanks to sponsors and volunteers.  We couldn’t do it without you!

The Big Dawg World Tour is exclusively towed by the Ski Nautique 200, the world record breaking Ski Nautique 200 is available in open or closed bow, it’s the ultimate three-event tournament ski boat. Visit Nautique.com and sign up to receive the latest updates.

O’BRIEN
O’Brien is setting the standard, breaking world records, providing fun on the water for the entire family since 1964, visit Obrien.com to check out the entire line of watersports gear!

Polk Audio
Clarion Marine Audio
Pleasure Craft Marine
Commercial Sewing Boat Covers
ZeroOff
Acme Propellers
Global Marine Insurance
Universal Products – Boat Graphics
Overtons
HO Skis
RamLin Custom Trailers
Eagle Sports
Connelly Skis
Razor Skis
Masterline USA
Goode Skis
Honu Sportz
Radar Skis
Syntec Industries
Buc-Algonquin Marine
Deka Marine Batteries
D3 Skis
EZ-up Tents
Paragon Plastic, Inc.

The water is skiing really well and the temperature of 75 degrees is fantastic for optimum buoy counting.  A slight wind on the water gives it some texture.  If you have not been to this site it is one to put on your tournament list.  

More photos to come and a big thanks to the sponsors and officials who bring the O’Brien Big Dawg Series to life.

Chad Scott in Texas

An Interview with Chad Scott by Greg Davis

GREG
Congrats Chad!  What does it feel like winning the first Nautique /Obrien Big Dawg qualifier in TX?

CHAD
Well Greg, thanks for the congratulations. It has been a great feeling to win the first stop of the O’Brien Big Dawg in Houston. It is truly a great way for me to start my season and hopefully continue skiing at this level throughout the season.  

GREG
What are you doing differently this year?  Your skiing is off the charts!

CHAD
I decided to trim down a little over the winter and spent a little more time in the gym and was swimming all winter. I made several trips down to West Palm Beach and skied with Chet Raley and Becky Lathrop to try to stay in some sort of ski shape all year.

GREG 
A new ski?  Goode has been a sponsor of Nautique Big Dawg since day one, looks like something is clicking?

CHAD
I am currently skiing on a Goode Nano Twist mid-ride with the Raley ventral fin. This is the best feeling ski I have ever ridden. The set up with the Nano twist and the ventral is really working for me and my skiing style.

GREG
Who do you see as the Big Dawg Skiers to watch for going to the Michigan stop?

CHAD
There are so many great skiers that participate in this series it’s hard to pick just one or two. I think I heard that 21 skiers at the Houston big Dawg had scores into 41 off. You have guys like Chet Raley, Ben Favret, Scott Tynan, TJ, Badal, Miller and now Todd Ristorcelli. The list goes on.  Who is not to watch for?

Dave Miller, Chad Scott, Todd Ristorcelli, Harald Hintringer

GREG
Will you be competing in Michigan?

CHAD
I plan to go to Michigan and the finals this year and would like to be one of those invited to ski in Moomba next year.

GREG
I know you pulled Chris Parish to a new World Record, behind a Ski Nautique 200. Being a driver, what are your comments on the Nautique 200?

CHAD
As for the 200, it is a great driving and performing boat, which is evident by the world record set by Chris Parrish.

GREG 
I know you might want to thank some of the sponsors, any comments?

CHAD
I would like to thank all of the sponsors that support the O’Brien Big Dawg series. Certainly Correct Craft and all the others that continue to make this series possible… And thank you Greg for all you do to keep this series going

GREG
Best of Luck to you in Michigan, and we look forward to watching you ski again.