Wave Loch’s Sheet Waves Will Flood Your Bottom Line
Since 1991 around 96 FlowRider® and 14 FlowBarrel® sheet wave attractions have been sold to a wide variety of public and private facilities around the world: From the sterns of cruise ships to the backyards of sultans, municipal water parks in the Midwest to exclusive resorts in the Middle East. As far north as Norway and as far south as Chile, scores of public and private facilities around the world have invested time, money, and engineering to install “The Future of Nature.”
What more and more facilities are learning is that the risk and investment has resulted in greater than expected rewards and significant returns.
During the summer of 2009, Wave Loch and Wave House invested substantial resources and money to update all the websites associated with FlowRider and FlowBarrel and the facilities that use them. For companies familiar with the “Future of Nature” who are considering making that investment, the Wave Loch website has four “Case Studies” for a variety of facilities that are enjoying the returns.
Adrenalina is a chain of retail boardsport shops that wanted to do something different. Some sporting good stores have batting cages, driving ranges and even artificial snowboard runs. What about placing an artificial wave in a retail shop? Preposterous! Wouldn’t everything get wet? The results of Adrenalina’s daring are detailed in dollars and cents on the Wave Loch site.
Royal Caribbean International (RCI) installed FlowRider Doubles on each of their Freedom-class cruise ships. They have found that the FlowRider attracts teenagers, and “when you get the teenagers, you get the families.” And that has inspired RCI to order not one but two FlowRider Doubles for each of their next generation of cruise ships, which will begin launching in November of 2009.
Republic, Missouri, is a small town near Springfield, Missouri, which operated a lackluster swimming pool at a loss. They took a chance and borrowed maybe more money than they should have to upgrade that swimming pool into a municipal waterpark with a FlowRider. The new facility would give local residents a place to cool off during the brutal Midwest summers, and also attract outsiders. Just like that, Republic, MO, had a great public waterpark that was operating at a profit, and the city fathers who took the chance came out looking like geniuses.
Wet ‘n Wild Hawaii is a waterpark on the island of Oahu that faced its own unique set of challenges: How to attract residents and tourists to a waterpark on an island that is ringed with beautiful beaches and tropical waters. In 2004, Wet ‘n Wild took a chance and installed a FlowRider Double and then stood back in amazement as their attendance revenue increased, their retail operation enjoyed an unexpected bonus, and their Food and Beverage sales jumped.
These are just a few success stories from the high seas to deep inside shopping malls to the middle of America and out in the middle of the Pacific. To become a believer, read our Case Studies and see what the “Future of Nature” can do for your facility, and your bottom line.
The 2013 FLOW Tour, sponsored by Carbon, is ready to launch its attack beginning with the opening event at the Westin Kierland Resort on Friday, May 31st, 2013. With 10 Prime events on tap, this seasons Tour looks to be as competitive as ever. With returning 2012 Mens Flowboard World Champion Brad Spencer back to defend his title, the Pro division looks to be as tough as ever. The 2012 Female Flowboard World champion Xana Nash, is set to defend her title, which she won as a 14 yr old with incredibly technical riding. The 2012 Junior and Open National Champ Jaxson Moore, is back as well and with a family that is as competitive as they come, Jaxson will be pushing the envelope. Rounding out the field will be former champions and competitors like Chuck Wright, Austyn Bynon, Dee Daniels, Nick Nguyen, Andrew O' Conner, and Nic Sanchez along with many other up and comers.
There are three new venues participating on the Prime series for the first time; Westin Kierland, Scottsdale AZ, Maeva Surf, Montreal Canada, and Jay Peak Resort, VT make it into the lineup for 2013. Ad to that the fact that Flow House, LBI, in New Jersey is hosting the National Championships after recovering from hurricane Sandy, and we have the makings of an incredible season. Please send a huge shout out to LBI, For coming back strong. We are stoked to bring the love of our sport to the New Jersey shores once again.
And....... Add 16 more Pro/Am events into the mix, with such stalwart, veteran locations as Massunnuton and and Waterville, and we have the makings of the most competitive season (26 events total!) in FLOW history.
Press Release! Flowboarding League Of the World (FLOW) announces the 2013 World Flowboarding Championship venues and dates
2012 was the first time the FlowRider and FlowBarrel events were separated and held on different dates at different venues. This format proved to be very successful as it enabled the competitors to showcase their skills on a specific discipline
THE 2013 WORLD FLOWBOARDING CHAMPIONSHIPS (WFC) – FLOWBARREL® HITS THE HOT, HUMID DESERT
From Asia to Africa and Europe, the WFC has zigzagged across the globe since its inception in 2009. This year it’s set to take place in the United Arab Emirates at the newest Double FlowBarrel® 10 located at Yas Waterworld, Abu Dhabi. This exclusive annual event will be taking place over the weekend of October 25th & 26th 2013.
After its grand unveiling in January 2013, Yas Waterworld would be one of only two venues in the world that boasts a Double FlowBarrel 10. South Africa being the other venue, hosted the WFC event in 2011 so bringing back the competitors to compete on the left and right breaking FlowBarrel should be the perfect recipe for a very compelling championship.
Having an event on a double FlowBarrel brings a whole new dynamic. This enables the competitors to show off their skills on both their forehand and backhand, which gives them an opportunity to showcase a bigger repertoire of tricks to the crowd and of course the judges.
“I have always wanted the event to come back to a double FlowBarrel”, said contest director Greg Lazarus. “This is the perfect platform for riders to really perform”
Having teams fly in from all over the world such as South Africa, Singapore, Chile and of course the defending champions USA as well as competitors from Dubai, the UK, and Australia to name a few. In conjunction with the team event their will be individual championship titles up for grabs in the Pro Female Flowboarding, Pro Men’s Flowboarding and Pro Bodyboard divisions.
So if you are feeling hot and humid, make sure you come cool off and catch the action at the World Flowboarding Championships at Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi.
WORLD FLOWBOARDING CHAMPIONSHIPS – FLOWRIDER® RETURNS TO THE USA
In 2012 Salomon Centre, Ogden, Utah were host to the first WFC event ever held on American soil and due to its incredible turn out of more than 50 of the best riders in the world, it was a no brainer to once again have the WFC event return to the USA.
The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa located in Scottsdale, Arizona is fairly new to the flowboarding scene and has just recently joined the wonderful world of competition. 2013 will be their first time participating on the USA Prime FLOW Tour as the official kick-off event for the tour season, but they didn’t want to stop there. The Westin group have committed to hosting the 2013 World Flowboarding Championships - FlowRider on October 12th -13th. This resort, boasting a double FlowRider set in an arena style layout offers the perfect stage for the best of the best to come battle it out for the WFC titles.
The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa offers Agave, The Arizona Spa, Kierland Golf Club, FlowRider, award winning dining, art, history, music and nearby upscale shopping and entertainment. This oasis in the desert will attract riders from all over the United States as well as teams from Europe, Asia, Australia and of course the defending champions USA.
Flowboarding League Of the World (FLOW) is very excited to be partnering up with the Westin group. “I am so excited that we are able to have the event in the USA once again and I am very grateful that the Westin Group are the host venue”, said FLOW Operations Manager Greg Lazarus.
This will be the first time the WFC event will be held in the state of Arizona at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa this summer, so be sure to stay tuned for more details.
The FlowRider® Mobile lands in Central London with Naked Juice
Having launched the European FlowRider Mobile in Dublin in June – the next stop was Central London to an incredible venue that pushed the limits of possible installations – Broadgate Arena, Liverpool Street. During the winter, this space plays host to an Ice Rink, and in the summer squash competitions to golf putting challenges. However, no-one had ever imagined anything like this was possible:
The install and the first few runs were captured by the creatively brilliant cameras of TR7 Productions, and an exceptional edit can be viewed on the homepage of www.flowridermobile.com or directly below.
Under the experienced eyes of Buzz Production the install went without a hitch, and Broadgate Arena are already talking to us about a repeat event next year.
Naked Juice were the sponsors of the event, organized by Initials Experience, and they pulled out all the stops to ensure an incredible atmosphere was created alongside the FlowRider Mobile, with mock sand, palm trees, geodesic domes and incredibly friendly promotions staff handing out Naked Juice. Special mention should go to the fresh, flavor some, natural juice that was served non-stop. It kept everyone hydrated and pumped for the whole event.
This was especially useful for the early starts, our main man, Sam Butler, took the brunt of these to appear in the TR7 film and this Daybreak section that was broadcast repeatedly all day and has the presenter nearly falling off his chair with laughter. View video on YouTube Now.
The response from the public was incredible. Naked Juice advertised the sessions only two weeks before the event and filled up over 120 spaces per day. Every day there were 4-6 sessions of competitions with two teams of four challenging each other in a range of tricks and maneuvers.
George Eapen, Group Marketing Manager at PepsiCo gave the following summary, ‘This is the first time Naked Juice has engaged with consumers in this way and we have been overwhelmed by the response. We hope we have given the public a taste of what makes Naked Juice so unique and exciting.’
Special thanks to Animal; who provided our instructors with wetsuits that kept them warm for their 12 hour days in the cold, English summer – absolutely awesome.
Keep up to date with the movements of the FlowRider Mobile through the Facebook Group and www.FlowRiderMobile.com. For FlowRider Mobile booking inquiries, please email [email protected]
Naked Juice: www.nakedjuice.co.uk and their Facebook Page
TR7 Productions: www.vimeo.com/tr7productions
Buzz Production: www.buzzproduction.co.uk
Initials Experience: www.worldofinitials.co.uk
From an addiction to the FlowBarrel® at Wave House San Diego™, Carbon immerged as a small brand embedded within the flowboarding community. This board and apparel company has vastly grown over the past 3 years. By immersing themselves within Wave House San Diego’s flowboard family and years later headlining the 2012 Carbon US FLOW Tour, Carbon has made strides to not only grow their business but expose and help push the sport of flowboarding. As the 2012 Carbon US FLOW Tour comes to a close this weekend with The Nationals in Florida, people might be asking what is their next move? Well hold on to your hats people because on Tuesday, August 8th Carbon made waves in the flowboard Community by signing World Champ Nick Nguyen to their Team. Nick Nguyen joined Carbon as a 7 time National Champion, 2 time FlowRider World Champion and a 3 time World Drop Knee Champion.
"Nick is more than an athlete." Remarked Carbon founder Brandon Walker. "He is an apex competitor. The best of the best."
Carbon co-founder Todd Mendoza added, "Nick is a mentor and role model to a generation of flow athletes. Not only does he shine, he makes everyone around him better."
“A sign of a great partnership is when both sides benefit and that's how we approach all our business relationships,” Walker said. Nick joins Carbon as part of a comprehensive strategy to grow the sport of flowboarding. Ongoing programs such as the Carbon US FLOW Tour, Bodyboard 101, and NightWave will all benefit from Nick's expertise and passion for the sport.
"Carbon is growing the sport I love." said Nguyen."This is an opportunity to do more than ride, I can share my knowledge." When asked about Carbon bodyboards Nick answered "Its a chance for me to work with the some of the best board technology in the business. Carbon is making great boards!"
Carbon is a premier manufacturer of sheet wave enabled products and the Title Sponsor of the 2012 US FLOW Tour. Also, be on the watch as they collaborate with Surf Resource Network to support local economies by helping raise funds for SRN partner organizations which facilitate the placement of volunteers within organizations, fostering research and education, and developing sustainable projects to better the lives of individuals in the community.
FANTASY SURF, FL HOSTS THE BIGGEST EVENT IN FLOW TOUR HISTORY
It is almost Flow Tour Season and here at Flowboarders.com we wanted to share a little bit of the history of last year's event.
After an amazing 3-month season, the 2012 Carbon FLOW (Flowboarding League Of the World) Tour found itself on the east coast where it would host the best flowboarders in the nation at the Tour Finals. The Finals event is the most prestigious event on the tour awarding $5200 in cash prize money and AAA points up for grabs along with loads of other prizes, bringing the events total prize purse to over $10,000. The Finals event had a record breaking 110 riders with over 160 entries across the 11 competing divisions who would compete over a two day period.
Day #1’s agenda had all the divisions first round heats starting, with the youngest of them all, the Youth. Both the Youth Bodyboard and Flowboard divisions started from a semi-final round and proved that the future of our sport is in good hands. The flowboard winner was newcomer Dallas Nash who also had a third place finish in the bodyboard division behind Alexa Perez, and taking the gold was the unstoppable Keaton Moore.
From the young guns to the old bullets! Next up would be the Masters division, where the over 35 yr old riders would show these kids that sometimes, experience does count for something. With a heated rivalry in the bodyboard division between Cathy Seabert and Tracy Carroll, this event was sure to be interesting. Unfortunately Tracy had some uncharacteristic faults in the semi-final round, which opened the door for Cathy Seabert. The Flowboard division was as competitive as ever and with Jason Moore leading the charge. Easing into the finals were Jason Moore, Jonathon Root, Rob Chalfant and Mike Pappalardo. The semi finals were intense and paved the way for an awesome day 2 of competition.
The Junior and Open Men’s divisions had the deepest rider pools of the event. These riders had to really bring it if they wanted to make it to the final day. With the Open division accepting riders from both the Juniors and Masters, it was no surprise that this division had the most competitors. The Open Men’s Bodyboard had a long line of skilled riders and this led to an exciting first day of competition as well. The one stand out was Chanler Lee who made it to the final day along with Brad Spencer, Austin Kraus and junior rider Cameron Lodge. Cameron also managed to make it through the quarter and semi final rounds in the Junior Bodyboard division along with Christian Duffy, Ian Olsen and youth rider Joe Chapa. The Open Men’s Flowboard division had a fierce pool of competition but emerging out of the first 2 rounds was FLOW Tour resident Justin Collins along with newbie’s Gilberto Hurtado, Jaxson Moore and Utah local Carter Wood. Another double division competitor, Jaxson Moore, was again leading the charge in the Junior Flowboard division and would live to ride another day with fellow riders, Nick Sanchez, Bubby Koby and the lone female rider Xana Nash.
The Female Flowboard division was possibly one of the most anticipated divisions of the whole event. These girls of all ages had stepped up their game and brought a level of riding that has never been seen on the tour in the past. With names like Austyn Bynon, Dee Daniels, Xana Nash, Madi Moore and Vanessa Arroyo, the crowd had good reason to be impressed. After some nail biting quarter and semi final rounds, it was Austyn, Dee, Xana and Madi who would get to compete on day 2 in the Finals. The Female Bodyboard had veteran rider Cathy Seabert charging through the pack to secure her spot in the final along with Alyssa Mize and the Clifford sisters, Kara and Caitlin.
Like always, it was the Pro riders who would finish the day off. With a much smaller but incredibly skilled field, there was no room for mistakes. The talk of the town was current champ Sean Silveira, and would he be able to hold down Brad Spencer from taking away the championship crown. After a few rounds of intense competition the cream of the crop emerged and the stage was set to have one of the most exciting finals in FLOW Tour history. Sean and Brad would be going head to head to secure the National Champs title with Chuck Wright and Carter Wood nipping at their heels. Although Nick Nguyen had run away with the National Title, he was closely followed by a pack of youngsters who would take every opportunity to dethrone champ. Andrew O’Conner, Nick Sanchez and Daniel Tarapchak would be the brave soles and would not let this final go down with out a fight.
After an intense day of competition, the field of 150 was narrowed down to a mere 40. These 40 riders were the best of the best and had the chance to get a good night sleep and refuel for final day of competition!
Day 2 had all the right ingredients for a great day of competition. The finalists had rested and had a chance to re-charge their batteries. There were no excuses, the time to step up was now, which is exactly what they did.
The day kicked off with the bodyboard division and first up was the Open Female Bodyboard. With Cathy Seabert claiming the top spot spot, the only competition left was for 2nd place. Younger sister Kara Clifford would beat her older sibling, Caitlin, for 2nd, with Caitlin falling into 3rd place, and Alyssa Mize coming in 4th place. Cathy Seabert secured her Open Female National Title.
The Open Female Flowboard division had the crowd on their feet as any one of these girls could take the title. After an intense final it was local rider Austyn Bynon who would take gold, followed by Dee Daniels, Xana Nash and Madi Moore. Even though Xana come in 3rd, her event consistency allowed her to win the Open Female Flowboard National Title on her first year on tour.
Following the girls was the Masters divisions. Eager to get on the wave was Canadian Jason Moore. Jason had already secured the National Title and the pressure was off, but this didn’t stop him from giving it his best effort, especially with riders like Jonathan Root, Rob Chalfant and Mike Pappalardo. Once again it proved that local knowledge was key as Jonathan Root took the gold with Jason coming in a close second followed by Mike P and Rob Chalfant.
Cathy Seabert was once again fortunate to go into the Masters Bodyboard Final with no pressure, as she had already secured the National Championship title. With one gold medal on her neck Cathy was eager to get another, which is exactly what she did.
The Junior Division is our future of the sport, and so far the future looks like it’s in good hands. With riders like Jaxson Moore, who dominated the 2012 FLOW Tour by making both the Junior and Open Men’s Flowboard finals and collecting the gold in the both, the level of riding is progressing at a phenomenal rate. This helped Jaxson secure the USA National Title for both divisions, which is a first for a junior rider. Also making double division finals was young Cameron Lodge. Cameron was able to ride himself to the top of the podium in the Junior Bodyboard but got bounced to second by Chanler Lee in the Open Men’s Bodyboard. This consistency gave Cameron Lodge the National Title for Junior Bodyboard and Brad Spencer clinched the National Title in the Open Men’s Bodyboard division.
We always say, save the best for last, which is exactly what we did. The Pro Bodyboard finals was intense, to say the least. “That was one of the most difficult finals I have ever had to judge” said head judge Greg Lazarus. “Every rider in that final deserved to win”. In the end it was Nick Nguyen, who rode seamlessly changing from regular to switch, without a glitch. Rounding out the tops slots were Andrew O’Conner in 2nd, Nick Sanchez place 3rd and Daniel Tarapchek in 4th. Nick has had a phenomenal season and ended the tour with yet another championship, but these youngsters will be pushing Nick into next year and beyond.
The Pro Flowboard division was the finale. With Sean Silveira and Brad Spencer stepping onto the ride tied in points, they both knew that who-ever emerged the winner would be the USA National Champion. Run after run these two gave it all they had but in the end it was Sean who dealt with the pressure the best. With few faults, Sean rode his way to his 5th USA National Title, which I am sure he would agree, did not come easily. Chuck Wright, by far one of the standouts of the season, came in 2nd, followed by Brad in 3rd and Pro division rookie, Carter Wood coming in 4th.
This years Carbon FLOW Tour was by far the best yet. Every division has progressed in both numbers and skill level. We would like to say thank you to all the venues that allowed us into their space. We would like to thank all the staff that helped us make it happen and the competitors (and parents) for their support. Most of all we would like to thank our sponsors. Carbon for being the 2012 title sponsor and VGT, Duece Brand, Overload, Reeflex, Super Duper Surf, and FLOW, for the logistical support provided.
