Merritt proves she's a rising contender in pro women’s wakeboarding

LANTANA, FL [August 11, 2008]—Queen of Wake’s Rookie of the Year frontrunner Raimi Merritt proved she’s a rising contender this weekend at the 2008 WWA Wakeboard National Championships, which ran August 6-10 in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.

Battling high winds, choppy water, and tough competition, Merritt, 15, upset five-time national champion Dallas Friday in the semifinals Saturday to claim the top spot in her heat and become the top-seeded rider going into Sunday’s finals.

“It was the first time this year that I led my heat, so I was pretty stoked about it,” said Merritt. She was also excited to take the lead for the first time over Friday, who Merritt had always looked up to as a younger wakeboarder.

But unfortunately the cold, windy conditions got the best of Merritt in the finals, and she fell three times. She finished fourth behind Amber Wing, Shelby Kantar, and Friday. Merritt was disappointed with her performance in the finals, but said “It was still fun.”

Later this week, Merritt will compete at the IWSF World Cup in Egypt, which runs August 13-15. She is also scheduled to compete at the WWA World Championships in September, the IWSF World Cup Singapore in October, and the IWSF World Cup in Qatar in November.

Merritt is sponsored by Liquid Force Wakeboards, MonaVie Nutrition Beverage, R3 Global, and Fly High Wakeboard Gear. For more information about Merritt, visit: www.raimimerritt.com.