‘Wake The City’ to Make U.S. Debut in Milwaukee
In competition hosted by Red Bull, 36 pro wakeboarders will do stunts in Lake Michigan.
Red Bull Wake the City’s inaugural event in Milan, Italy. Photo courtesy of Red Bull.
Following a successful rendition of Flugtag that drew 50,000 spectators to the lakefront in 2022, Red Bull is bringing the energy back to Milwaukee with another adrenaline-infused competition.
Red Bull Wake The City will see 36 of the world’s top professional wakeboarders take to the Lake Michigan surf, working in pairs to execute “highly technical tricks” for a panel of judges.
Unlike Flugtag, participants will be pulled over the water — not pushed in — and all are seasoned professionals. Both events, however, promise to be equally “exhilarating,” Red Bull declared in a news release.
Previously held in Milan, Italy, the Wake The City will make its United States debut on Aug. 31 at Henry Maier Festival Park.
Contestants will travel from all corners of the world for the event, though at least one hails from right here in the Midwest.
“I am so excited to compete at the first U.S. Red Bull Wake The City event right where it all started for me,” said Meagan Ethell, a Red Bull athlete and Wake The City participant, in a statement. “Growing up in the suburbs just outside of Chicago, Illinois, I can tell you there’s nothing better than a summer in the Midwest on the water.”
Come competition day, teammates will ride side-by-side over the water, taking on a series of floating ramps, rails and other obstacles while attempting to score points for style, creativity and execution.
The spectacle, according to Red Bull, will give onlookers “an up-close look at the cutting edge of wakeboarding.”
Judges Maurizio Marassi, an athlete on the Italian national cable wakeboard team; Tom Fooshee, professional wakeboarder and producer; and Oli Derome, former professional wakeboarder from Quebec, Canada, will crown the winning team.
A trio of hosts for the event includes Parks Bonifay, a longtime wakeboarding athlete for Red Bull; Alexa Score, a professional wakeboarder and TV host; and Danny Amir (also known as Dano The Mano) a professional towed water sports announcer and the host of The Golden Mic Podcast.
For more information and future updates, including a schedule for the upcoming event, visit the Red Bull website. Wake The City will be open to the public and free to attend.
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