Montrealers at Jean-Doré beach couldn’t have asked for a better way to finish off the warm summer than with a wakeboard competition.
The Wake sur l’Île teletraction competition drew riders from across the province for a chance at winning a grand prize.
The winner of the professional men’s competition had a prize of $1,000 waiting for him, while the winner of the women’s competition had a jackpot of $500.
Event organizer Marie-Line Ouellet described the sport as one that can be approached by swimmers as young as seven years old, but it can get very difficult the more obstacles you add on the course.
Jean-Doré beach has a wakeboard track open to the general public during summer months.
“You’re being pulled by a cable, you have a board attached to your feet, a vest, and a helmet and you have fun on the parkour,” Ouellet said. “I find it’s a good activity to offer during the summer, it’s close to everything, you can take the metro, wakeboard, have fun, and you have the beach.”
Wakeboarding in Quebec is a sport that has produced a few professional athletes.
Marc Besner has been wakeboarding for six years and has traveled throughout North America and parts of Europe to compete professionally, he said the sport is all about friendly competition.
“Wakeboard lifestyle is really about traveling, practice, party in the night, but most of the time when you are in the contest you are thinking,” Besner said. “You’re focused on what you’re gonna do and you try to win.”
The competition also had an amateur category where the winner received prizes from Billabong gear.
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