CLARK , Philippines – RP team ace riders Mark Griffin and Sam Bermudez showed their mastery anew in the 2013 WWASP Cable Wakeboard National Championships at the Deca Homes Clark Wake Park in Clark.
The 34-year-old Griffin ruled the Open Men’s Wakeboard event while Bermudez, the 2011 SEA Games bronze medalist, captured the Open Women’s Wakeboard crown.
The event is organized by the Wake Boarding and Waterskiing Association of the Philippines (WWASP) under JV Borromeo and powered by Monster Energy Drink, Deca Clark WakePark, 8990-Deca Homes, Stokedinc.Ripcurl, CTRL and CWB Wakeboards, Protect helmets and Electric Visual.
Griffin and Bermudez topped the WWASP national rankings, which will select the national team to IWWF-sanctioned international events, including the Asian Beach Games in November 2014, the 2015 Southeast Asian Games in Singapore and the 2014 IWWF World Championships in Norway.
Griffin executed impressive air tricks and other tough maneuvers that earned the nod of international judges who gave him a score of 87.33.
Bermudez narrowly escaped with a score of 72.33, just 1.33 points over Andrea Tanjangco who got 71 points for her near-perfect tricks. Anna Finato took third place with a 47.33.
The Wakeskate division was dominated by Christian Joson and Davao-native Mikee Selga.
Joson figured in a close fight for the Open Men’s Wakeskate plum with Eliseo Lagman Jr. and AJ Calabig who also wowed the crowd with their display of technical skate based tricks. Joson averaged 78.67 against Lagman’s 75.67 and Calabig’s 74.
Selga, 13, upset Bermudez with 48 points in winning the Open Women’s Wakeskate crown over Michiko Kogure (36.93) and Anne Marie de Luzuriaga (31.3 ).
Mikee Selga received the day’s highest score of 92.33 in winning the Girls title.
Other winners were Gelo Linao ( Junior Men’s Wakeboard), Anika Melle Angsico (Mini-Girls), Junno Sunpongco (Mini-Boys), Jay Hernandez (Boys), Carlo Beltran (Junior Men’s Wakeskate), Ron Aldover (Masters Men’s Wakeboard), Dr. Anna Theresa Chua (Masters Ladies Wakeboard), Luisito Angsico (Veteran Men’s Wakeboard), and Khris Katly (Masters Men’s Wakeskate).