May 28, 2006 – Corpus Christi, Texas, served up another day of strong wind, sunshine and high spirits as competitors battled it out on Saturday at the 2006 Nissan Velocity Games Boarder X Competition.
The competition was fierce as 31 riders competed for their chance to see who would be the fastest on the water in the hottest new racing format in kiteboarding. The battlefield was narrowed down to eight riders in the men’s semi-finals consisting of pros, regional riders and visiting kiteboarders from Hawaii, California, Utah and Florida. The final heat was neck in neck as the four competitors switched places from first to fourth throughout the racing course. In the end, 17-year old Shawn Richman claimed the Boarder X title, his first top placement win in US and international competition. Shawn was closely followed by his younger brother, 13-year old Jesse Richman, whose second place winning is also his first top placement in competition. Shannon Best and Demian Thomas got tangled on the final turn before the last buoy. They managed to get untangled but the incident caused Demian to break a line, allowing Shannon to finish the course and take home third.
Men’s Boarder X Results:
First: Shawn Richman, HI (Cabrinha, Neilpryde Maui)
Second: Jesse Richman, HI (Cabrinha, Neilpryde Maui)
Third: Shannon Best, FL (Best Kiteboarding)
Fourth: Demian Thomas, FL (Xrated Kiteboarding, Slingshot)
The Women’s Boarder X winners and a final wrap up with more info will be posted tomorrow. A special thanks goes out to the Florida crew who showed up in force to compete and support the event. You can catch all of today’s action live today on ASNEWS.net’s webcast, available at
www.velocitygames.us.