Extreme sports: Kiwis mix it with the world's best at X-games

By PATRICK GOWER

Brett Lilley heads hard out to the right, then cuts across the wake for some "extreme air."

The Christchurch man is one of New Zealand's top wakeboarders and he stepped up to compete against some of the world's best during the Vodafone X-games on Lake Karapiro yesterday.

"I've seen these guys in all the magazines so it's great to have them out here," he said.

"But it's even better to be riding against them and see some Kiwis sticking it to them."

The wakeboarding finals brought to a close he three days of extreme games, which also featured a demonstration by American skateboard legend Tony Hawk, as well as BMX and skateboarding competitions.

A thousand people lined the banks of the lake to watch the wakeboarding, a form of waterskiing where a small board is used to surf the wake left behind by the boat.

"It's hard to put into words why it is just so enjoyable," said Lilley.

"It's all the air you can get, all the tricks you can do ... It is just so addictive."

Lilley began wakeboarding six years ago and has been pursuing it seriously for the past two. The sport is growing rapidly in New Zealand but is not yet big enough to fully support professional wakeboarders.

But judging by yesterday's crowd - mainly young, tattooed, pierced and tanned - wakeboarding is gaining popularity not just among the waterskiing fraternity but from its close cousins, skateboarding and snowboarding.

The traditional chillybins, blankets and beach umbrellas competed for space yesterday with a mobile piercing salon and stalls selling vegetarian or organic beef kebabs.

And for the ladies - or the men - there was an impromptu bikini competition, with plenty of natural talent to draw from in the sweltering heat.

Thomas Horrell has come out to the competition from Orlando, Florida, and at just 23 years of age has already been a professional wakeboarder for six years.

"This is cool here - there is nearly as much support as we get back home.

"It's going to get bigger, because people will realise that when it's too hot to go for a skate you should just get in a boat with friends and go out for a wakeboard."

Young fan Andre Meier, aged 12, was oblivious to the pending bikini competition when he could see some of the world's best wakeboarders in action.

"It's good that these professionals come all this way to show off to us."

Australian Josh Sanders won the competition, and Auckland's Gavin Broadbent was the top-finishing New Zealander.

But Lilley was just stoked to have made the final - and shown that Kiwi wakeboarders have tricks up there with the best.

"These guys are at another level. But we are as good, if not better, in some areas and going head to head with them is the only way to do it."