The idea for the Candlewood Cup has started two years ago when Anne Goodnow couldn’t find a wakeboarding competition on her local lake. She approached a few local riders and businesses and found a great collaborator in Ryan Dunn, a Rollins College Wake Team member who trains year round at Freedom Wake Park in Orlando. The Dunn family are longtime summer residents on Candlewood Lake.
2017 Wootown Wakefest P: Carlton Eaton
Anne, Ryan, and the Dunns host the wakeboarding and wake surfing event annually from the Dunn’s property on the lake. While the vibe is definitely more “backyard bash” than WWA, this year several high profile national and regional riders will be in attendance to compete and inspire the mostly local group of competitors.
In the Northeast, the wakeboard and wake surf communities tend to be very small and somewhat fragmented with the number of pro-am female riders even smaller. Fortunately, competitions like Wootown Wakefest, Jersey WakeOff, and more recently the Candlewood Cup are changing that. This year the Candlewood Cup is fortunate to have veteran Shaina Kassaleh coming to demonstrate what is possible for girls who take their riding seriously.
The Candlewood Cup is a professionally judged wakeboard and wake surf event, using World Wakeboard Association sanctioned guidelines and standards, in association with the pro/am INT League for Watersports. All levels of riders, including first-time competitors, are encouraged to participate in the Candlewood Cup. There is a cash purse of $600 for the Advanced Women’s Division sponsored by VNTRbirds. Go rip it girls!
This year the event is Monday, July 31st 2017 and will be held at 9 Lakeshore South in the Candlewood Knolls in New Fairfield, CT.
Malibu Boats will be providing four of their latest model boats to pull competition riders on Candlewood Lake. Safe and experienced drivers will be at the helm of each boat. Riders can bring their own ropes and boards but there will be loaners on hand.