Hard Day Night “NIGHTRIDER” Tournament

Brian DetrickRoad Journal, Sponsors, Water Ski News

Hey World!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to ski in a very unique event. It was the Hard Day Night Tournament at Redwood Shores. At a quick glance in the regional guide it looked like a normal 2 round slalom class C tournament; but there was a twist. There was also a class F night tournament. Centurion Boats and Omniglow Glow Sticks sponsored the night event. This event was orchestrated by Tony Ambrose, the developer of Redwood Shores.

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10367177_10203342835883514_1234639618806066484_nA 2014 Centurion Carbon Pro with the added exterior LED light package was used as the official boat and Omniglow helped light the buoys. I have been to my fair share of Pro Tour and Big Dawg night events, and these buoys were just as bright if not brighter than any I have seen before.

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10389276_10203342852243923_162151237928418249_nThe event kicked off around 8:50pm where there was still a little light for the first couple of skiers but it quickly got dark. The rules for the event were: 4 pass max, if you fell on your first pass you received a mulligan and they were recommending you go 2mph slower than you usually do. The juniors were out first and they were impressive! Most of them ran two to three passes and some almost ran their fourth. I went out at 35mph 32off and went up the line. I ran all four of my passes as I ran 39off. I had a blast skiing in the dark. I think every skier needs to experience skiing in the dark at least once!! We were fortunate to have a few photographers present who were able to capture awesome photos from the boat and the shores (see more pictures below by Holly Daley and Suzanne Schroeder). Stadium nor construction lights were used. It was pitch black and the only lights at the lake were from the buoys and the boat. I think our sport and tournament organizers should incorporate more fun events likes this for skiers of all levels.

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Brian DetrickHard Day Night “NIGHTRIDER” Tournament