Hey World!

It was an exciting day today at the 2nd and final day of the 2014 Australian Open ProAm! A lot of great skiing in both of the Open Men and Women divisions. It started out with the second round. Emma and Geena put up some great scores and we could see it was going to be a battle for the title in the womens finals.

Round 2 Results
Open Women
AUS Emma Sheers 2@39
GER Geena Krueger 2@39
USA Bailey Austin 3.5@35
RSA RobynViljoen 2.5@32

For the men, scores were a little better for some guys in the 2nd round and the cut was 3@39off to get into the top 8 and advance to the finals. I ran 5@39 in the second round. It didn’t feel as good as Saturday’s first round but I was still pleased to have one of the top scores. My first two passes were great but I jumped on it at 1 at 38 and that intensity stayed with me the rest of the set. It rained a lot on Saturday and throughout the night, so the water was a little colder on Sunday; so it was a little faster which some skiers liked.

Round 2 Results
Open Men
ITA Thomas Degasperi 3@41
USA Brian Detrick 5@39
GBR Will Asher 5@39
ITA Carlo Allais 5@39
USA Corey Vaughn 5@39
AUS Nick Adams 4.5@39
CZE Adam Sedlmajer 3@39
AUS Joel Howley 2.5@39
USA Brooks Wilson 5@38
RSA Eamon Van Der Merwe 5@38
USA Austin Abel 2.5@38
AUS Joel Wing 3.5@32

The finals fields were set and the Australians were lined up on the shore to see some great skiing. The women all started the finals off right with all of them putting up their best scores of the weekend. Geena set the bar with 2@39 to put the pressure on the veteran Emma Sheers. Emma is a strong skier and faught her way to victory as she squeaked around three ball to get 2.5@39. It was still great skiing by Geena as she came close to getting a piece of three which would have broke her own German National record of 2@39.

Awards Presentation

Finals
Open Women
1 AUS Emma Sheers 2.5@39
2 GER Geena Krueger 2@39
3 USA Bailey Austin 1@38
4 RSA RobynViljoen 3@32

The men picked up right where the women left off. Adam “Sledgehammer” Sedlmajer started off the finals with a huge score of 2@41 and Nick Adams was second off and he ran 2@41 as well. I don’t think the Aussie crowd could have asked for a better way to start the finals. As the top 3 seeds, Joel Howley, myself and Thomas Degasperi stood on the dock, 2@41 was still in the lead with 3@39 was a tie for 3rd place. Joel went out in front of his home crowd and ran 2@41. The Aussie crowd was thrilled to see their two countryman tied for the lead with 2 skiers to go. I was up next and felt a little pressure but I was focused on my “Q’s” and determined to ski well. I felt good at my early passes and had a good start at 39. I had a few bobbles but just continued to stay patient and was able to finish the pass. I was now at the money pass and really wanted to get a piece of 3 to take the lead but I wanted to make sure I got at least a full 2. I had a great gate but I was a little slow and on the tail out of 1, I pulled hard to 2, got the ski around and quickly attempted to “S” turn; which I struggle with on my on side turn. I wasn’t burning speed as quickly as I wanted but I was able to get a tight line and load the rope as hard as I could to squeak through the boat guides in time for the full 2. So there was now a 4 way tie for first at 2@41. TGas was now on the water and he had run 3@41 both rounds and was looking good so far in the tournament. He ran 39 again so it was now a waiting game. All eyes were on the water as he approached the course at 41 off. From talking to the crowd, they wanted to see him get two so there would be a 5 way fun off. TGas didn’t have a very good one, he pulled to 2 (everyone thought he would stand up), but he tried to crank 2 and fell in. I quickly found myself in a 4 way tie for 1st with Joel, Sledgehammer and Nick. We were going to have to do a run off and start at 39. Joel went first and had great conditions as he ran 39 and got 2@41 again. As the boat came back to the dock it began to rain. Nick went out and ran 2.5@39. As it continues to rain, I was up next. I had a decent start but got a little deep at 4 and rushed 5 and fell in for a score of 4.5@39. Sledgehammer wore glasses/goggles to try and see better in the rain but having not skied in about an hour, he had a challenge ahead of him. He had a great one but he had a big 2 and stood up at 3 to secure 3rd place. Congrats to Joel Howley for winning his 1st Pro Tour Event! It was great to have some new faces on the podium. This was probably the youngest podium finish in a long time with all three of us being between 21 and 26 years old. Open Men Finals
1 AUS Joel Howley 2@41 – 2@41 off in run off
2 USA Brian Detrick 2@41 – 4.5@39 off in run off
3 CZE Adam Sedlmajer 2@41 – 3@39 off in run off
4 AUS Nick Adams 2@41 – 2.5@39 off in run off
5 ITA Thomas Degasperi 1.5@41
6 ITA Carlo Allais 3@39
7 USA Corey Vaughn 3@39
8 GBR Will Asher 1@39

Brian Detrick – 2nd Place 2014 Australian Open ProAm

This was one of the most exciting events I have been a part of. I don’t think 4 guys or girls have ever tied for 1st Place in a Pro Tour Event. This was a huge weekend for myself, not only running 39 for the first time in a Pro Tour Event, but finishing 2nd is the highest I have placed in a Pro Tour Event. The field this year was very strong! I have put in a lot of hard work and time to train throughout the winter this year and it is an amazing feeling to see the results pay off. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my 2014 season and I am looking forward to the 2014 Moomba Masters next weekend in Melbourne on the Yarra River. The 2014 Australian Open was also a ProAm. 2 amateurs were teamed up with a pro and their scores were added together. Team Krueger came in third, Team Adams in 2nd and Team Sedlmajer took home the inaugural Team championships! Thank you to Stoney Park, the officials and event sponsors for hosting an awesome event! This event continues to grow and get better each year. I look forward to skiing many more Australian Open ProAm events in the years to come!

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