Clear away the clouds and break out the sunshine!  The International Novice Tour (INT) held its first Ohio Tour Stop of the season at Ski Utopia in Newton Falls, OH over Memorial Day weekend.  The tournament was pulled by a 2007 Correct Craft Ski Nautique with Zero Off speed control.  There was some concern about how many skiers would actually compete given the new location and the bad spring weather we've all had to endure, however 13 skiers showed up and competed on a glorious day of sunshine and flat water!

Taking honors for the shortest line length of the day was Dayton, OH resident and Air Force pilot Bill Barton with a score of 3.5 buoys @ 28 off 34 mph in the Advanced Open division.  Jason Anderson, skiing on his home course and in his first INT tournament, made a full pass at 34 mph and was then bumped up to the Expert division finishing with a score of 4 buoys @ 15 off 36 mph.

The Wide Ride competition, quickly becoming an INT favorite division for even the most skilled slalom skiers, featured an epic battle between lake owner Ralph Pesek and Ski Utopian legend Noel Brady.  The Wide Ride division has a maximum speed of 30 mph before the line length can be shortened.  Noel took the honors with 4.5 buoys @ 15 off 30 mph.  Ralph took home a cracked rib and a lost wager.

The tournament also featured the dynamic father-daughter duo of David and Anne Behner.  David competed in the Novice division for his first INT tournament and Anne, in her second season with the INT, took home 2nd in the 2nd Class division.  Others taking home top honors included Anthony Warren in 2nd Class with 3.5 buoys @ 15 off 32 mph, Mark Boyd in 1st Class with 3.5 buoys @ 15 off 34 mph, and Tony Colace in the Wide Ride Super division with 4 buoys @ 28 off 30 mph.

Kneeboarders were lead by Jake Traxler with 150 points in the Jr. Novice division and Justin Bonar with 770 points in the Novice division.

The following day (Sunday) featured the Wakeboarding and Wakeskate tournament with over 20 competitors and pulled by a Ravenna Marine Centurion SV220.  Last years National Champion, Jacob Ramsdell, was on hand to defend his title as Ohio's best wakeskater.  Taking home top honors in the Masters division was Billy Ianz with 5,325 points; the Advanced division was headed by Nicholas Carone with 6,000 points; the Expert division went to Jamie Coblentz with 6,650 points, and the top point scorer in the Outlaw division was Eric Exner with 7,860 points.

There was also a unique moment in the tournament where other INT tournaments in Texas and other states held a live "conference call" with the Ohio tournament over the PA system.  Ski Utopia was alive and rocking with sponsors, spectators, cool boats, and awesome athletes.

The next INT tournament is to be held at beautiful Emerald Lake in Akron, OH sponsored by VanDevere Marine on July 20th - 22nd.  Check out www.intleagues.com/ohio or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  for more information.