Wow. August is just about half way through and there is a lot to catch up on. The first weekend there were 2 events, 10K Lakes in Minnesota and the PWT stop #4 in Indiana. This past weekend brought Tommy's US Open of Wakesurfing to Michigan.
10K Lakes
Words: Stacia Bank
Good vibes and killer riding were prominent at the annual 10k lakes open in Minnesota last weekend. The water was speckled with Phase 5 boards from the junior division to Pro and everything in between.
Team rider Nick Parros landed his first ever 540 big spin in a comp! Kia Grindland landed on top of the podium after a great run including her switch front big behind the mighty Malibu M235 on her Leeo. We watched in awe as Trevor Grindland landed a 3 shuv surfgate transfer on his P5 Matrix! The crowd went wild from the shoreline and you could probably hear the cowbells from FL!
My favorite division was the juniors and they threw down! Shuvs, spins, giant airs and air 180s! And smiles! I promised them all a box of candy when they got back to the dock if they smiled during their run (I delivered!). 😊 Afton showed us that the phase 5 Avenger and the new 2019 P5 IYE surfboard were great tools for the job landing 3rd in both surf and skim.
I had a front row seat for men’s am surf and it was fun to see the division filled with so many P5 Swells!
I feel weird writing about myself but I was stoked to win the big trick contest and land 3rd in Pro surf.
Big thanks to Chris Bank, Malibu Boats and all the guys from MN Inboard (you too Eric G and Greg B) for hosting such a fun event! See ya again next year!
One thing is for sure, there was a lot of P5 on the podium!
Juniors divison:
Juniors Surf: Afton Bank 3rd Place. Board: P5 IYE
Juniors Surf: Afton Bank 3rd Place. Board: P5 Avenger
Mens Masters Skim: Eric Grindland 2nd Place. Board: P5 Hammerhead
Mens Master Surf: Chris Bank 1st Place. Board: P5 Swell
Womens Amateur: Whitley Stewart 1st Place. Board: P5 Matrix Rileigh Loftin 2nd Place. Board: P5 Matrix
Mens Amateur Skim: Chris Furey 1st Place. Board: P5 Matrix Tyler Stewart 2nd Place. Board: P5 Diamond 
Mens Outlaw Skim. Nick Parros 1st Place. Board: P5 Matrix
Biggest Trick Winner: Stacia Bank. Board: P5 Swell (Stacia's pro model)
Womens Pro Skim: Kia Grindland 1st Place. Board: P5 Leeo
Womens Pro Surf: Stacia Bank 3rd Place. Board: P5 Swell
Pro Wakesurf Tour (PWT)
The Pro Wakesurf Tour (PWT) was the same weekend as 10K lakes. We had a strong force of riders in Indiana for the PWT as well. John Akerman had some solid riding but a few mishaps had him just short of the podium. Doesn't happen often to John with the bag of tricks he has. Sean Silveira threw it down to land himself in 2nd place at tour stop #4. And it was the technical work of Parker Payne who would stand on the top spot. Parker threw it down on his new pro model Surf style the Phase 5 Phantom in his first pass, then switched to his Matrix for his second pass and crushed it.
Sean Silveira would walk away as the Pro Wakesurf Tour Champion with his consistent riding and technical ability to ride regular and switch equally the same. Parker Payne would lock down 2nd place for the overall PWT.
PWT #4: Parker Payne 1st Place. Board: P5 Phantom (Parker's new pro model) Sean Silveira 2nd Place. Board: P5 Matrix
PWT Overall: Sean Silveira 1st Place Champ Parker Payne 2nd Place Overall
US Open Of Wakesurfing
Words By: Drew Danielo
This past weekend was the Tommy's US Open of Wakesurfing in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This was the first event for the Tommy's crew on this level and they knocked it out of the park. The Millennium Park venue was perfect with a sandy beach, calm water and lots of people to watch. We set up our tent Thursday and were ready for the weekend. 
When Friday morning rolled around the weather was nice and the action on the water was hot. The Phase 5 tent was full of boards, friends and a lot of laughs. It was the perfect seat to stay in the shade and still be able to watch the riders. Phase 5 had a big presence in Michigan. A lot of riders flew in to town riding P5 and there were a lot of locals riding P5. Tommy's is definitely moving some boards out there door and making a big impact on the market. The level of riding was through the roof and it was so much fun to be there and watch our team throw down. In the Pro divisions John Akerman, Sean Silveira, Kia Grindland and Jodi Grassman all took podium spots. Stacia Bank and Lara Latham both had some great riding and just came up short. Here is a look at all the podiums from this past weekend.
Womens Masters: Sue Borton 3rd Place. Board: P5 Matrix
Mens Masters Skim: Eric Grindland 1st Place. Board: P5 Hammerhead Mark Walser 3rd Place. Board: P5 MVP
Mens Outlaw Skim: Nick Parros 1st Place Board: P5 Matrix
Womens Outlaw Skim: Whitley Stewart 1st Place. Board: P5 Matrix Allison Hansen 2nd Place. Board: P5 Matrix
Mens Amateur Skim: Chris Furey 1st Place. Board: P5 Matrix Drew Hansen 2nd Place. Board: P5 Matrix
Womens Pro Skim: Jodi Grassman 1st Place. Board: P5 Leeo (Jodi's pro model) Kia Grindland 2nd Place. Board: P5 Leeo
Mens Pro Skim: Sean Silveira 2nd Place. Board: P5 Matrix John Akerman 3rd Place. Board: P5 MVP (John's pro model)
Pro Men Surf: Parker Payne 1st Place. Board: P5 Phantom
Phase 5 was represented everywhere. 
The competitors from the 2018 Tommy's US Open of Wakesurfing
We also had a very special friend win a board. Xavier is 9 years old and was born with his knee ligaments all intertwined. (From what I understand of it) He has been through 9 surgeries, his femur has been broke twice and his growth plate has been damaged from all of this. His next option is to have his right leg amputated. Xavier's dream was to be a soldier. He was enlisted as an Honorary Soldier in the US Army. I decided we needed to give Xavier a little pick me up and let him know we were all praying for him. The P5 team all signed and wrote him a message on my board. We then presented it to him on the podium. Remember to make the most out of every day and if you can say a prayer and send good vibes to Xavier and his family.
To wrap this trip up Saturday night I had a chance to go ride with Gull Lake Marina who was hosting a few Nascar teams. These guys just happen to be in town racing Michigan. We had some of the #24 car crew there including 20 year old driver William Byron, Some of Chase Elliot's #9 crew. We built Chase a custom board a few months back and we had Rodney Childers the #4 Crew Chief who also has a sweet custom Diamond. The next day Rodney went on to help the #4 win Michigan and go to Victory Lane. Congrats and it was nice to meet all of you guys. Thank You Ryan and Gull Lake Marina for having us out for a shred.
Billy with the #24 car ripping the P5 Hammerhead.
Tommy Czeschin, Rodney Childers and myself after an evening shred.
Rodney with a Floater
Great crew. Thank you again Gull Lake Marine.
Even got a little shred myself. 
Rodney in Victory Lane.
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