Lake Murray, SC 06/06/2023 - The 18th Annual Weekend With The Pros returns to Lake Murray at Captain’s Choice Marine on June 9th and 10th. Two world-class wakeboarders, Bec Gange and Parker Swope, and Joey Harris, a professional wakesurfer, will attend this fan-favorite event.
Weekend With The Pros is a free, family-friendly event held on the water in front of Captain’s Choice Marine in Leesville, South Carolina. The event offers wakeboard & wakesurf lessons, pro autographs, food trucks and more. The highlight is the Pro Wakeboard Show on Saturday from 2 - 3 PM, where pro wakeboarders will showcase their best tricks in front of a live audience. Spectators can raft-up by boat or enjoy by land to take part in one of the Southeast’s largest wakeboard events. The show will also be broadcast live on 93.1 The Lake. Captain’s Choice Marine presents the 18th Annual Weekend With The Pros featuring Malibu boats.
“19 years ago, this event started as a group of my friends pooling our money to bring a pro wakeboarder to Lake Murray for coaching,” says Event Director and Rough Riders Founder Chris Farr. “It grew to involve more riders, local businesses, and people from all over the state and beyond who have the chance to meet pro riders and watch world-class wakeboarding. Our mission has remained the same since the beginning: to introduce people to the best in lake life and to spread our love of watersports. In wakeboarding, we call it ‘passing the handle’ when you introduce someone to the sport. It has been my honor to help pass the handle to hundreds of riders over the years, and I am looking forward to continuing to do so again this year,” he continues.
“For my 13th birthday, my parents hired Jonathon McDonald, a world champion wakeboarder to come to Lake Murray and coach me,” says Event Director and Rough Riders Founder, Chris Farr. “The first time he hit the wake and did a flip, it changed my life. I spent that summer learning my first flip and after that, I went on to compete in watersports through high school and college. Watersports made me athletic, changed the way I felt about myself, and it's been a part of my life ever since. Weekend With The Pros was born out of what my parents did for me for that birthday back in 1997.”
Farr’s mission to spread the group’s love of watersports has become even more special recently as he and his wife, Brynley Farr, have begun to teach his three sons, ages nine, seven, and four, how to wakeboard. Their oldest son, W.H. Farr, has helped open the past six Pro Wakeboard Shows with pro wakeboarders Shaun Murray, Steel Lafferty, Dallas Friday, Josh Palma, Chad Sharpe, and Bec Gange will be joined by his younger brothers, Jack and Christopher Farr, this summer. In years past, riders of all ages and experience levels have enjoyed participating in lessons with the pros and riders as young as four years old can sign up for lessons.
Pro Wakeboarding Lessons with Bec Gange, Parker Swope, and Joey Harris will be offered on Friday and Saturday at Captain’s Choice Marine and are $400 for a full day on Friday and $222 for a half-day on Saturday. Lessons include world-class coaching behind the new Malibu wake boats, equipment demos, an event shirt, snacks, and lunch with the pros (lunch purchased separately from lesson). More information on the Pro Wakeboarding Lessons and registration can be found at scroughriders.com. Lessons have limited availability.
Boat Demos & Food Truck Parties will be held on Friday and Saturday from 9 AM to 6 PM at Captain’s Choice Marine located at 3216 US-378 in Leesville, SC 29070 in the Twin Bridges area of Hollow Creek in Lexington County. This is a FREE event for the public to attend. Enjoy food trucks, slushies, boat demos with the Captain’s Choice crew, and autographs and photos with The SC Rough Riders and Pro Wakeboarders.
The Pro Wakeboard Show is the weekend's highlight, featuring pros performing their best tricks on Lake Murray in front of Captain's Choice Marine on Saturday at 2 PM. You can bring your own boat for the free show or watch from land. Front-row seats in the boats pulling the pros, including photos and autographs between sets, can be purchased at scroughriders.com for a unique view.
PHOTO CAPTION: Pro Wakeboarder Parker Swope
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