King of Wake contest brings soaring stunts to Lake Tye

Spectators lined the banks and some of the world's top wakeboarders took to the lake for the

four days of the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour last weekend.

The event began Thursday with practice runs, then Friday commenced with Round 1 and 2 of competition.

Saturday continued with semifinals, then phased for the CONTOUR Big Air Kicker contest, a special event with riders launching off a ramp to perform spectacular stunts high above the surface of the lake.

Then the event concluded with the finals and awards, with Florida native Phil Soven coming in first place, cruising easily toward his fifth King of Wake title. He also appears in MTV's reality show WakeBrothers.

Monroe was the fourth stop of the five-stop national tour, and remains a favorite among competitors for its accessibility, calm surface and large audiences.

"It's great to be back in Monroe for another Pro Tour contest,GÇ¥ said Chris Bischoff, competition director. "The guys were going huge off the X-Star today and every heat contained some of the day's best rides.GÇ¥

Other stops included Michigan, Florida, California and Georgia.

The Monroe competition will appear on NBC Sports Oct. 12 at 1:30 p.m. PST. Complete contest results can be found at http://www.wakeboardingmag.com/news/2014/07/12/phil-soven-wins-pwt-monroe/.