Two Cranbrook brothers competing on wakesurfing’s biggest stage had podium finishes, as Ryder and Dagen Duczek captured first and second place in their respective divisions at the 2020 Centurion World Wakesurfing Championships to close out their seasons.
Dagen had a strong run in the semifinals landing a 3 shuv, switch 360, gumby shuv, back big spin and more through his two passes to take first place in his heat and advance to the finals in Men’s Amateur Skim on Day 1 of the competition, before going on to capture second place overall in the finals.
Ryder landed both a 5-big and 5-shuv, en route to a first place finish in his semi-final heat and a spot in the finals. After another strong run in the finals against competitors from the United States, Canada and Ukraine, Ryder secured a first place finish and the world championship in Outlaw Men’s Skim.
The 2020 World Championships represent the third time the boys have qualified for Worlds. Ryder has two first place finishes and one second place finish, while Dagen has one first place finish and two second place finishes.
To qualify to be invited to the World Wakesurfing Championship, riders must be ranked in the top eight in their division in the Competitive Wake Surfing Association world rankings. The event featured 131 athletes from 11 countries competing in 17 different divisions in Fort Worth, Texas.
As a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Worlds featured a combination of live and streamed rides which were recorded at sanctioned modules in six countries and shown at the live event.
Ryder and Dagen are on the Waterski Wake BC team and Wake Canada Wakesurf National Development team, and are sponsored by Phase 5 Wakesurfers, Boston Pizza Cranbrook, Hockley Real Estate, Just Liquid Sports and Reg Johnson of BWC Contracting and Alfred Hummel Contractor Ltd. They ride and train on Tie Lake near Jaffray and have been coached and supported this year by Isaac and Gabrielle Hockley and Caroline Villeneuve.