November 26,2008 - Last year, we profiled 14-year-old wakeboarder Raimi Merritt just after she participated in her first pro tournament and snagged second place behind Dallas Friday - the most decorated female in wakeboarding’s history.
Now fifteen, the rookie pro just capped off the 2008 tournament season with a stunning victory at the IWSF Wakeboard World Cup Championships in Doha, Qatar, beating out Friday for the top spot on the podium and the $8,000 prize.
“I just wanted to go there and get into the top three,” said Merritt, of Orlando, Florida and the youngest of the women’s pro riders. “I didn’t know what the conditions would be, so I just tried to be confident, and I managed to do well.”
In addition to her win in Qatar, Merritt also took first at the IWSF World Cup in Egypt in August and finished third at the IWSF World Cup in Singapore in October, rallying after her board broke in half in the final heat.
Merritt’s first year as a pro rider has proved challenging. “A lot of the girls were stepping it up this year, and I wasn’t riding as consistently in the beginning. But it pushed me to try harder, and towards the end of the year, I started doing better.” said Merritt.
Merritt finished out the year with a fifth-place ranking in the Queen of Wake standings and was named Monavie’s “Rookie of the Year” by the World Wakeboard Association. To prepare for the 2009 season, she will be training with her coach, Mike Ferraro, and trying to perfect more tricks. Her goals are to stay strong and healthy and try to place in the top three in every tournament in 2009.
Merritt is the youngest daughter of former World Champion and professional barefoot water skier Steve Merritt. Originally from Lantana, Florida, she began competing at the age of 11 and won a WWA National Championship in her first season. In 2007, she captured all of the major girls’ division titles.
Like surfing, this sport is being taken over by a new generation of girls!
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