Puppet Masters – The Review

Puppet Masters was the next instalment to the previous Wakeskating event named “Wake the Goon” and the 2nd stop of the 2015 South African Wakeskate Tour. Taking place at La Mercy lagoon in KDurban, moving in a new direction from winch to cable was the obvious progression and with the high calibre of athletes we have in this country, the course had to be improved and made suitable for the athletes. The pool gap was doubled the size from last year, a rail out the pool and an incline ledge in the middle of the course was also added in creating an awesome street league setup, but on water.

The level of riding is going from strength to strength with athletes as young as 15 entering this year’s event, the next generation is coming in hot. The 45 minute jam sessions worked out ideally for the semi-finals and the weather was spot on for the day with minimal wind. The athletes pushed each other tooth and nail and set the stage for the 1 hour jam session final. The clear favourite was Matti Buys and he has been setting the tone here in South Africa and making a name for himself internationally.

Returning champion Darren Turner put up a tough fight in the final but just didn’t have the flair of that of Buys who was declared the winner and Puppet Masters 2015 Champion. Matti took home the R5K prize purse with Turner finishing in 2nd, Jacques Labuschagne finished in 2rd with Kaylib Louw in 4th.