In Red Bull Wake Open, the best riders on the planet will come together in Tampa to compete in 1, 2 or possibly 3 of the following categories: Park, Boat, and Big Air. The top athletes in each discipline will be crowned the best wakeboarders in the world. Athletes will be judged on overall impression and a score-based system with single elimination qualifiers in this 3-day event.

Tampa residents can watch the event take place live at the Tampa Convention Center, and everyone else can see the event live on NBC July 14th 1pm - 3pm. It will be part of the Red Bull Signature Series, a property that encompasses more than 20 of our most jaw-dropping and progressive events. The Series will broadcast on a continuous basis to a national television audience throughout 2012 and beyond.

The traditional form of wakeboarding kicks off the first day of the competition. Athletes will have timed runs behind a boat, and be judged on their tricks, jumps, and overall performance. Highlights from this portion of the competition will be shown on the other 2 days of competitions.

Riders will be launching off a single 50-Foot ramp, to do the best tricks they can in the air. They will be judged on best trick rather than timed, and be pulled by the Sesitec System 2.0 cable system. This environmentally friendly system allows the riders to hit speeds up to 38mph in short distances to make for a competitive showdown between the best riders.

The most exciting portion of the competition, where riders will use the new Sesitec System 2.0 to be pulled through a water terrain park in front of the convention center. Athletes will be pulled back and forth to do tricks and jumps in front of both a live audience and broadcasted live on NBC. The 2.0 system itself is a 2 tower straight-line cable system with one side on the convention center, and the other across the bay. The system was designed to be portable and to provide a continuous ride across the park, which will make for an awesome day of fast-paced competition.