Katinka Buiting and Rien van der Pas take the win at Andocken 2024
For the third time in a row, Andocken attracted the community to Dock5 in Düren and everyone who came had a good time, as the after movie of the contest shows.
On Saturday, May 11, 2024, Dock5 in Düren was once again transformed into a hotspot for the German wakeboard scene. The third edition of the Andocken Wakeboard and Wakeskate Contest, organized by Heimathafen Badesee e. V., welcomed around 300 spectators in bright sunshine who did not want to miss the spectacle of the 95 participants. The €800 prize money for first place in the open categories attracted girls and boys from nine different countries, including the UK, USA and Australia.
This year’s event introduced a contest format that cleverly combined the classic IWWF format with a jam format. The run was divided into three sections (Feature-Line, Kicker/Airtrick and Hack), in which the riders tried to convince the judges around head judge Jascha Wonka with their best and most stylish tricks. All participants had two starts with two runs each, with the best two runs being judged. On top of this, extra variety points were awarded for varied runs.
The contest was divided into various boys’ and girls’ categories. Riding at the highest international level was on show, especially in the Open Ladies and Men: Rien van der Pas secured victory in the men’s category with plenty of variation and clean riding, closely followed by Nils Ritzmann. Third place was just as hard-fought and in the end, 13-year-old Preston Persichetti from Orlando, Florida, made it onto the podium.
Katinka Buiting from the Netherlands triumphed in the ladies’ category, while Joelina Gerards took second place on her homecable. Alessia Klingenbrunn, last year’s winner, took third place this time. Dutchman Tim van Dortmont took first place in the wakeskater category, performing a firework of tricks and making it look like child’s play.
Pro Men and ...
Pro Women Podium
The prize money in the U19 and Open categories amounted to over 4,500 euros as well as attractive non-cash prizes. DJs such as Lex and Tutto provided the perfect atmosphere during the day, and the after-party also got the crowd dancing with Kamikaze alias Mika Smeets, who took part in the contest himself. Food and drinks were provided by Sonnenralle, the kiosk at the start dock.
Presenter Clint Liddy unfortunately got a good sunburn while presenting – another sign of the fantastic weather that accompanied the event. It remains to be seen what the organizers will come up with for next year.
Photos: Fresh Photography & Tim Hendrichs