SOME of the world’s best extreme sports tricksters wowed a 6500-strong crowd at the Mulwala Water Ski Park on Saturday.
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US wakeboarding icon Parks Bonifay and Australian freestyle motocross star and X-Games champion Blake “Bilko” Williams secured some of the biggest cheers at the eighth Freestyle Sports Expo.
The Mulwala Water Ski Club event saw 70 performers indulge in an array of spectacular manoeuvres without the pressure of competition hanging over their heads.
“It’s an event for some of the world’s greats to come along, experiment and have a bit of fun while giving the crowd exactly what they are looking for,” event organiser Nicole Barnes said.
“It’s not about who’s coming first, who’s coming second, they just have fun trying to outdo each other and we get to see some of the most amazing skills.”
Among the highlights was Bilko backflipping over a pyramid of skiers on the park’s lagoon on the Friday night before a record crowd.
The event this year was boosted by a one-off $10,000 grant from Tourism NSW, which was put towards advertising.
Ms Barnes said there was scope to extend the expo.
“We’d love to have it over a few more days,” she said.
“We’ve already got some of the best in the world coming, not because we invite them, just because they have friends here and they all love it.”
Also among the performers was Corowa wakeboarder Travis Osborne and Las Vegas-based Australian rider Cam White.
Australian rider Matty McFerran also returned to the motorbikes after missing last year’s event due to a broken collarbone.
“It’s good to be back, awesome; I love the whole lifestyle around these parts,” he said.
