Team Ossan wins Chagi Cup wakeboarding tournament

Team Ossan earned the nod of the judges to rule last Sunday’s Chagi Cup held at the J&K Marine Sports wakeboarding course in Susupe.

Team Ossan was composed of non-pros Otsuka Sadayuki, Inaoka Yoshiro, Fujisawa Tamaki, Asano Kiyoshi, Otsuka Ryo and Uematsu Yusuke.

Riders from each team were given eight minutes to do their routine—jumps, flips, spins and other ticks—with pro wakeboarders Ito Tatsuo and Horino Asami taking turns in judging them.

Team Umibaba Kids, also non-pros, placed second as they and Team Ossan bested the four other squads that have pros on their rosters. Kumiko Deleon Guerrero, Osawa Hyoga, Sato Hina, Toyoizumi Kazuma, Takamura Taiga and Ai Otsuka were the members of Team Umibaba Kids.

Team 6Ronin of Komot Takayuki, Jun Salalila, Komoto Murai Megumi, and Kako, Anna and Amitani Yoshiaki finished third.

Team Poseidon (Tatsuo Ito, Jeffery Barit, Ri Junichi, Sato Tadanao, Takita Kenji and Mori Hisashi); Team Top Geat (Horino Asami, Kimura Motonori, Takahashi Atsuyuki, Ichinari Masumi, Ohashi Hikaru and Imai Hidetoshi); and Team Up-Down (Koji Nakamura, Muraoka Yukio, Kelvin Villagomez, Matsuzaka Sachiko, Izawa Kazuki and Tachiki Kaoru) were the other competing squads.

Takayuki, Ito, Asami and Nakamura are pros.

Hyoga and Takamura, both from Team Umibaba Kids, have won numerous competitions in Japan and the U.S.

Hyoga is the reigning two-time Japan Wakeboarding Association boys’ champion and last year’s Chagi Cup middle men’s winner. He also won the Tokyo Odaiba Cable Wake beginner last month.

Taiga, meanwhile, placed third in the Wake Games junior boys’ category in the U.S. and fourth in the World Championship. He is also a two-time All Japan winner and finished third in the 2014 World Wake Games.

The Chagi Cup began in 2000 and run until 2009 before being shelved from 2010 to 2012 after direct flights from Osaka and Nagoya to Saipan were cancelled.

KKMP 92.1 FM, KSPN Channel 2, Marianas Visitors Authority, Boating Safety, Department of Coastal Resources Management, Department of Public Lands, Tasi Tours, PDI, PMT, R&C, Win Tours, Jonny’s Bar & Grill, Saipan Tribune, Himawari, Super Fish Diving, Inaoka Timber Dealer, Tokopanas, Hakatuka Marine, J&M Marine Sports and Café Corretto were the sponsors and partners of the tournament. (Jon Perez)