Wakeboard Championships Bring Extreme Sports To South Florida

WLRN 91.3 FM | By Lisann Ramos

Published August 14, 2015 at 3:26 PM EDT

Onlookers relax in front of Peregrin Falcon Lake to catch the Wakeboard National Championships at Amelia Earhart Park.

If you drive onGratignyParkway this weekend, try not to get too distracted by thewakeboarderssoaring through the air at Amelia Earhart Park.

They may be hard to ignore -- they're the best in the country.

Wakeboarders from all over the U.S. are competing this weekend for theWakeboardNational Championships.

The event is a county effort to offer a greater variety of activities at public parks.

"It’s kinda what I like to call a culture of extreme sports. This park attracts a lot of these customers and patrons that in my opinion is a little limited in South Florida,” said Lars Bergquist of Miami-Dade Parks.

This is the first time the competition comes to South Florida, butBergquisthopes it won’t be the last.

An amateur Wakeboard National Championship competitor rides at Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah.

He wants Amelia Earhart Park to be a hub for extreme athletes.

“We’re looking forward for more and more events that eventually will be worldwide events at this venue and we will continue to work very hard and have other extreme events of this nature in this park,” saidBergquist.

NoahFlegelis a professional wakeboarder from Deerfield Beach. When he’s not competing across the globe he practices at the lake 10 minutes from his home. He’s happy to compete nearby for a change.

“It’s nice to not have to get on a plane and go somewhere where I can just get in my car and go back home after it’s all said and done. It’s great to, like, have all my family and friends come out accessibly,” saidFlegel.

Prizes will be awarded on Sunday afternoon in three different categories.

For more information on the competition, go to the World WakeboardAssociation website.