Santa Cruz, CA [September 24, 2007]--Watch out, Dallas Friday. In the first pro tournament of her career, 14-year-old Raimi Merritt gave Friday a run for her money at the invitation-only Wakeboard World Cup 2007 in Singapore, snagging second place behind Friday—the most decorated female in wakeboarding’s history.

Merritt was one of only ten female riders in the world invited to compete at the event, which ran September 22-23 at the Bedok Reservoir in Singapore and attracted a crowd of 20,000 people. She was also the youngest, but age was no matter for Merritt, who won both of her heats before advancing to the finals.

“I rode well both days,” said Merritt. “I stuck my pass perfectly in the semi finals, then I was a little sketchy in the finals, but I still stuck everything. It was really exciting to ride pro for the first time and have the chance to compete against Dallas Friday. I’m really happy with my finish.”

Merritt’s impressive finish at the Wakeboard World Cup in Singapore comes on the tail of an equally impressive season in which she’s racked up six first-place victories so far, including winning the WWA Girls’ World Wakeboard Championship title for the second year in a row.

October 19-21, Merritt heads to Cancun, Mexico for the Tige Pro-Am Wakeboard Championships. Then October 30- November 2, Merritt is off to the ISWF World Championships in Doha, Qatar where she will ride as a member of the USA Wakeboard Team and try to capture her second individual world championship title for the season.

Merritt is sponsored by Liquid Force Wakeboards, Girls4Sport, MonaVie Nutrition Beverage, R3 Global, and Fly High Wakeboard Gear. For more information about Merritt, visit: www.raimimerritt.com.

###