Kampus Wakeskat8s continued a growing tradition of market-savvy sports product development in the United States, becoming the latest American company to win a coveted ispo BrandNew Award. Based in Oceanside, CA, Kampus Wakestat8s received the inaugural Riri Water Award, in honor of a line of footwear, traction, fin technology, and skates that are driving the fledgling sport of wakeskating in America. Its footwear was cited by the BrandNew judges in awarding top honors.

“We’re stoked about receiving this award, and being the only American company to win a category this time around,” Kampus Wakeskat8s president Duane Pacha said. “Our approach is not to do business side-by-side with wakeboarding, but to grow and nurture the sport of wakeskating and give it a segment of its own. We’re trying to push the independent wakeskating brand; this is our passion and our love, so we’re growing it to become its own sport.”

Kampus Wakeska8s joins numerous American companies that have won ispo BrandNew Awards and the enormous international exposure that accompanies the honor. Like the others, Kampus Wakeska8s will receive a full booth in the BrandNew Innovation Village for ispo summer 05, which will take place July 3-5 in Munich. The company’s presence in Munich will enable it to further international distribution with tens of thousands of retailers and distributors from an estimated 100 countries who attend the show.

“We have some distribution now through Denmark and the UK, but obviously, our goal is to grow in all of the European countries,” Pacha said. “We feel the sport and the product line will explode in Europe once we show people the wakeskating experience.”

The ADVANSA Overall winner among the 130 entrants from 19 nations was Knog Pty. Ltd. of Australia for its large range of stylish, functional bike accessories that cover all forms of bike riding – trail, BMX and road cycling – at both recreational and high-performance levels. Bike riding was a major theme for the ispo BrandNew Award judges, who chose a total of three winners from that sport.

Category winners included Russia’s first-ever entering company, Bosco, which won the ispo Global Strategy Award for its courageous decision to launch its sportswear line by outfitting the Russian Olympic Team in 2004. The move enabled Bosco to immediately set up international distribution.

Others who earned ispo BrandNew Awards include:

  • Thermolite Hardware Award: Global Goal of Denmark, for its new soccer training device;
  • DuPont Style Award: DuckDiver from Germany, for its SurfLounger chair;
  • LMA Fitness Award: Handytrim from Germany, for its device that trains and tones the upper body;
  • ZSport Accessories Award: Swim Distance Tracker from Finland, for a swim lap counter that hooks onto swimsuits;
  • Coolmax Sportswear Award: Maloya from Germany, for a particularly stylish, yet functional bike apparel; and
  • ispo Hardware Accessories Award: Spank from Germany, for an unconventional, progressive line of bike components.

In addition to the winners, 31 companies were named as category finalists and will also exhibit at ispo summer 05. These include U.S. companies Tierney Rides of Palantine, IL and Hammerhead Sled of Ferrisburg, VT (Thermolite Hardware Award); GoPro of Sausalito, CA (Z Sport Accessories); Livity Outernational of Topanga, CA and Medium Footwear of Santa Barbara, CA (DuPont Style); Powergrid Fitness of Landover, MD (LMA Fitness); Spiroll Rope of Andover, MA (ispo Hardware Accessories); and Crosc Footwear of Niwot, CO (Coolmax Sportswear).