POLK CITY, Fla. — Eight of the nation's top wakeboarders have been chosen for the 2002 U.S. Wakeboard Team. Selections to the 2002 U.S. Wakeboard Team were based upon athletes' American Wakeboard Association ranking points through the 2002 USA Wakeboard Championships.

The 2002 team members are: Jeremy Baker ofConway, Ark.; Bryan Born of Menomonee Falls, Wis.; Jessica Brown of Conway, Ark.; Laura Lohrmann of Elkhorn, Wis.; Loren Levine of Madison, Wis.; Keith Lyman of Windermere, Fla.; Kim Smith of North Little Rock, Ark.; and Jackie Denwalt of Elizabeth, Ark.)

Participants in the 2002 Wakeboard World Championships will compete in eight divisions based upon age and gender. The team will represent the United States in the third annual International Water Ski Federation (IWSF) Wakeboard World Championships, Dec. 5-8, at the Lagoon de Freitas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Twenty countries, including the United States, are expected to field teams in the event.

The U.S. Wakeboard Team finished third in 2000 and runner-up in 2001 at the Wakeboard World Championships. South Africa, which hosted the event in 2001, is the defending team champion. Lagoon de Freitas, the site of the 2002 World Wakeboard Championships, is located at the foot of the Corcovado Hill, just four blocks from the famous Ipanema Beach.