This was a tough one to choose. On the one hand, the NCAA Frozen Four ventured to the South for the first time in its 64-year history of the event, a remarkable feat for an area that doesn’t even have a college hockey team. On the other, the Red Bull Wake Open transformed the Garrison Channel into a playground in the water for wakeboarders. Probably the only reason the Wake Open takes this one is because the NCAA Final between Boston College and Ferris State didn’t draw as many fans as it could have with a university other than Ferris. The Wake Open showcased the city of Tampa in a wonderful way, with approximately 25,000 people lining the waterfront along with a plethora of boats filling the outer edge of the competition area, and NBC broadcasting the event nationally.
This article appears in Sep 20-26, 2012.