Help Put a Wakeboarder on the Cover of Sports Illustrated Kids

Lighthouse Point, Fla. – Noah Flegel’s success on and off the water could soon land the young wakeboarder on the cover of Sports Illustrated Kids. The 14–year-old from Lighthouse Point, Fla. is one of 10 semifinalists for 2011 SportsKid of the Year (SKOTY), and will need the votes of friends, family and the entire wakeboarding community to make it into the finals.

Starting at noon on Oct. 7 through Monday, Oct. 17, fans can vote for their favorite SKOTY candidate at SIKids.com/SKOTY. There is no limit to the number of votes a person can submit.

The top three candidates with the most votes will advance to the finals, where the magazine's editors will determine the overall winner.

The overall winner will be featured exclusively on the December Sports Illustrated Kids cover and have a profiling article with a fold-out poster in the same issue. The SKOTY will also be honored at Sports Illustrated's annual Sportsman of the Year awards celebration in New York City and will be featured on Cartoon Network’s “Hall of Game” in Los Angeles.

Flegel started wakeboarding with his family when he was four years old, before receiving lessons from his current coach Dean Lavelle at age five. In 2011, the south Florida standout won the IWWF World title in Milan, Italy; the WWA World Championship in Indianapolis, Ind.; and the WWA National Championship in Minneapolis, Minn.

Off the water, Flegel is an eighth grader at NorthBrowardPreparatory School, who maintains a 3.5 GPA. He has also helped with fundraising efforts for the Orphanage of El Tunco, El Salvador and volunteers to feed the homeless at a local shelter.

The SportsKid of the Year award honors a young athlete, ages seven to 15, for superior performance on the field, in the classroom and service in the community.