Ever since I can remember, I have been in the water. I could have been a fish, I basically lived there majority of my life. I came form a small town and Georgia and turned out to be the opposite of a southerner. I didn't grow up as a jock playing baseball, football or any other sport. I didn't grow up hunting for deer or helping run a farm. I grew up on the water, with a wakeboard strapped to my feet. I started wakeboarding around the age of 8. Wakeboarding wasn't even a thing when I learned, it had only been around a couple of years. My dad and his friends did it, so he got me into it.
I was a casual rider up until about the age of 11 and it's like something clicked. I started getting very aggressive with the sport and wanting to learn more and more each time I rode. I started competing when I was 12 and that's when I knew this was what I wanted to be in life. I won my first competition ever and many after that. Sure competing was great, but I just loved the sport in general.
There was three types of riding. First there was boat riding. This is where I grew up. I learned majority of my tricks behind a boat. I did my first 360 behind a boat. I did 3 of my first flips behind a boat. I actually landed the first three flips my first try. I guess you could say I was a natural. It was almost like being in a dream the first time I ever turned a flip. I carved out, pulled the handle in close to my waist and took a deep breath. I had knots in my stomach, I was about to just go all or nothing. I leaned on my heels and with a steady, smooth edge, headed straight at the wake. When the front of board took flight I released my right hand and threw my head straight back. My knees followed the direction of my head and I tucked them in toward my stomach. Everything was in slow motion. The water spraying up was like little rain drops. I remember seeing the water up above me and the sky up under me. I was completely upside down. I kept my knees tucked and as my body finished rotating, I spotted my landing on the other side of the wake.
I landed and stood there for a second. I looked up and saw my dad and all of our friends going crazy. I had just turned a backflip on a wakeboard and did it my first try! They were all shouting and pointing for me to carve back out and do it again. So without hesitating I carved out, leaned into the wake again and boom, I landed another one! This time I was quick to celebrate. Anyone who has ever wakeboarded knows this feeling. My fist shot straight into the air and I yelled in excitement! They all cheered from the boat and I cheered from the water. It was such an amazing moment.
This is me when I was a little older, but this shot was captured after I landed a crow mobe. Thats a 360 spin while doing a front flip. You can see the fist pump and the look of relief after you finally land a big trick that you have been trying all day long.
The second kind of riding is jet ski riding. This is our "butter" rides. This is when we just go out and enjoy being on the water, spraying water up and just feeling the fresh air as you glide through it. Butter is when the whole lake is completely smooth, not even a ripple. The feeling of calmness when you carve out and let your board glide across that smooth water is so comforting. It's also super fun to ride doubles behind the jet ski. This is when you tie two ropes and ride with another person. It's fun to spray each other and play follow the leader. We also use the jet ski when we put a small ramp or rail in the lake and we need something to tow us into it. A boat would make too big of a wake to drive by something so we use the jet ski.
Notice the wet suite ^ we ride all year long! Even once in the snow!!
The third kind of riding is cable riding. This is when you ride on pretty much a giant wench. A cable goes back and forth and is powered by a remote that the drive holds. There are rails and ramps set up everywhere (obstacles) and you can pick which ones you want to ride on. Cable riding is the more advanced wakeboarding and is for people who have been riding for a while. This is where I learned to do board slides and back lips and also tons of flips and spins off of giant ramps!
I have also taken my fair share of falls! haha
We ride rain or shine.
The advantages of wakeboarding are endless. It’s more easily accessible than surfing when you’ve just got to get in the water with a board. It’s also – my experience notwithstanding – a little easier to pick up. You also never have to spend hours in the water waiting for the right wave. Instead, someone goes ahead of you in a boat and creates waves for you, so it’s good if you’re impatient or you don’t have a lot of time. Like any regular physical activity, wakeboarding is good for you, working your back and leg muscles pretty hard, especially. It’s also got an amazing amount of complexity to it, with all the familiar ‘grab’ tricks from skate- and snowboarding that everyone who grew up playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater will remember trying to do once. It also has a whole load of its own moves, varying according to whether you’re doing tricks on the surface, off a wake or wave, or off a stationary jump. Wakeboarding is an amazing sport and I plan to ride until I am an old man. Go out and try it!
I am in the process of starting my own wakeboarding brand and line of boards. The brand is called Shreditz and this is my first board design. Hopefully you see it in the future!
Some great captures you have there! Looks like you are having fun :)