Post 1: An Introduction to Wakeboarding

Wakeboarding 101

July 9, 2010, the day my summers were changed forever. I remember that day vividly. I was fifteen and was playing basketball in my driveway when my dad came back from work. He parked the car and told me to come over and take a look at something. From the backseat, he pulled out a used wakeboard he said he had just bought at the pawn shop. We had joked about getting one, but he totally surprised me with it. Most people probably would’ve scoffed at the board, as it wasn’t the most attractive. The edges were starting to chip, the board was painted a weird purple color with moon designs that were very sun-faded, and the boots were very worn out. However, I was immediately put in a trance and could already see myself flying across the water on my new chariot of fire. And, after a few too many face-plants into the lake that weekend, I did just that. Today, I would like to discuss a brief history of the sport and the basics of getting up and riding a wakeboard.

Me on Lura Lake, July 26, 2015

History

Wakeboarding is relatively new in the history of water sports and combines aspects of water skiing and surfing. Tony Finn, a surfer from San Diego, is credited with inventing wakeboarding in 1985 (“The History of Wakeboarding”). He developed the “Skurfer,” essentially a small surfboard, and would ride the board as he was being towed by a boat. Unfortunately, interest was slow to develop for this new sport due to design problems with the boards. Later, a businessman by the name of Herb O’Brien introduced the “Hyperlite.” This board was significantly stronger and more durable than the Skurfer and quickly made wakeboarding much more accessible to the general population. Today, wakeboards can be purchased from sporting goods stores across the country. Wakeboards are tailored to fit the skill level and preferences of the rider so that almost everyone can participate in one of the fastest growing watersports.

Getting up on a Wakeboard

Hands down, the hardest part of learning to wakeboard is getting up. It took me a couple hours and countless attempts before I finally popped out of the water. The normal starting method used for wakeboarding is called a deep-water start. This means that you boat out to the middle of the lake, strap on your wakeboard, jump into the lake, swim out to the end of the tow rope, and tell the driver to go. Other methods include starting from docks or beaches, but these aren’t very common and can only be done under very specific conditions. Therefore, I will go over how to get up on a wakeboard using a deep-water start.

As I mentioned before, the first step is having the driver go out to a calm section of the lake away from other boats and obstacles. Put on your life jacket. I prefer to strap my feet into my wakeboard inside the boat, swing my legs over the side, and slowly lower myself into the water. You will be lying on your back in the water with your feet outstretched. This is a very awkward position. Get clear of the propeller and have someone in the boat throw you the tow rope. The driver should slowly pull forward so that the rope is taunt. You want to be positioned in-line with the boat so that you are pulled perfectly straight when the boat accelerates. 

Now position yourself for the takeoff. Square your shoulders, feet, and board with the boat. Bring your knees to your chest as far as they will comfortably go. Draw your arms in until the middle of your forearms are slightly resting on the tops of your knees and get a strong grip on the handle. This position should look something like the picture below.

Graphic Design Credit: Gabriel Silveira

Again, this isn’t the most comfortable position, but you won’t be here for long. Signal to the driver to go and slightly tip the board towards the boat as it accelerates. At this point, it is very important that you stay low and crouched. Don’t try to stand up too early. Due to the large surface area of the board, you will rotate forward around your feet so that your upper body comes out of the water. As you feel yourself rising out of the water, swing the board around into your desired riding position and you will pop out of the water. Realistically, the whole process of getting up happens so quickly that you will have little chance to make major corrections on the go. I prefer a faster takeoff speed and will get up in less than fifteen feet.

Congratulations you are now up! You will want to keep your knees slightly bent and lean back just a little. Use your back foot to steer yourself. Lean left to go left and lean right to go right. A common mistake among beginners is overcorrecting unwanted movement from the board. The board will naturally dance around, but it is best to just let it go where it wants to. Once you are done riding, let go of the rope and sink down into the water as gracefully as possible. Remove the wakeboard from your feet and climb back into the boat amid cheers from your friends.

I hope this post helped you understand the background of wakeboarding as well as how to ride one. If you follow these suggestions and tips, you are sure to have success out on the water. I certainly don’t intend to make wakeboarders out of all of you, but I hope I have given you a little understanding and appreciation for the sport. Obviously, there are many more aspects of wakeboarding, but I will save those for later posts. Have fun. Be safe. Class dismissed.

References

Silveira, Gabriel. Standing Up. Digital image. Popular Mechanics. Hearst 

          Communications, 17 Dec. 2009. Web. 16 Oct. 2015.

"The History of Wakeboarding." Wake.co.nz. WNZ, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.