Thursday, January 31, 2013
Vantage Point
Thought I'd get some video up here to show a little of my riding and to get people stoked for the approaching season. Here's my first trip to visit the (then) new floating pool gap at OWC (Orlando Watersports Complex) cable park in Orlando, FL. This was my last filmed day out prior to a minor knee injury a couple weeks later that knocked me out of riding for a few months. Looking forward to getting back in to the swing of things and really progress my riding in 2013.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Soven Leaves Liquid Force
Some interesting news out of the pro world. According to a WakeWorld post yesterday; it was announced that Phillip Soven, one of the strongest competition riders in the world, has left his long-time sponsor Liquid Force for an up-and coming brand, CTRL. Soven has been with Liquid Force since 1995, that's about 18 years with the company. Up to this point, he's spent his entire career with the brand.
From the sound of it in interviews from WakeWorld and Alliance Wake, it seems like a lot of his decision was driven by the fact that he can have a lot more say in what the brand is going to be, something he cant do with something so established as Liquid Force.
Phil is among the most winning pro riders on the circuit. Claiming many titles including the King of Wake, and the PWT, among countless other competition 1st place finishes. He's even managed to break in to the mainstream with an MTV reality show, WakeBrothers.
Be sure to check out CTRL wakeboards and keep an eye out for them in the near future. With a name like Soven among the ranks, they're sure to make some waves on the pro circuit this year.
From the sound of it in interviews from WakeWorld and Alliance Wake, it seems like a lot of his decision was driven by the fact that he can have a lot more say in what the brand is going to be, something he cant do with something so established as Liquid Force.
Phil is among the most winning pro riders on the circuit. Claiming many titles including the King of Wake, and the PWT, among countless other competition 1st place finishes. He's even managed to break in to the mainstream with an MTV reality show, WakeBrothers.
Be sure to check out CTRL wakeboards and keep an eye out for them in the near future. With a name like Soven among the ranks, they're sure to make some waves on the pro circuit this year.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Countdown - 5 Reasons Why Wake Sports Will be Huge this Year
I started this blog over a year ago, and by started I mean that I created the name and address on my blogger profile and let it sit completely untouched until now. But this year I'm excited. Over 10 years in to the sport and I'm more stoked than ever. Why? This is going to be wakeboarding's biggest year yet. A lot of people say that every year, mainly the wakeboard company marketing departments hyping up their current line of gear, but I think it's true this season. These are my top 5 reasons why:
5. Board and Binding Tech - While we've seen a steady progression in our gear since the early days of the sport (directional boards anyone?), we've finally hit a place where everyone can find a board/boot that fits their exact need and riding preference. Whether you prefer cable, boat, a combination of both, or even urban winching that requires decks that can take a crazy beating like cement slides; you'll be able to find a board and binding combo that's exactly right for you. New advancements like Hyperlite's "System" bindings (handy for the cable or winching), or Slingshot's big introduction of flex boards in to the market are innovations that are constantly pushing the industry as a whole to think differently, and that's good for all of us.
Rider: Matt Manzari
4. Wakeskating - This is a case of "Make enough noise and people will hear you". Hammers are being dropped left and right all the time, and the sport is finally getting some notice outside of the wake community. Even the extremely popular website The Berrics (theberrics.com) has given the sport some love recently. Granted, they call it "wake boarding", but hey, can't blame them for trying. In addition, the vast majority of people who want to get out on the water can't afford an expensive wakeboard boat. This leaves the door wide open for them to pick up a wakeskate and have at it behind something as small as a jet-ski or even a small skiff (check out some sweet custom machines at this Wakeskating.com thread).
3. Down with corporations! - This is one that could have me eating my words later, but I think this is the year that we'll see a couple of rider-owned companies start to give some challenge to the big guys. For a while wakeboarding was stagnant. Boards were the same, technology was similar, nobody was making waves in the marketplace. With the introduction of more rider-owned companies like Remote, Ronix (sort of) and Slingshot, we've seen massive leaps and bounds in the industry when it comes to technology and availability of wake gear. As I mentioned before, Slingshot led the charge when it came to making flex boards popular, and Ronix has turned the binding market upside-down and continues to innovate and create some of the best boots in the world. At the same time, Remote and Integrity wakeskates have spent their entire existence making high-end wakeskates that meet the performance needs of today's riders. Thanks to these companies, the landscape of wakeboarding and wakeskating are completely different than they could have been if just the big guys were in the game.
2. More Events Than Ever - With support from companies like Red Bull and their traveling System 2.0 competitions, wakeboarding and wakeskating will receive a ton of exposure this year. In addition to these big sponsor and tours, grassroots tours are popping up everywhere. The most awesome example of one of these tours is the Wakeskate Tour. An absolutely amazing event travelling the country and putting the best riders in the best spots to really push the sport in the right direction.
1. You Don't Need a Boat - This is number one on the list for a reason. Boats are insanely expensive not only to buy to to also run and maintain, and not everyone has a large body of water nearby. Modern wakeboarding and wakeskating are quickly turning to boat-free sports. Cable parks are popping up all over the US and new ones continue to be announced and developed. In addition to cables, winches allow riders to access literally anywhere that has water and can give you a full day of fun for about $2 in gas (and only about $2,000 in an initial investment if you don't build it yourself). If you haven't ridden boat-free, make it a goal this year to go out and support a nearby park. Grab some buddies and take a roadtrip to your nearest cable park or hit the forums and find someone to give you a winch pull (or better yet, build one yourself!). I guarantee it'll be a blast.
5. Board and Binding Tech - While we've seen a steady progression in our gear since the early days of the sport (directional boards anyone?), we've finally hit a place where everyone can find a board/boot that fits their exact need and riding preference. Whether you prefer cable, boat, a combination of both, or even urban winching that requires decks that can take a crazy beating like cement slides; you'll be able to find a board and binding combo that's exactly right for you. New advancements like Hyperlite's "System" bindings (handy for the cable or winching), or Slingshot's big introduction of flex boards in to the market are innovations that are constantly pushing the industry as a whole to think differently, and that's good for all of us.
4. Wakeskating - This is a case of "Make enough noise and people will hear you". Hammers are being dropped left and right all the time, and the sport is finally getting some notice outside of the wake community. Even the extremely popular website The Berrics (theberrics.com) has given the sport some love recently. Granted, they call it "wake boarding", but hey, can't blame them for trying. In addition, the vast majority of people who want to get out on the water can't afford an expensive wakeboard boat. This leaves the door wide open for them to pick up a wakeskate and have at it behind something as small as a jet-ski or even a small skiff (check out some sweet custom machines at this Wakeskating.com thread).
3. Down with corporations! - This is one that could have me eating my words later, but I think this is the year that we'll see a couple of rider-owned companies start to give some challenge to the big guys. For a while wakeboarding was stagnant. Boards were the same, technology was similar, nobody was making waves in the marketplace. With the introduction of more rider-owned companies like Remote, Ronix (sort of) and Slingshot, we've seen massive leaps and bounds in the industry when it comes to technology and availability of wake gear. As I mentioned before, Slingshot led the charge when it came to making flex boards popular, and Ronix has turned the binding market upside-down and continues to innovate and create some of the best boots in the world. At the same time, Remote and Integrity wakeskates have spent their entire existence making high-end wakeskates that meet the performance needs of today's riders. Thanks to these companies, the landscape of wakeboarding and wakeskating are completely different than they could have been if just the big guys were in the game.
2. More Events Than Ever - With support from companies like Red Bull and their traveling System 2.0 competitions, wakeboarding and wakeskating will receive a ton of exposure this year. In addition to these big sponsor and tours, grassroots tours are popping up everywhere. The most awesome example of one of these tours is the Wakeskate Tour. An absolutely amazing event travelling the country and putting the best riders in the best spots to really push the sport in the right direction.
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