Vintage Wakeboard and related cool stuff

billyboard · Newbie Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 4

I shared this on another wakeboarding forum and I wanted to share here:

In doing a big clean up, I found some really cool vintage wakeboarding stuff.

I have my original Hyperlite Pro model wakeboard. This was the first compression molded board that helped launch wakeboarding's popularity back in the mid 90's. I still also have the original purple adjustable bungee footplates, two 2 1/2" fins, one 3 1/2" fin, and the Assembly Instructions sheet ("Never Exceed 18 mile per hour").
And what makes this find really cool is that the board is autographed by some of the pioneers of the sport. I got this signed during a Wakeboard Pro Tour event in Hartford, CT in the mid 90's. The autographs are Scott Byerly, Darin Shapiro, Eric "Gator" Lutgert, Eric "Flip It" Perez, Dean "Clean" Lavelle, Zane Schwenk, Tony Klarich, Andrea Gayton (the first woman of wakeboarding), Jeff Heer, and Geno Yauchler (Hydrofoil/Airchair champion - check him out on YouTube).

And check out what I found along with some Hyperlite banners and stickers...I found copies of the July 7, 1996 "Wakeboard Attack Sheet"s from the Hartford Connecticut Tour. These sheets needed to be filled out in advance by the riders telling the judges what 5 tricks were to be done in each of 2 passes and in what order as well as the point value for each trick. It also lists the "Wild Card" trick for the end of the second pass. I have Attack sheets filled out by Parks Bonifay, Shaun Murray, Zane Schwenk, Andy Lazarus, David Reinhart, Cobe Mikacich, Mike Weddington, Thomas Horrell, Scott Byerly, and Dean Lavelle. All the tricks were inverts of some kind...not one spin move in the bunch! Almost every rider did a Raley or a Krypt...if not multiple ones.

I also found my back issues of Wakeboarding Magazine which includes almost every issue from 1995 through 2004. Just looking at the covers over the years tells a story of the sport's evolution.

JeffreyCH · Posted: Jul 04, 2009 7:19 am Post subject:

WOW

that's awesome nice find

shaggyboarder · Posted: Jul 04, 2009 7:49 am Post subject:

Cool, I remember dean telling me that if you didnt do the tricks on the card or messed up the order they would disqualify you, so he would write his run on his arm.

flixmaster · Site Owner Joined: 30 Oct 2003 Posts: 7488

we have come a long way for sure. Amazing how much the bindings have changed over the years.

FlyZone CR · Posted: Jul 04, 2009 11:02 pm Post subject:

Haha remember Dean forgetting his run at the (first?) X-games, slamming his head...?
I also always wrote down my pass on my arm. Many in Holland did, I guess anywhere else as well.

Am I old? Confused

Medina · Posted: Jul 05, 2009 11:08 am Post subject:

All pre my era... When this time was upon you guys, the beginning of wakeboarding, i was like 3 years old... to bad, i would have loved to be at the beginning...