Dreams, drives and making it big

[Flats]

Righto, here's my story (nothing too fascinating). I got my wakeboard approximately 2 years and three months ago. I started wakeboarding just this last summer. I don't know why it took me so long, but maybe I was just comfortable with hydrosliding and tubing (yes, I'm already ashamed, you can go ahead and rub it in if you want...) and didn't feel inspired to do anything else. Well, one day, I went out on the water and started doing some surfing cuts...It felt great. I enjoyed getting a progressive edge up to the wake, then cutting back like a demon--it was just fun, y'know? Anyways, later that night, I picked up a wakeboarding magazine (alliance) that my dad picked up when he bought something from a small watersports store not too far away (really cool place...I wonder if I could get a job there...?) and I was blown away by the photography. I was mesmerized at how I could live ON a lake and not know about all this stuff. I started reading interviews, picked out favorite riders (Ben Greenwood and Keith Lyman), and listening to styles. Then I was hooked. I've been wakeboarding everyday like a crackhead behind an old busted '94 ski nautique with a small post coming out the middle (I'm saving for a tower) and a ski rope that's a piece of crap on an O'brien "Silence" 143...Ever heard of it? I thought not. It has no side rails, middle rails, and the molded fins are crap. I'm surprised it has a 3 stage rocker, y'know? Anyways, I'm out there on the Sante Fe about every day and one day, I want a company to pay for my boat, rope, board, ect. How cool would that be? Some people don't plan on going pro, and that's cool, but I just feel a serious need to feed this dream... It's the first one that I've ever really pursued, y'know?

Well, that's nothing to exciting, I know, but what do you hope to do with your wakeboarding skills? Go pro? Just have fun? Make your own trick? Just carry on the the topic about how you got started, and where you want to go with it, no flaming, ect, ect.

[WakeBoarder44]

I'm snowboarding now for about 12 years, y'know
I bought a boat for cruising and hanging around with friends..
The second year I'm started with Wakeboarding, y'know...
I know, I should have started earlier!

The most important is making fun out there

[PimpinD2]

I started about 4 years ago, with a series of accidents and time off so probably only about 2 yrs of riding. I went to school in Orlando and had only tried wakeboarding once. My school Rollins College is located on a lake, and my friends from the bahamas has wakeboards in their rooms. So we hit the lake one day with the school boat and i started learning. But, the school boat was a shitty mc 197, so i found my self on the dock with some lady friend hitching rides with random people. It worked, but i was getting better and decided it was time for a boat. So with the help of the parents i showed up sophmore year with a 94 prostar 205 ready to go with tower etc. I started riding a bunch met my roommate (josh palma) and summer before junior year we rented an apt together on lake killarney. The day before school starts i came around a big tantrum in the flats a lil to heavy on my back leg and snapped my femur in half. Boom i was out for almost the whole year. I got back into riding March of the next year, but didnt really start progrssing again till my senior year, when josh was really pushing to get on the tour and stuff. I think graduated college, and moved to italy where i am now, but havent been wakeboarding in almost 4months. Ill be back in orlando in nov. and plan on buying a house (once again with the help of mom and pops) and get back into it and hopefully josh's knee will be all better.
I never wakeboarder to get free stuff, as i knew i would never get that good. I do wakeboard to hang out with friends, and take girls out on the boat as shallow as that is. It pays off in the end.

[biglouie]

Just having fun with friends and family on the water. Great watching everyone progressively get better, especially my kids!

[jjaszkow]

I enjoy having fun with it. I'm not that good, but it's great to have fun with it (picked it up on a whim a few months after buying my boat).