Tabla de contenidos para June 2014 en WAKEBOARDING

Let's be clear here: The World Wakeboard Association (WWA) has been around since 1989, but that was so long ago that they were called the World Skiboard Association back then. A lot has changed over the years and, frankly, a lot has stayed the same — or rather, been purposely preserved. Let's take a look at what was actually happening back then to help you wrap your head around the significance of being 25 years old in our industry. First of all, there was no magazine. So the pages you are turning didn't exist, and neither did public Internet access. Water skiers considered wakeboarding a fad, and kneeboarding would draw large crowds. Wakeboarding was not even called wakeboarding yet, nor was it even considered a sport. So why would there…

In this installment of How To, we'll take a look at how to wakeboard, wakeskate and wakesurf on your home lake. You might say, “Yes, I know it's possible to do all three of those things on my lake — where are you going with this?” Well, there's a lot more to it than you might think. We've partnered up with wakeboarding's Renaissance man, Collin Harrington, to shed some light on the subject. The quest for glassy water can be a constant battle in some regions. Take note as Collin enlightens us on why wakesurfing is the most weather-resistant option. “For me, it keeps things very fresh by having options. If the water is rough or crowded, I will go for a wakesurf, since the choppier water doesn't bother you…

In the quest for the perfect boot, you must first understand that almost every feature on the boot is subjective. This means that the fit, flex, entry, footbed, or color — you name it — is good only if you like it. In order to find out your preferences, go to your local retailer to try them on or find a way to demo a few. Both soft boots and stiff boots have their advantages. The question is, which is more important to you — because you can't have both. Stiff boots give your ankle more support, and transfer energy to your board quicker and more efficiently; while soft, flexible boots make it easier for you to poke out your grabs and manipulate the board around more easily in the…

I'VE BEEN TO THE PHILIPPINES MORE TIMES THAN I CAN COUNT. THERE WERE YEARS IN MY CAREER WHEN I WAS TRAVELING OVER THERE TWO OR THREE TIMES, RUNNING EVENTS AND SPENDING WEEKS ON END IMMERSED IN THEIR CULTURE. I'VE SEEN FIRST-HAND HOW THIS COUNTRY IN THE MIDDLE OF SOUTHEAST ASIA HAS EMBRACED THE SPORT THAT WE LOVE AND TRANSFORMED OVER THE YEARS INTO ONE OF THE MOST EPIC PLACES TO VACATION AS A RIDER. IN THE WINTER MONTHS, PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE GLOBE DESCEND ON CAMSUR WATERSPORTS COMPLEX (CWC) AND OTHER PARKS FOR EXTENDED VACATIONS BECAUSE IT'S BEAUTIFUL, THE RAIL SETUPS ARE SOME OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD, AND IT'S AN INEXPENSIVE PLACE TO STAY AND RIDE. THE PLACE IS NOT A HIDDEN SECRET ANYMORE, AND WITH ALL…

All three sports can teach you a lot about the fundamentals present and absent in the others. “For instance, go out on a wakeboard and practice doing re-entry ollies on the wake. This will help you with the feeling of doing airs on a wakesurfer. Practice shuv its on a wakeskate before trying them on a wakesurfer. Get out and try different boards, and you will be very surprised by just how much they benefit each other,” says Collin. While coaching, I've often used a sport other than the one I am actually coaching to highlight a specific principle and help my students reach their goals. For example, if you are relying on the rope too much when you wakeboard, I'll have you wakesurf for a set. This usually helps…

To all you visual learners out there, you're welcome — although you probably didn't think to read that because you were so enthralled by the visual stimulation of the chart below. Regardless, with the recent additions of a handful of events and ways to qualify, we figured we'd help give you some visual clarification for the event schedule of the 2014 King of Wake title. Pro Card Qualifier #2 Buford, GA Singleton Marine Group June 14 Pro Card Qualifier #3 Lathrop, CA Mossdale Quarry Lakes June 21 Pro Card Qualifier #4 New Braunfels, TX TSR June 28 Pro Card Qualifier #5 Pleasant Prairie, WI Pleasant Prairie RecPlex July 12 Nautique Wake Games Presented by Rockstar Orlando, FL Orlando Watersports Complex April 24–27 Nautique WWA Wakeboard National Championships Presented by Rockstar…

To improve your experience on the lake, let's briefly go over where and how to drive the boat, for wakeboarding and wakeskating specifically. Choose a line where the lake is deep, with a long straight shoreline to follow. The shoreline you choose can really affect the wake and water conditions. The ideal shoreline should be protected from the wind, and should absorb rollers rather than bounce them back to you. “Sometimes it's better to run a little bit choppier line if the seawalls are bad on a calmer line. Backwash rollers are the worst because they can come from all directions,” says Collin. Depth can also really do a number on your wake. Ten feet seems to be the magic number. Anything much less than that might not only put…