Date: 1/28/02
Author: Joe Umali

Wakeboarding continues to grow at an alarming rate. In the three years that I've been riding, the percentage of wakeboard-specific boats on the water has gone from about 10% to 60%. The sport has gone from pylons to extended pylons to towers, from no weight to four or five fat sacks and from long and narrow boards to wide boards with molded-in fins. What's even more alarming than the overall progression is the fact that wakeboarding is attracting more and more females.

"Why is that alarming," you ask? Because wakeboarding was a guy thing. When I first started, the women that I'd see on the boat were just worried about getting tans and looking good. Okay, ladies, take it easy...breathe. I'm not trying to be sexist and if I came off that way, it was unintentional. It's just what I saw out there. Even riders in videos, such as High Wake Drifters and Skurfs Up, were predominately male (I know, most videos are still that way).

Girls Day Out 2001 (pic: wakechicks.com)

Now I see a lot of boats with crews consisting of men and women and they ALL ride! There's even a wakeboard video (Beyond 3) with an all-female cast! These pioneers made this video years ago, not knowing yet how many women would get involved. Women have come a long way from waiting until the last guy finishes riding to be able to ride. They are sometimes encouraged to go first or second and no, this doesn't just apply to winter riding!

Women's riding abilities are progressing at the same rate. Just a couple of years ago, there were only a handful of women doing big tricks such as Raleys, heelside fronts, etc. Now, Leslie Kent is landing Pete Roses and grabbed fives, Christy Smith is landing heelside mobes and crow mobes,

Dallas Friday (pic: David Williams)

Dallas Friday is attempting double front rolls, Emily Copeland's sticking KGB's and so on. Yes, they are pros and they should be doing these tricks, but these women are the ones paving the way for the rest of the women in the sport. They take it one notch higher every time they ride. What this does is push them to better themselves and, at the same time, show women that it can be done and that tricks were invented for both genders.

Companies in the wakeboard industry have realized all of this. Three years ago, it was rare to see even one female on a team! Now, companies are constantly looking for more women to solidify their teams. Take Correct Craft for example. They've got Cheryl Newton, Lauren Harf, Jaime Necrason, Lauren Loe, Tina Bessinger and more recently, Christy Smith. That's SIX women on one team! Big companies aren't the only ones that have seen the light. Core has signed Smith and Origin has signed Maeghan Major. I'm not sure if Leslie Kent is signed on with a board company right now, but I can guarantee you this: all the board companies are trying to figure out how to add her to their team.

In addition to what the pros are doing, there are other women all over the nation striving, not only to progress, but to encourage other female riders as they progress and teach those that are new to the sport. Tiffany Landry, from Hattiesburg, Missouri, runs a site dedicated to opening up the world of wakeboarding to more women. That is what www.ladyboarder.com is all about. She, with the help of Lauren McCaa of Lewisville, Texas, provides a site where women can check out new products for women, get tips on tricks, inquire about upcoming events or simply read about other female riders. Tiffany is also responsible for putting together the Ladies Boat at Louisiana Spring Fling.

Susan Wilson from Austin, Texas organized an event called Girls Day Out. Girls Day Out brought women from all over the nation together in Austin to ride and just have fun, without the men! They had their second annual Girls Day Out this past summer and the turn out was substantially more than the first. Girls Day Out 2002 is scheduled for September 7th.

Girls Day Out 2001 (pic: wakechicks.com)

The push for growth isn't just limited to the East Coast and the South. There are women here on the West Coast as well that push other women and introduce the sport to others. Women such as Leslie 'Zee' Patterson, Adrian Gentry, Danielle Janov and Jennifer Burke are riding at a level at which some guys only dream. They take their riding to levels that, not only encourage other women, but push the guys as well! Most importantly, they're out to have a good time. They're also there to help. Whether it's learning how to ride, tips on tricks or driving a boat.

Leslie 'Zee' Patterson (pic: Chris Ramey)

Guys can help in this growth, too. Instead of only inviting other guys out on the water, ask more women to go. Women are appreciative and are more likely to offer gas money and bring drinks or food. More importantly, you'll have their company! After all, what's sexier than a woman that can ride? I rest my case!

Initially, I must confess, I thought all of the push to get more women involved was just some women's way to get more attention. I thought it was just a few women with chips on their shoulders. I've found that's not what they are all about. You know how guys talk to their buddies and say, "Yo bro, you gotta try riding with me sometime! I'll get you to bust out some big tricks in no time! Plus, chicks dig guys that ride!" Well, women say the same types of things to their friends! They just don't use the big words that guys do!

We can't deny the fact that the sport of wakeboarding is growing at a very high rate. With that, more women than ever are involved. From the pros stepping it up with their riding, to women organizing local events, and getting more women into it. Women have a permanent place in the sport and are continuing to lead in helping to expose our sport to others.

Joe Umali is sponsored by Newt Juice Binding Slime and Y2Kp BoardGear.

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