WW: You arrived in Florida in mid January. Is that when you began training for the pro tour?
BJ: Not training, just hanging out with friends and messing around

WW: When do you start serious training for the season?
BJ: I'm kind of riding right now, just not real serious. I've been livin' down in West Palm Beach.

WW: What is your training regimen, both on and off the water, while in Florida?
BJ: My way of training is just to ride a lot, I also like to dive (springboard) and work my arms bowling (laughs).

WW: Do you do any weight training?
BJ: I actually used to do a lot. In high school I lifted a lot. It's not that I don't want to. I'd love to be weight training, but…well two things; One, that its hard to do proper weight training because I'm always in a different hotel and stuff. I'm very seldom in one place so I can't lift, then take a week off, then lift. It's not as good for your body. Plus in high school I was getting a little bit bulky. So the build I'd like to have and how I'd like to be built for wakeboarding are two different things.

WW: Where do you ride?
BJ: Lake Osborne in West Palm Beach

WW: Who do you ride with?
BJ: Bart and Emily Copeland, Shawn Watson, and Tara and Jeremy

WW: Is that Jeremy Kovak?
BJ: Um, yeah a little bit.

WW: What is he like?
BJ: Um, Jeremy is not like…I kind of know what this question is based on, but he is not like people see him. He is seen as someone who is super preppy and, I don't know, just a real tough competitor. He comes from the water ski side and everything. The one difference between him and every other guy out there is that he is willing to admit his heritage. I mean, all the other guys out there, like Greg, they came from trick skiing and stuff but they just have kind of acted like they came from skateboarding instead of admitting where they came from. So he's no different. He just speaks a little loudly with things. So sometimes he comes across as forward to people. But person to person, we have fun together. We always go out and have sushi with all the West Palm crew and go play football and stuff like that.

WW: How's his knee? Is he going to be back this year?
BJ: Yeah, we were just riding the other day and he's 100% on his knee. So health wise he should be fine.

WW: What are some of the new moves you're working on?
BJ: Some new doubles, and just getting some old stuff back, like my worm.

WW: Tell us about the doubles your working on?
BJ: I'm working on a lot of new doubles. I've also been working on a lot of 720's. I'm just working on some new doubles that haven't been done before. I've been doing a lot of diving off the diving board just to learn them, but it's hard taking them to the water. I just hurt my hip about a week ago doing a big double up and it's a little tender. We're going riding in just a little while and I haven't been pushing stuff as hard just cuz of my hip. So I'm taking some time riding easy until I feel like 100%.

WW: So the doubles are pretty hard on the body?
BJ: They're very. Every one I throw I'll either land good and pull right away or I get dazed pretty good. I usually get knocked silly or knocked out.

WW: Do you ever wear a helmet when you're training?
BJ: No, just cuz it actually doesn't help because you're not getting knocked out because of anything hard you're hitting. We're not hitting the board or anything. It's just from the impact of hitting the water and slowing down. Its like in hockey, guys get knocked out, not because of someone hitting them, actually, it's the deceleration of their body. That's what it's from. I've worn them before but it makes it a little worse cuz its just more surface area to slow down your head. We always wear flotation when we're trying doubles and stuff.

WW: What new moves do you think we'll be seeing from other riders this year?
BJ: New corkscrew type tricks

WW: How does your training regimen change once the tour starts?
BJ: Once tour starts I just get in any riding I can between stops

WW: How about your training in the off-season? What do you do when you're up in Denver?
BJ: When I'm in Denver I do a little snowboarding for fun, but I don't consider that training. I do a little gymnastics, a little stuff off the diving board that helps a bunch. But we have such a short off-season really. I only have a real off-season of about a month this year. And so during that month, really I'm not doing anything most of the time I'm just doing stuff with my family and girlfriend and then I come back down to Florida in January and get back on it.

WW: So do you have a diving and gymnastics background? Did you do that in high school?
BJ: No, not at all. Actually I've gotten pretty good at both. People have asked me if I have a background in that but no, none whatsoever.

WW: So did you just pick that up to help your wakeboarding?
BJ: Yeah, exactly. I've seen other wakeboarders at competitions jumping on a trampoline and they were pretty good at it so I figured it was helping them.

WW: It seems to be working.
BJ: Yeah it helps. More than that, just the confidence. It's the same thing in gymnastics. When you're scared of doing something and you overcome it and make yourself do it. Well, it's the same thing in wakeboarding.

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