Gerry Nunn (Pic: Joey Meddock)
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Gerry Nunn is a professional rider that stands out from the crowd in more ways than one. At 30, he's the oldest top 20 rider on the Pro Tour in an environment where a teenager can lead the pack on any given Sunday. He's earned a college degree while many of those around him haven't even been alive long enough to attend that many years of school. He went and got married while most of his wakeboarding brethren still cling to singlehood. Even his hairstyle leaves spectators with little doubt as to who that is on the water with the trail of hair following his every move.
Gerry Nunn (Pic: Lloyd Murray)
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But when it comes to riding a chunk of foam and fiberglass behind a boat, Gerry can go toe to toe with the heaviest hitters on the tour. He's one of only a handful of riders that are nailing double inverts in the tournaments and he's got a smooth and fluid style that makes even the most difficult moves look like a walk in the park.
WakeWorld sat down with Gerry at the second stop of the Pro Tour in Orlando to find out what he's all about.
WW: Where are you from?
GN: From up north in Ohio. I'm from Grantsville, which is close to the middle of the state, so it's pretty seasonal up there.
WW: How long have you been down here in Florida?
GN: I've been here two years.
WW: So did you start your boarding in Ohio?
GN: Yeah, I started wakeboarding up there. Basically just a recreational skier who pulled a wakeboard out and started having fun on that.
Gerry Nunn (Pic: Joey Meddock)
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WW: Did you start riding as a pro while you were still living in Ohio?
GN: Actually, for my two years being amateur I trained up in Ohio, but I started coming down here and spending a couple months at a time at Shaun's house with Darin. That's what helped me go pro. So by the time I went pro and by the time the year was over I was permanently living down here.
WW: So how long have you been riding pro?
GN: This is my third season.
WW: What got you into wakeboarding?
GN: I thought I'd be able to do a flip on a wakeboard and some of my buddies that I rode with were like, "You should be able to do one of those flip things on a wakeboard." And I went, "Yeah!" and tried it. Then I met some people that were doing a bunch of crazy stuff on it and got to hang out with them and learn more. Before I knew it, I was competing.
WW: How did you hook up with Shaun Murray?
GN: I think I first met Shaun up in Cincinnati, Ohio at a wakeboard tournament there. Then by going into some sponsorship with Hyperlite just kind of started doing things together.
WW: So have you haven't always ridden for Jobe?
GN: No, I actually rode with Hyperlite for a while and then, well, Jobe and Hyperlite are both owned by HO and they needed to build the team up on Jobe a little bit, so it was actually a good move. Herb and I talked some things out and it was probably the best move I made in wakeboarding.
WW: If you weren't wakeboarding for a living what would you be doing?
GN: If I wasn't I'd probably be wishing I was (laughs). No, my dad and I have a roofing business up in Ohio and I enjoy doing construction, stuff with my hands. But I also have a teaching degree that I might find some chance to use if I wasn't wakeboarding.
Shaun Murray and Gerry Nunn (Pic: Joey Meddock)
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WW: You live with Shaun and Cobe and Darin isn't too far from you guys. What is that like and how does that affect your training?
GN: Oh yeah! It pushes you, but you're not out there being like, "Oh, I got to do this because I have to." You're more like going out there and doing something because you want to have fun and you're with all the guys. Basically we've just become like brothers. We tease each other. We joke around. We have a good time. We've got a good bond on and stuff like that.
WW: So it kind of works both ways? You hang with your friends and at the same time you're getting pushed.
GN: Right.
WW: What board are you riding?
GN: I have my signature board, the Jobe 138.
WW: And for bindings?
GN: Jobe Tback.
WW: Fins?
GN: Right now I'm going through some changes with fins. I like those Byerly 123's and the Belmont 125's, but I've also been trying some new Rainbow fins. They've been doing some work on trying to find a good fin for sliding.
WW: Do you have any problems with them breaking with all the sliding you're doing?
GN: No. Now we're starting to, instead of one bolt, we're using two bolts on each fin. With my board it takes four fins and the advantage is, I can stick on four smaller fins and the board isn't going to turn to one side or the other when I'm on the ramp. It's going to stay flat.
WW: So are you actually drilling holes in your board to get the bolts in the fins?
GN: Yeah. Usually where the fin goes it has two pegs on the fin to keep it from sliding around and you just drill those holes completely through and then bolt it there.
WW: Liquid Force has always had the two bolts, so now with the sliders, do you think the other companies will start doing that?
GN: Yeah, there is definitely going to be some changes made because now people need a board that is going to be efficient behind the boat and on sliders and stuff.
Gerry Nunn (Pic: Joey Meddock)
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WW: What boat are you behind?
GN: I'm on a Malibu Wakesetter VLX.
WW: What rope length do you ride at and what speed?
GN: Seventy-five feet and anywhere from like 21 to 23 mph. It just depends.
WW: That seems longer than average?
GN: Actually, it seems to be the average or the most common length for riders right now. I know Shaun and I think Cobe ride seventy-five feet. A couple riders out there maybe ride seventy-eight maybe eighty but most riders probably ride seventy-five feet.
WW: You said you hooked up with Jobe through Hyperlite. How did you hook up with Malibu?
GN: Malibu? Well, staying at Shaun's house has been a good thing. So many photographers come over there to shoot Shaun and the photographers have always been thankful to have another person help drive and stuff during Shaun's shoots. So Tom King called me up because he was shooting Malibu at the time and he knew I didn't have any boat contractual agreement. They needed a rider because one of their riders got hurt so I ended up doing that photo shoot with them and another photo shoot with them. Then, after that one, they told me for helping them out that they were going to help me out and now I've got what I think is the best boat in the world.
WW: How do you weight your Malibu?
GN: Fat sacks on both sides of the motor. Then I've got a fat sack in the locker and a fat sack in the ski storage, then five hundred pounds of lead.
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