Looking for a clear runway.

WW: Why is Tara Hamilton so tough to beat?
MM: Competing on the tour is not about beating anyone. It is about how well you ride that day and whether or not it was good enough to take that day.

WW: Who else gives you a tough time on the tour?
MM: Every girl on tour has talent or they would not be there. But the girl who most mirrors my riding style is Emily Copeland.

WW: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Still riding?
MM: I certainly hope so.

WW: How would you like to be perceived when it's all said and done?
MM: I'm too young to worry about things like that.

WW: What advice do you have for young girls that want to be in your position someday?
MM: Golf.

WW: Why do you think female participation in wakeboarding is so low?
MM: Just because right now, at the age most of us are at, a lot of girls aren't thinking about getting into sports like that. They're hanging out with their friends.

WW: Are you talking about the age at which you need to be to compete professionally?
MM: Yea, right now most of the people that are getting into it are between the ages of 15 and 19. Regular 15 to 19-year-olds aren't thinking about sports.

WW: What prompted you to think about a professional career in wakeboarding?
MM: I started getting good. Then I did Nationals and Worlds. I took third at Worlds and I started thinking, "Ok, I want to do this." So we moved to Florida so I could train for the winter and I got a whole lot better.

WW: So it's all happened pretty fast?

MM: Yes, it has. We took a big chance moving down here but it's paying off.

WW: So the whole family moved down there?
MM: Yup.

WW: Do you think that the percentage of female wakeboarding participants will change?
MM: I hope so. It's great when it's not easy for you to go out and there and win every tournament like it is for Tara right now. It makes it more fun. It makes every win mean more.

WW: What do you think would get more women involved in the sport?
MM: Getting more coverage.

WW: What did you think about the coverage of the women's X Games, or lack thereof?
MM: I was a little disappointed that they didn't show any of it. They showed a three second clip at the end of the show of the podium shot. Honestly, if they had put together something it wouldn't have looked very good. It wouldn't have put together a very good display of us.

WW: Do you think that's why they left the women out?
MM: Yea, I think it was. ESPN kind of gripes about how we don't put together anything that's worth showing, but then they stick us in the middle of the San Francisco Bay.

WW: That's a good point. Those were pretty nasty conditions?
MM: Yea.

WW: Who are your sponsors?
MM: Neptune, Nautique, Angel sunglasses, Extreme Wheels skateboards, Straight Line ropes and handles, G-Bolts and Performance Ski and Surf.

WW: Whom else would you like to thank?
MM: My parents for being there.

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