Date: 10/15/02
Author: David Williams

David Williams

I was going through some old boxes the other day and stumbled upon some very old wakeboarding pictures. I pulled out the one you see to the right and, after picking myself up and dusting myself off from a brief roll on my garage floor, I started wondering when this picture was taken. The detective in me went to work.

It looks like it was taken at Lake Webb (Buena Vista) out by Bakersfield in Southern California. I haven't been to that lake since I moved to San Diego, which was eight years ago. That puts us back prior to 1995. Based on the board, which I know was pretty close to state of the art at the time, I think we go back even earlier. That was back when Hyperlite was just the name of a line of boards made by HO. A call to Hyperlite's head man, Paul O'Brien, puts the model year somewhere close to 1993.

Brett Davis

My buddy, Brett, proud owner of the single-finned directional, appears in the picture to the left, which I pulled from the same pile of Kodak paper. He was cutting edge back in the day with his neoprene vest, although I can't quite explain the pink color. All I know is that we had just pulled out of the eighties and, as you know, colors were not one of its strong points.

Anyway, based on all the evidence and without going so far as to research the model years of the vehicles in the background of my shot, I'm thinking these pictures were taken in 1994.

When I first found the picture I couldn't stop laughing at myself. Between the wild-eyed, huck-it style (note the excessive amount of slack in the rope), extra short shorts, hints of a recently-trimmed mullet and Day-glo appointments, I'd say I've got "River Yahoo" written all over me. Go ahead, don't be afraid. Click on the image for an even better look at it.

Thankfully quite a few of the things you see in that snapshot are no longer a part of my routine. The gloves are gone, although I think I still have that very pair in some long lost compartment of my boat. My board shorts are much longer now, which definitely works better for a lanky guy with flailing legs like me.

I'm not sure what happened to that vest. I believe I wore it until it disintegrated. I thought it was pretty cool because the Day-glo green and purple actually matched my drysuit. The fact that I still use that drysuit to this day, much to the embarrassment of my winter-rider guests, should be a tribute to the longevity of Bare's products rather than a sad comment on my fashion sense.

The last time I was at Brett's house, that board was hanging from the garage wall in a shrine-like fashion. He knows he'll never use it again, but still can't seem to part with it. I fully understand because my first board, a Liquid Force Free 145, hangs in a similar manner in my garage.

One thing that hasn't changed is that out-of-control, flailing, are-you-sure-there-are-only-four-limbs-on-that-guy, free-of-the-constraints-of-coordination style that I'm thinking about patenting. Those that ride with me will recognize it in an instant. An integral part of this style is the ear-to-ear on my mug. One thing I can say for sure about that moment in time is that I was definitely having a good time.

Over the years, I've always done my best to improve my riding. However, based on my progress over the last decade or so, I guess that improvement isn't a condition for my continued enjoyment of the sport. Progress does not necessarily equal fun for me. I guess that's what I love about wakeboarding; no matter what the situation or conditions, I'm still able to enjoy myself. It's a little bit sad to think that I've been wakeboarding for over ten years now and I still suck, but as long as that smile is on my dial, I guess it doesn't matter much.

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