Date: 10/13/03
Author: Steven Hahn
Photos: Nick Allmaras
Video: Steven Hahn

Related Items:
Lake Whipporwill Video (Windows Media, 14.4 mb)
Lake Whipporwill Photo/Video Gallery

Andrew Adkison

For those of you that haven't made the pilgrimage to the world's wakeboarding capital, Orlando Florida offers a unique setting and pristine conditions to hone every rider's abilities, regardless of skill level. With a variety of training camps to choose from, top level professional coaches and hundreds of lakes to ride on, it's no secret why riders from all over the globe descend upon this inner peninsula city. Oh, did I mention an average annual water temperature of 72 degrees?

Just a ten-minute drive from the airport, one toll booth and a few exits east on Highway 528 lies Lake Whipporwill, home and training lake to dozens of legendary wakeboarders. Riders like Shaun Murray, Gerry Nunn, Cobe Mikacich, Ricky Gonzales, Andrew Adkison, Keith Lyman and Ryan Wolfe have

Ryan Wolfe

relocated here and called this lake home. Numerous other athletes have used this small body of water to reside, train, create new tricks and shape the sport we all love today. Riders like Charley Patterson, Gregg Necrason, Scott Byerly, Parks Bonifay and Erik Ruck have all trained on this famous lake.

Lake Whipporwill is also home to the Murriott compound. Like it's namesake, the Marriott, it has housed more pro level riders than I can name. Films we all love and watch time and time again have been filmed here. Films like Shaft and Shafted, Our House, Detention, Monkey on a String, The Faction, Boombox, Incomplete and 12 Honkeys just to name a few. I almost forgot my favorite, dozens of Reef ads have been shot here as well, but I have yet to see any Reef girls in person. I'm still keeping an eye out for one!

Gerry Nunn

If you're as addicted to this sport as I am, getting an opportunity to spend an average day on Lake Whipporwill with Ryan Wolfe, Andrew Adkison and Gerry Nunn was just too good to pass up. After spending the past two seasons following the tour and watching some of our top athletes compete weekend after weekend, a chance to shoot some freeriding was just what the doctor ordered. It's one thing to attend a tour stop and watch these guys ride. It's a whole other ball game when they're in their own backyard just enjoying another day on the lake.

This exclusive footage is a video documentary of WakeWorld's day on Lake Whipporwill. Congratulations to all of the athletes that competed at Worlds and enjoy your well-deserved and much-needed off-season!

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