I just got an email from SLINGSHOT WAKEBOARDS, and the word is that Jeff House just signed with them..... <BR> <BR>I wonder why C-Dub would let him slip away? <BR> <BR>Stevenson, WA, USA - October 12, 2007 <BR> <BR>Slingshot is proud to announce the signing of Jeff House to the pro wakeboard team. With an exciting 2008 ahead, Jeff's addition only adds to the momentum Slingshot has generated this past season. Hailing from Tennessee, Jeff has always been known for his fluid and smooth riding style. His freeride approach to the sport, in addition to his unique style, makes for a perfect fit with Slingshot and the rest of the team. <BR> <BR>Team rider Jeff McKee is excited about having House join him on the team. “I’m stoked to have Jeff House on board…I’ve been a fan of his riding for some time now. He’s a true free-rider with sick style; A perfect fit for our team.”

Everyone eventually leaves CWB...it is pretty much the only way to get into videos and get your name out there with a FEW exceptions

Apparently Slingshot is attracting a lot of riders, probably cuz they are more like a small company, not so corporate yet...I know they stole Aubrey away from LF...I am definitely going to have to see what all the hype is about with these boards

Have you heard of MONEY? A start up company like Slingshot knows that in order to get recognition they have to pay dearly. So a young pro would be smart to take the money and the extra exposure as long as it last. Go Jeff

i will confirm he left...it says on his myspace...

why oh why would he leave a company with such strong customer service and warranty?<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/rofl.gif" border=0>

who knows'

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

F.R.T. --> Future Response Technology! devotion to free riding and money probably plays a factor too

prolly cus he hopped on a friends slingshot and sees that its the future

Oh dear lord... He's damned now!<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/rofl.gif" border=0> <BR> <BR>First rule of CWB... You don't leave CWB.<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/crazy.gif" border=0>

second rule of Slingshot... <BR> <BR>don't be a choad!<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/happy.gif" border=0>

both companies have great products. Jeff is a great rider;however, he is in the shadow of the cwb teem imo. this will allow him to gain exposure and perhaps have a chance at his own board eventually. hes prolloy 9th in line at cwb so this was a good choice. look at Rob Jaques going over to Byerly. Half of the people didnt even know he rode for cwb. it was a great decision for him to leave. good luck Jeff.

ya it seems with small exception most big pros stay away from or leave cwb. seems like only in cali does cwb have a huge following. i dont know why they cant have more top tier riders.

Because top tier riders cost top tier money. Instead CWB supports a more grassroots movement ie. the Faction Team. Regular rippers that hold down their area and get the people around them stoked on the sport and the company. If you knew the industry you would realize that pro boards count very little for the total boards sold. It's all about packages and boards for the average schmo that just bought a reinell and the kids want to wakeboard cuz its cooler than skiing. These people are influenced by the people they see around them. Go to a boat show and watch a dozen package boards sold to every 1 pro deck. <BR> <BR>I doubt Jeff left for money reasons, unless indirectly. It's hard for a company that in its second year is still ramping up preparing its push. Slingshot probably sells 1/50th the boards CWB does. He left for exposure and more $ that comes from his other sponsors. I don't think pros stay away from or leave CWB. I think CWB has the people they want and don't want to get into pressing 8 pro boards when they are barely going to sell. And name one top pro that left CWB. Robby Jacques? Jeff House? Not that long a list. Trevor &amp; Andrew left Hyperlite to be on CWB so what does that say? <BR> <BR>Congrats to Jeff though, Slingshot is definitely on the move. I hope he can get the exposure he wants.

^^^Some guy named Parks Bonifay <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/wink.gif" border=0>

I actually just though about it for a while and you are right Big Heavy...I think it is more along the lines of their junior guys falling off the map. Right now they have Rhett Whatley moving up to pro but besides him, I don't think they have any other juniors that "made it". Scott Hopkins had a ton of talent, Joel Cahill a ton of talent, Joey Arcisz...

Well said, stephan.

um parks bonifay.....

hey cwb is cool im not saying thier bad i just wonder sometimes. <BR> as far a local grass roots i mean thats oool and all but wouldnt wakeboarding in general be considered grass roots. its not well known outside of the boating community.isnt business about making money??? why narrow down your focus, so small? they have faction, and its not that big of a team. look at hl they have the legion team theres way more riders at local comps that ride for hl not cwb. <BR>also not sure were your getting ur numbers from but cwb's best selling board is the absolute according to thier site ,and the premier for hl is one of the best selling boards ever. now i dont know exacts but i would say pro boards have a higher share then you think. cwb out sells cwb and may always do so, cwb makes great boards, just wonder about the business model. <BR> <BR>(Message edited by deltaridah on October 14, 2007)

Kyle(lfxstar), funny you should mention Rhett Whatley. He just confirmed on atlwake.com that he has also left CWB and signed on with Slingshot: <a href="http://www.atlwake.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?id=470" target="_blank">http://www.atlwake.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?id=470</a>

Good for him, the guy rips. Always good to see a local guy killing it. <BR> <BR>(Message edited by loudontn on October 15, 2007)

BRITT, STFU, I am calling him right now!!!

Ben C, I disagree with you on the money aspect. Not everyone in wakeboarding is focused on making more money. Yes, this sport is driven by having money. But if you look at the current Slingshot team, they are all guys who ride based on style and don't compete well on the pro tour. If Slingshot was about the money, Im sure they would go after some big name pro tour riders. <BR> <BR>I was fortunate enough to hang out and ride with a Slingshot Rep this weekend. He was a mechanical engineer who decided to work for slingshot instead. I don't think it is just about money for those guys.

Ben C is right. <BR> <BR>His son is a team rider. He's going to know more about the facts surrounding this deal than most of you. <BR> <BR>I knew it was coming just as Ben did. More money and he'll stand out more on Slingshot.

There is tons of misinformation in this thread. For instance Slingshot has been around for many many years. The chances are they gross more in kiting sales than CWB does in board/gear sales. After all a kite is more expensive, let alone the board and harness that goes along with kiting. Plus one kite is never enough. <BR> <BR>Kiting is not as big in the US as other countries where the cost of fuel is prohibitive of powered sports I.E. wakeboarding. Being at the top of a world market is much better than being a player in the US market. <BR> <BR>I have no clue what parent company owns Slingshot if there even is one, but that is not an important part of this threads discussion. <BR> <BR>Good to see a company diversified in other board sports charging into the game. Maybe they will bring some new technology along with them.

leo, i don't know who pays your bills, but i'm pretty sure jeff pays his own bills. believe it or not, pro wakeboarders have real lives with bills and all.

Isn't Jeff on the cover of this year's product catalog?

All Im saying is that money isn't the only driving factor. I guess I am one of the few people who doesn't care how much money they make. I was hoping there are still people who ride for companies because of the products they make, not just the money they pay.

How come this thread doesn't say " Jeff House signs with Slingshot" ? <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/biggrin.gif" border=0>

Good Point Billy. Jeff's a great guy with a ton of style and talent. Now he's riding for a different board company and i wish him the best. Who here wouldn't want to make a career out of riding a board?

You gotta get paid. Leo that is a noble idea but I dont think there is that much difference in the industry. There is no one board company that is enough better than the rest. I dont think Jeff would change because of product, CWB also had great products and I think I read somewhere that they were coming out with some kind of flex board similar to the Slingshot. <BR> <BR>Money talks, especially when it comes to choosing between products that are not going to make you get any higher on the podium.

Gosh, what a sellout. He left a giant waterski company that places emphasis on tournament results for a rider-operated company that began a technological revolution in the sport and is focused on having fun on the water. <BR> <BR> <BR>*I'm being a little facetious here. I don't have any problems with CWB or the people that work and ride for them, but to say that the only reason someone would leave that company for another is just ignorant.

These riders need to make all the money while they can. It only takes one fall to end the gravy train. I say good for Jeff. The funny thing is, how much of a big deal everyone is making of this. I was talking to Jeff Friday night and the subject wasnt even brought up. In other words it was not a big deal. Almost all of the pro riders are friends no matter what board or boat they use, its all good to them.

Good for Jeff! My bet is he likes those boards alot. So cwb is coming out with a flex board? Everyone else is doing it

billy's for sure got it...i totally agree...and you'd be stupid not to take the money while you can...

Most of the big name board mfgs have two sides of their teams. They have the guys that compete and they have the guys that are known for freeriding. I would watch out for Jeff to be on the podium soon he is still young and I think that might be what Slingshot is counting on. They might be looking to get their competitive team off the ground. The kid rips and is super cool. Its a small industry and I'm sure it was in Jeffs best intrest to change (why else would he have done it) whether it be the board or $ who cares, most likely HE thought it was a good idea. It's his job just like one of us, if we were offered more $ to go to company B most of us would go. Even if the chair we were sitting in was comfy. <BR>People that ride for fun ride boards that they like, I would say that as a pro you could make anything work which makes me think that they (slingshot) offerd him some more $. Hes not a sell out or anything like that he just did what was best for him (totally my opinion). <BR> <BR>Because if pros rode what they liked everyone would be riding Andy's board the best board ever. Transend BABY!!! HAHAHA what you guys knew it was coming.

Rhett Whatley also signed with Slingshot recently.

more money? is there "alot" of money in this sport to go around? what would the average pro wakeboarder make? I'm guessing not too much.

theyre making a ton of money if you consider all they have to do is travel around and ride.. s@!t, im in debt because i do that

Slingshot is a freeriding company and is not looking to build any sort of competitive team.

Whos Scott Hopkins?

Scott Hopkins, rips he's from the Tampa area. I think he rides in college comps now, he was a great J.R. mens rider a few years back.

JM would know, so I guess I was wrong. Wouldn't be the first time, and not the last. <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/lol.gif" border=0>

Pro riders are not making a ton of money. There are probably ten guys that are making six figures, granted all expensive things like boats, clothes, gas are all paid for so that helps. But what happens when you hit thirty and the gig is up? Take it while you can get it!! Like Brannan Johnson did, rode at the very top for three years and then went to where he can make bank for years to come. Smart guy.

Heavy is on the mark with his post, and Brannan did rip, his tech stuff was money, fun to watch.

"Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be wakeboarders . . . . " <BR> <BR>and <BR> <BR>"Is there anybody out there . . . ." (getting paid) <BR> <BR>apologies to Willie Nelson &amp; Pink Floyd.

Good for Jeff!! <BR> <BR>Even though SS is relatively new to wakeboarding, I wouldnt really look at them as some upstart trying to get the ball rollin' with limited funding, like most wakeboard companies. These are guys who have been in boardsports for a long time, and have been designing boards with greater limitations than wakeboards have. These guys are bringing this knowledge of "building precision" they have gained into a sport that has less constraint on what a board must do. Lots of potential there, and lots for everyone else to learn from!

What does Brannan Johnson do now?

haha good one rich...

The money talk makes me think of Byerly when he switched to Hyperlite from Wake Tech. If my memmory is not incorrect, Byerly was offered more money from other manufacturers, but he chose Hyperlite because they offered him the freedom he desired. Freedom to ride where and whenever and however he wanted, freedom to design his own boards and have the final say on graphics and stuff. Seems that back at wake tech there were a few times where wake tech intruded on this aspect. <BR> <BR>I say he deffinately has been awarded a good deal of freedom, especially with Byerly Boards branch of hyperlite, and i think it is great. I'm just curious if "Byerly boards" was something that was talked about from the beginning as something to work up to OR if that was something that just recently came about <BR> <BR>For Jeff House I am sure that the atmosphere and riding gear are perfect for the style he wants to pursue

Who cares, good for him!

David, Last I heard Brannon Johnson became a pilot because he wanted something for the long run with retirement. I heard he still wakeboards though and rips it up.

Trust me, there are more than a handful of pros making six figures. I think this is good for Jeff. He's getting exposure even in the small web community from the move. Think about the exposure he will continue to get. Sometimes you need to change things up. In the wakeboard industry the media coverage is extremely small. We have three mags and how many pro riders? Things like this are good. Riders change companies all the time. <BR> <BR>It wont be the same at the cwb events anymore Jeff. I'll have Jimmy sit there and complain about something one time for you <IMG SRC="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/happy.gif" ALT=":-)" BORDER=0>

Danny? No Way. Can't Be.