WakeWorld - Thanks to WW and HO Sports my kids can now ride

Huge thanks to everyone on WakeWorld that posted hints and tips on how to get kids up on a wakeboard and to Jesse at HO for all of his help. I took the kids out last weekend (son is 11 and daughter is 6). They were both excited to try. I had scoured WW for hints and summarized them this way:

1) Canon ball position with arms straight but not locked. Don't pull handle toward you
2) Once you feel the boat pulling you and you start to get up, count to 10 before you do anything
3) Once up put some pressure on your back foot very gently and slowly
4) Hang on and have fun.

We did some dry land trials at me pulling them up, and then I put the board on them and had them get in the water up against the swim platform. I simulated pulling them which really helped them to get the feeling of how the boat would pull. That was really helpful.

As for the driving, I went really slow and just watched to see how slow I could go and get them up on a plane. Seems like 5 or 6 MPH got them up easily without launching them over the front. They both got up first time and then face planted after 100 yards. I had told them this would happen so they were prepared for it. Next try they both went for several minutes and really had a blast.

They are both talking about how much fun they had and can't wait to show their friends. I think it was a huge success simply because they want to go again. One other note that I read and now totally agree with, don't push them too hard to do it. My son wasn't that interested the last few times out and I started to push and saw that wasn't working. It finally took his little sister nailing it for him to step up and give it a try.

Thanks again. We couldn't have done it without everything that I learned from WW.