Since the "Who's rockin 50 thread" kind of opened the door for some threads by riders who are way more average than most of the regulars on Wakeworld, I thought I would share something that happened on my boat this past week. (Sorry, no photos, dead camera battery) I went to a couple of camps this year and one camper landed something like 15 new tricks in five days of riding. I'm lucky to get two in a whole season. We don't get out to ride that much and we find ourselves reluctant to work on new things because we just want to have fun and not crash a lot, so just end up tweaking the things we can already land. This season I've finally gotten comfortable going W2W. So basic, I know, but a big leap in skill for me. I learned what I had been doing wrong for the past 3 years at The Boarding School (Murray's camp), and kept working on it for the rest of the summer. My crew, consisting mostly of my teenage sons and their friends, ride much better than I do but have nobody to push them and they just seem stuck doing the same tricks. Long story short (too late) an interesting thing happened last week. I was out at Sonoma with my oldest and one of his friends on a weekday afternoon. The water was perfect, nobody on the lake, 95 degrees and just a light breeze. Best day on the water for me this season by far, maybe ever. Feeling my jumps, noticing things about my balance and position and cut that I'd never experienced before. I got excited and started working on getting W2W toeside. Usually I bail out on the cut, bailout in the air, let go with my back hand or just auger in. But that day it just clicked and I got W2W toeside. After about the third time I was in the air and had the thought that I could do a TS FS W2W 180 and I did it. It just blew my mind. The only thoughts I ever have in the air are unprintable. So, naturally when I got home that night I told the rest of the family about this incredible day and they looked at me like, "what are you so jacked up about, we're hungry." Two days later I'm out on the lake with almost the whole family, wife, 3 kids, a couple of their girlfriends and our tagalong boat son. I'm anxious to show them my new tricks, especially because nobody on my boat goes W2W toeside. Of course, nothing has been said (we're kind of a competitive group) but I can't seem to get on the water. Everybody wants to ride first, and they are all killing it. Finally just before I can get my board down my 14 year old jumps up and grabs his board. He goes out there and throws down a nice looking method, never done before, and then HS W2W FS 180 at 75 feet about 7 feet in the air. Never done any W2W 180s either. He comes in and just gives me the Lance Armstrong over the shoulder look. I've been thinking about it a lot. What gets you pumped to try new things on the water? How do you stay inspired? How do you inspire others?

Competition. nuff said...

I'd say it's riding people that inspire you and do things that you'd like to try. I've got a couple friends that do stuff that I think look awesome and I start incorporating their style of riding into my own. It's fun after you've ridden with your buddies awhile and you can see your riding come through in the way they do things. It's all about fun and pushing those around you to improve.

I push myself. I am driven to learn and progress.

I get bored with what I can currently do. <BR> <BR>I can only throw the same set of tricks for only so long until it just becomes boring... thats usually the motivation

I am stuck in Hickville, US and have never ridden with anyone who knows anything about boarding. I have a few buddies who can crash really well. I drive myself through progression because it's the only way to stave the depression I feel when not on my board!

I have to push myself because I mostly ride with my family, and I feel the need for progression when my family can identify the tricks I do, or when they stop going crazy in the boat. My goal is really just to put on a show for my family, and when my hammers cease to impress, its time to step it up. And some nights you just get in the zone and throw down.

that feeling you get when you land that trick youve been trying so hard on.

friends that call me names not appropriate to post on wakeworld.

Landing something you've been dreaming of landing for a long time. This season, it was the raley for me. So psyched - still pumps me up when I throw one. Other than that, just myself. I know I have the physical ability, form, and fundamentals to do a ton more stuff than I can actually do on the water, so I just keep looking for ways to push myself to try and get my actual trick list up to what I should be able to do. <BR>Should I be able to do a half cab roll? Yes. I know it is very possible for me to do it, I have the half cab, it's big, and most times grabbed, but I can't figure out the roll, so I keep pushing myself until I can get it. which I haven't yet.

Spectators are definitely inspirational.

The guys I ride with....we always pushing each other...its great to have other ppl to push you...or your dad say im not gonna let you in the boat till you land the trick...

Beer

Most things- be it skateboarding, bmx, snowboarding... I've always progressed fast, and then it just stops, never to be anything more than mediocre. I don't want that to happen with wakeboarding, so when I ride, I go out and try to throw down, whether or not the falls hurt tells me how much I'm feeling it that day <grin>. <BR> <BR>Lately my trick bag hasn't gotten that much bigger, but I'm so much more consistent.

I just think that is so awesome that you and your family can share something you guys all like. Great job on the progress. I have been losing tricks every year.

Showing off for chicks

Money

i want to get better so i try new tricks. plus its realllly fun

im with sam ,, its all the name calling and abuse from friends,

your mom

My Crew, me and that homie BG from CIE Crew. There's hope for us big guys yet... <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/proud.gif" border=0>

Thirst to be the best, the feeling you get, knowing I eventually will build off of it to land another trick.

The boat bun thread....

usually i need to be pushed a little, but the main thing is how well i'm riding that day, like if my edges and pop are all doing well, i'm landing my tricks good. <BR> <BR>The best thing for trying a new trick from me though is landing a different version or steezier version of a trick you've got down. Like a few weeks ago i grabbed my HS FS 1 stalefish instead of my normal melan and booted it, and that got me stoked to try switch hs fs 1's wake to wake, landed that honey 2'nd try <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/proud.gif" border=0>

A friend of mine told me as a joke he'd sponsor me if I could throw a tantrum to blind that day, it was his first time out. I failed... Still trying to land a tantrum for a start. <BR> <BR>Why do I learn new tricks? To show off mostly, I'm still young got a lot of years of riding and showing off ahead of me.

I like the challenge of learning a new trick and landing it for the 1st time... And then hoping to get it down consistent is the next step. I agree with the others, if you can find a riding partner or more that are better than you, then you can learn from them and try to add some of their style to your riding. For me, I finally got my Tantrum down this summer (the trip flip edge was giving me a hard time, throwing it to early mostly), but it was at the expense of my back roll. Now I am not edging long enough on that... I also started working hard on my HS FS 3 and I was so close.... just barely missing the handle on the pass... and on one attempt this past weekend I took an awkward fall not even really that hard, but I cracked a rib... So I was done for the day and possibly the year since we usually end about Laborday.... But, I know I can make it and I will be working on it next year for sure... And I know what you mean too about doing the same tricks that you know that you can do... But after a while it gets a little old... I like to just go out with 1 or 2 other people and pick a trick to work on and just get up and try that trick and if you fall do the same thing over and over until you are progressing, or pick another one to work on...

By Chance (calexan) on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 - 9:22 pm: <BR> <BR>The boat bun thread.... <BR> <BR> <BR>BAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Silicon courage...liquid courage...competitive spirit or my favorite...style inspiration. <BR> <BR>About two years ago I was riding with an old school rider who threw a HS method to FS 180. It was legit and super controlled (a seemingly forgotten attribute to style riding). That was the first time I had ever seen that trick and it looked SOOOO cool and unique...I started trying them the second I could.

You know after think about this some more, What amps me up to learn new tricks is the amazing feeling you get from riding away that first time after you been slammed 100s of times on something the suddenly your standing on your board riding away. That feeling is magical. <BR> <BR>This summer I have been chasing down HS FS wrapped Nose 7s off the dub. I landed one in July and two more yesterday. The feeling it give you to stick something is what makes all the slams worth it.

Andy - How are you grabbing nose if you're wrapped up FS?

After the first rotation and handle pass changing the rope from my left hand to my right I grab the nose, then pass and land. I started trying them with a tail grab and everybody was saying how they looked like Chirs Oshea's and I wanted to change it up a bit. They are pretty hucked right now and the grab is pretty slapped but I will clean them up and get it consistent. Then winter will hit and I will get relearn them all over again next year!

I dont try new tricks.....I koowed get hurwt <IMG SRC="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/sad.gif" ALT=":-(" BORDER=0>

When I'm riding with friends who are also into riding we push each other. Everyone I ride with is all very beginner skill, so it's a competition to be the first to do something new. <BR> <BR>Last weekend I went with a friend from work who drove the boat but has never rode (he'll try next time) and another friend I had to beg for half an hour to come be a spotter. I found I didn't have much motivation to push myself hard. I didn't really learn anything from my riding either. I had fun, but without my friends who ride pushing me, competing, telling me what it looks like from the boat (right/wrong good/bad), I just didn't really progress.

Andy - Sweet, that's what I thought. I just figured that would stall out the spin.

I would say the addition of a wetsounds ws420 helps a lot. Nothing makes you want to stick tricks like your driver calling you out and laughing at high volume after falling.. all in good fun, but it works.

Eubanks the wrap helps keep you spinning.

Good stuff! I've thought about the Wetsounds 420, but I'm afraid the trash talk that is now thankfully confined to the cockpit would be broadcast all over the lake. Pity the poor tubers if we had one of those things on the boat.

Chicks on a boat, or seeing one of my buddies stomp a sick run where I feel I need to 1 up them. But mainly just chicks on a boat.

rolling to the dock to pick up a new kid from out of state and telling him he's up first in front of people he's never met then watching him kill it and get stoked and then go out and throw down to one up it then he gets stoked and then its a continuous process so that... and hot half naked girls but i thought that was just a given

Friends and the competitive spirit.

hearing my wife and two year old "wahoho" when I nail something is all i need.

when i think of a trick i cant do i usually get inspired to want to learn it

Riding with anyone better than me pushes me.

Competitive spirit and the accolades from the boat. But we are a supportive clan that likes to nudge each other.

definately not reading all the "im out for the season" threads. <BR> <BR>One side of me wants to be sensible, one side of me wants to be "the man". <BR> <BR>When you get older and have a mortgage to pay etc etc the sensible side seems to push through lol

What makes me want to learn new tricks is when you have that set filled with nothing but hammers and you stomp them all first try... That Makes me sooo pumped i just want to learn more so i do!