Corey Kraut do not forget...

Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to read this and take a moment of silence, to remember Corey Kraut. If you knew him or met him (on the experience) let me know your experience with such a great person. Corey I miss you man, and i will never forget your laugh, and the last time i saw you with Rodrigo giving me a hard time about going to visit an ex, and giving me a nick name on the level of Cobe's was the epitome of respect as a rider...Fish idolized you and I know you too are watching over all the loved ones down here...Can't wait to see you again my friend

Very nice Mike!

I only met him once but from what I have heard he epitomized the spirit of what wakeboarding is about out here!

R.I.P.

CORDELL ( Corey Kraut )

http://www.wakeworld.com/News/2000/CoryKraut.asp
http://www.wakeworld.com/news/2001/Kraut.asp


Unknown Author:

It's hard to truly understand the impact of silence. The blank water is still fresh in my mind.

It's great to hang out with good friends and other wakeboarders, watching guys from the boat who are going all out and make it look so easy, fun and effortless. Guys pulling off stuff most of us just dream of. Even when you're not on the water, if you're just hanging out on the dock you're having fun listening to stories. Wakeboarders love to have a good time. That's what it's all about. We love the water. Some of us have withdrawals if we don't at least get a short set in. Like most loves, it makes us feel comfortable. We relax when we feel safe and warm. Just thinking about it right now, I bet most of you can feel the warm summer water holding you as you wait with handle in hand. How can something we love so much hurt us?

Most people will never understand the true meaning of quick. The blink of an eye, we've heard it. It's cliche. Flipping a light switch. Not fast enough. Here, then gone. Instant. Forever.

That's it. The lake we love with all our lives will swallow us whole. Instant. Forever. There is no struggling for breath. There is no last hand or foot up on the top of the water. There is nothing. When you hit the water and get the breath knocked out of you, you sink. Fast. One minute you're pulling off a sick spin. The next you are gone. In an instant, forever. Two boats with 11 guys can't get to you. Diving into the water to look for you doesn't help. The water is dark and deep.

I dove off the front of the boat and went as deep as I could, looking up through the murky water, searching for sunlit silhouettes. I saw nothing. Time and time again, I saw nothing. Neither did any of the others who dove in. The view from underneath the surface, while almost out of breath will never leave my mind.

There was not one thing any or all of us could have done. We were helpless. It's not like in the movies. There are no bodies to find. There are no heroes giving CPR to save the day. You can't do CPR if you can't find the person. You just disappear as if the lake grabbed you and put you in its pocket. Here, then gone. Happiness, then chaos, then...silence. Just a board floating alone.

Then reality kicks in. Cops, fire trucks, ambulances, park and wildlife boats all surround you and you are forced to relive the experience again and again and again. Retelling the sequence of events and unfortunately having to show it over and over on videotape so that the search teams can get a location is brutal. I can't get it out of my head. I go to sleep thinking about it. Not one day has gone by that I haven't thought about it. I never will forget it.

You always hear the stories about someone who was on the last run of the day when they went down. It's always the last run and for some the last run ever.

To this day, Corey was the last person to pull me boarding. When I think of what happened, I am deeply saddened. When I think of him, I smile. I remember every time I tried to pull off a trick, even if I didn't make it, I got the horn honk from the boat and some encouraging words from Corey. I remember watching him bob his head to Dr. Dre and Eminem as we went across the lake. At the RV he made sure people were getting sandwiches and drinks and felt welcome (he did think that the bottled water in a can was kinda funny though). I remember how much fun he was having on the tour. Yeah, the carbon monoxide in the RV thing wasn't too cool, but everything else was great. He loved it.

Like Greg said, sometimes we forget. Maybe we are in a hurry or we just feel really safe and comfortable. Just think of how many people have jumped in with their sunglasses on. In the latest video release Corey was in, he was wearing a vest. We have to remember. Our lives depend on it.

Every time I ride, I will be riding with thoughts of Corey. His love of life, his love of the sport, and his overall positive outlook will make me ride the way he did; for fun, pure fun.

I will never forget him.

-= peace =-
Aaron

Anyone have any video of Corey?

R.I. P. Corey. I rember him to this day lauging in the boat and always dancing to anything that would come on the radio. Cory was the one who got me spining more. He told me spin and you can feel soul of wakeboarding to this day I still have the felling he was telling me about. J-rod if you can get your hands on the DU experance he has a clip in it.

First off I would like to say sorry to all of Cory friends and family for there loss.

There is a great quote from the Un Konown author above. and I hope im not taking this quote out of context here it is. "The lake we love with all our lives will swallow us whole. Instant. Forever."

Sometimes I forget how un forgiving the waters that we love can turn on us, and that we must always give it the respect it deserve's. I will always wear a life jacket, Im sorry it took this sad story to drive the point home for me.

RIP Cory.

Nice, everybody!!!
Posts like this are the kind that make me proud to be a part of this community.

Check out Switch 22 for some more good footage.

I never met the guy, but everytime I hear his name I think of that quote that Lazy posted and how the guy dove in as deep as he could and looked up for a silohette. RIP

Kids don't float... put a life jacket on them.

Be safe out there...

Yep... Miss ya Cory!!

My favorite part of switch 22 was that Delta section. At the time I first saw it I was like who is this and why doesn't he get more recognition?

I think that type of riding is getting more respect these days.

RIP,Truely a pioneer to the sport.

We must all learn from this tragedy,wear your vest!

Damn another year........I miss you Corey!!! Had a dream last night with Corey and another buddy of ours that past away, in it. Kinda makes for a •••••• day! Rest in peace Ces' dog! I'll see you again someday!

With only the light of the moon, under a bridge on a catwalk 640 ft in the air with 18 friends from up and down the west coast. Listening to Cordell nervously brags about all the different things he's going to do when he steps off into the shadows with nothing but 300 ft of rubber tied to his ankles--A great enrgy source he is and a night I will never forget.

COREY KRAUT = true inspiration & friend, clean style, and he was never embarassed for just being HIMSELF. We love you, miss you, and all need to live more like you. I'm so stoked to see all the love still floatin around for you man. You are truly missed.

RIP my friend... say hey to my kid for me will ya bro?

I never got to meet Corey but everyday I strive to live more like him everyday.
itch

Cordell... one of a kind what else can you say.

He brightened up any room he entered and any adventure with him was guaranteed to be fun. Even just getting coffee in the morning he would start beat-boxing to the cashier...

He stayed at our house on Donner Lake quite a bit and I was lucky enough to get to know him well as a person and a wakeboarder.

One of the many memorable moments with Cordell... a few of us were down skating on the ramp in the garage, late night and Corey walked down the stairs. I think his exact words were "step aside my friends and let me show you how you do it"

He then proceeded to run up the ramp extension and throw a huge perfectly tucked backflip and stuck it as usual.

It was amazing to see the circle of people Corey had influenced directly present at his funeral.
Cordell defined for me what it means to be a passionate wakeboarder. He was truly in love with living life and that shown through everything he did.
Taking his "monkey style" and amazing personality on tour around the country was a blessing for all that came in contact with him.
I still picture him mid-cork on a five, passing the handle way below his knees with his tongue hanging out the side.
My best wishes always go out to his family and especially his sister who was the female version of Cordell.
RIP...Corey.. I miss you man.

I also knew him a little as being a fellow Delta guy. I only pulled him once, but it was a treat. I recently pulled Josh Storrer down the same slough and similiar dusk set and he was doing many of the things that made Cordell special. He was'nt riding for the cameras or to impress us. He was in the zone riding for himself. I got chills driving, but it is a memory I will always have. I can't even imagine how big he would have been or how many lives he would have touched. I am proud to have known him.

RIP