Stylish=Short?

So I'm coming to the realization that all of my favorite and most stylish riders are short. I'm beginning to feel like I have no chance of being stylish because I'm 6' tall and I think body shape and build have a lot to do with it. My favorite riders are
Collin Harrington
Jeff House
Ben Greenwood
Tino Santori
Jimmy Wolf
I don't know the heights of any of these guys but I'm fairly certain they're all short (correct me if I'm wrong)

Since I don't know the actual heights of any of the pros I'd like to hear if anyone knows of any tall yet stylish riders out there?

And I understand everyone has a different viewpoint on what's stylish but list anyone you think is stylish and about how tall they are.

mike schwenne is 6ft tall and if that's not style i dn't know what is? he kills it though

I would say most of the pro's are less than 6ft. but not all....

Jeff didn't seem short anytime I've ever been around, I would guess 5'8" or so... never had that reaction of like, oh, wow small... like you get when you see shapiro and whatnot.

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By scott clark (snwmot) on Sunday, February 08, 2009 - 12:15 pm: Edit Post Delete Post
mike schwenne is 6ft tall and if that's not style i dn't know what is?

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i concur.

greg nelson was one of the most stylish riders out there. i think he's a 6 footer, too.

btw, jimmy's about 5'8" to 5'9". as is jeff house. i don't think that's very short.

Awesome I'm kind of pumped to hear that, that gives me hope. I do like schwenne and nelson's riding too that's for sure. I just remember hearing shane bonifay was like 5'6" and I was like man most of my favorite riders are built a lot like him I have no chance to be stylish.

If you're tall you just have to put more focus on lowering your center of gravity and paying attention to what your arms are doing. Same goes for surfing but some of the most stylish surfers are tall as well.

Video yourself, it will help.

Ruck? 6'1 or 6'2.

And yeah, the fact that Schwenne is 6ft tall should end the conversation and give you hope.

^blabelmooch isn't a shorty either...and he's pretty stylie!

Harf in around 6 ft

The God Father is 6 or damn near 6, and he invented 1/2 the style you see today

B-Rad Smeele is at least 6'1" and must be pushing 220. He has really started to have some sweet style, especially on sliders. Check out Canvas for some cool sliding.

Cory Bradley is 6'1 or 6'2 and he gets pretty stezzy. Don't know how tall Ricky G is but in person he looks 6'0 or better.

Sweet I have more than enough hope now for sure I had no idea Byerly or Harf was that tall. One thing all those guys have in common though is that they're all buff I need to hit the weights.

Rusty isn't too small

yea rusty is at least 6' from what i remember.

you ever hear of Chris Williams. 6'2" or 3". throws down with some of the smoothest westcoast style you will see

Thanks Joe, it's obvious you haven't seen me ride in awhile!

Style is always subjective. Did someone just mention Rusty in this thread? Uh oh.

blabel, it's tough to "lose" style though, don't you agree? i mean, i've lost a crapload of tricks, but i still have my grabs, pokes and such.

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Did someone just mention Rusty in this thread? Uh oh.

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Yeah, you're right. I just think about all those times I leave the wake now and think "how long have I been doing this"?

Wakeboarding isn't always like riding a bike!

Nope.... Just not true. Look at Lyman. He's close to 6'. Danny Harf is around 6'.

Jimmy is, however, a midget. Maybe 5'7".

How tall is Randall ?

Ya dude randall is like 6'4... you're fine man

I second the 'lowering your center of gravity' comment. Me and my buddy both have similar bags of tricks, but his riding looks so much better because he sucks up his legs and stays compact which I have a problem doing.

Randall is 6'4? No way, I saw him at Expo once and I'm pretty sure he was shorter than me at 5'9".

i'm pretty sure he was joking.

He just got surgery to take out 6" in his legs to wakeboard better... thats why there is confusion

I am 6'1", and I am short when I hang out with my riding buddies, so this gives me much hope. I am surprised that Rusty didnt come up sooner, he is quite a big boy from what I have seen/hear.

slightly off topic, but who is/was the shortest wakeboarder(speaking of adults, groms not included)?

would Shapiro be the smallest?

how about the largest? Jeff Here or Rusty maybe?

(Message edited by wakerider111 on February 08, 2009)

(Message edited by wakerider111 on February 08, 2009)

Reed Hansen anyone?........

HUGE backside 180, grabed and poked nicely by Rusty in this one (0:25) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QrkXUcqM_4&feature=channel_page

(Message edited by wakerider111 on February 08, 2009)

Evan, 5'7" doesn't make a man a midget, just vertically challenged.

Ryan Seibring was pretty tall, his style was different, a perfect example of a tall dude making it work for him.

6'3" with lanky style (arm span is 6"7")

Made it work but now have the knees of a 90 year old

I'd say the video Jeremy posted pretty much proves style isn't always subjective, some of the sickest stuff you'll ever see on there

Does anyone know how tall Mike Ennen is? He has some awesome style.

i'm still out to prove that tall guys have style and i'm 6'6

See for yourself!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdK7gBaYgFE&eurl=http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=132 79064&feature=player_embedded

My bad wrong link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdK7gBaYgFE

This might be a dumb question, but is he riding a syn at one point in that vid? just curious.

ya he is it's the same shape as the hyperlite tribute which is the board he usually always rides the syn comes in a 137 also schweenne changes it up when it comes to looks sometimes lol

heres a good link for the big name guys on tour. Smallest guy on the list is shane bonifay at 5'4". Tallest guy is Reed Hansen at 6'2".

http://www.prowakeboardtour.com/riders.jsp?sex=M

Actually Gangstar it is. That is some of the cleanest riding I've seen from Rusty but I don't consider his riding, even in that video, to be stylish.

He is one of the best riders of all time and appears to be a great person for the sport but good style is the last thing I think of when I think of his riding.

Jeff Mckee has one of the best styles in wake boarding and he is 6 foot at least.

Blabelmooch - Completely got your back on Rusty. Mr. Rubber knees is def. killing it! Great pro for the sport.

But Styli he is not. Don't know if its his fault or not. Just looks like a middle linebacker, I feel his pain. Kind of built like a backer myself

I am 6'2" and flexible, I like to think I have some style in my riding....

Stale to Front 5

Indy to Blind

Nuke to Blind

Nice Andy, btw when is the house team video coming out? I'm waiting to see that footage of you clipping that road sign lol, the riding too but mostly the road sign lol.


I think there is a difference between being good and being stylish though. Rusty is not only incredibly good but incredibly smooth, same with Ruck, both great clean riders but they don't have that style I'm talking about.

I think style comes not only from how tricks look while your doing them but the way you land and ride away from them. Almost all of my favorite riders have kind of a swagger when the ride away from stuff that really can only be pulled off by a certain stature (Jimmy Wolf=best example). It's kinda like a kid in tight jeans and a small shirt trying to look gangster.

I've realized some of the guys listed can achieve this but their all buff which makes them look wider aka shorter. What I've realized is it's hard to be stylish with a lanky look or long legs. Some can make it work but I think it will always be easier for smaller guys to be stylish.

Being tall definitely helps with some of the harder to reach grabs. I am short 5'6 and it definitely helps with a lot of tricks but some grabs like nuclear glides and any grab where i have to reach over like that take a ton of effort on my part.

It also has to do with what tricks you do. You can be the sickest looking rider but if you do a seatbelt batwing or nuclear tantrum. You will just look dumb. How ever you can have ok style and just to a nice tail grab ts fs 3 and look very stylish. Partly because a lot of people dont do that trick and as long as you dont flail or afterbang with a dead arm you will look awesome.

It takes more to poke when you're taller though. If you want a full leg extension, then you have to work for it.

From what my buddy and I were talking about Saturday night, apparently I have an odd way of poking my grabs (primarily tail, cause it's my favorite to do), where I pick both feet up completely and then stick the leading leg out, so the board wind's up angling up some from being parallel to the water.

EX:


Not exactly the most stylishly done... but yeah. That was riding fast and long behind a deckboat. Clearly, tall people can pull off "stylish" things, it's just that you don't see many tall pros, since tall career athletes generally don't wind up in boardsports.

I'm Pushin 6'5" and throwin it down for all the tall peeps...I think it just comes down to bein coordinated. Tall people that are uncoordinated just look that much more goofy. I feel unique cuz there is not a huge pro that is really tall. Maybe I could be a good marketing TOOL like Randall the Vandall haha.}

andy, in the 2nd pic, are you sure that's an indy?

Oh yeah, I'm 6'6" 240, so yeah.

Andy, you do have great style and are an awesome wakeboarder and I am not trying to step on you by any means, but sometimes you come off as a little cocky. I know you are really good and way better than I will ever be but sometimes it just comes off to me like that.

ouch!

andy's a cool cat. give him a chance.

Umali,

I meant ROAST BEEF YEAH!

Carl C Ladd. Yo mang no hard feelings. I am not cocky! Far from it. Remember you are reading words and not hearing the inflection. I am prolly one of the most humble riders, there's nothing I hate more than cocky wakeboards and god knows there are a million of them. I didnt mean to come off cocky here by posting pics just trying to represent for my tall bro's. Sorry if I rubbed you wrong bro!

You rubbed me right

lolwut

I was gonna say the same thing Andy and what kind of Nuclear is the 3rd pic, everytime I go Nuclear it's on the Nose.

I'm like 6'1" here are a few of me... you guys can judge how it looks... i personally hate the way I ride except my TS spins (the last pic)
* www.bessmarine.com for the first pic. Thanks Bess




Jimmy Trask - he is prob my height drips style

If your small it just looks like you are going higher.. my pal is 5.6 ish, and when we load the boat he bounces of the wake like a peanut.ha ha! plus the fact he looks like he is out at least 100ft on the line.Not meaning to insult all vertically challenged

RileyBangerter.net

Well like a year or two ago I saw a pic of kaesen Doing his NUKEFISH grab and i was like I bet i can do that. Well he can do it better, but that is me trying to do it. To do it like Kaesen I would have to be grabbing more between the I & the E. But you get the general Idea. Its wicked hard, but it sure did make grabbing a straight nuke easier. I like to think of it as an "other hand Method!" I find its easier to take it to blind, I think its because your body get so crossed up that the blind landing is easier than rewinding it back to regular.

Yea Andy no hard feelings at all. I have nothing but respect for you and read every post of yours thoroughly. You and Colin are always throwing down. It was just the way you said " I like to think I have some style in my riding....". Everyone on here knows you have nasty style, it just came off a little different to me. Sorry for taking the comment to serious. Peace

My friend I ride with is probably 6'2" and is one of the smoothest most stylish riders i know.

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everytime I go Nuclear it's on the Nose.

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= seatbelt?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTZOSzsmIus&feature=related

lookin at the mike schwenne clip and then clicked on a related link on you tube and just about freaked on this. maybe not Packed with style (depend on opinion) but WOW!! (0:28)

sorry if that might have been slightly off topic, had to share!

Nick T, maybe its a tall thing but i spin the same way... ive always hated the way my spins look tho.. im 6'2"

heel 5





Toe 5






Couple grabs




(Message edited by czap on February 09, 2009)

sick grabs dude!

Nice necrasson style on the spins!

Yo Jeremy, That west coast camp video is ridiculous. That OHH is the biggest trick I have ever seen on a wakeboard. Insane and he landed it clean.

Scooter that's awesome dude, you definitely got some good style going there.

After watching videos of rhett whatley and jeff mckee there is no doubt that even tall and lanky guys can be incredibly stylish.

I just had no idea how tall a lot of the pros were it just turned out all of my favorite riders were short I guess by coincidence.