Lyman is Army Bound

"Keith Lyman is headed into the Army! Congrats and thanks for your service, Keith. Stay safe and God bless!"

Just read this off the wakeworld.com main page. It sucks to see you leave wakeboarding but mad props for serving a higher calling. GOOD LUCK AND GOD SPEED!

That is awesome. Thank you for your time served both on the water and with the forces.

P.S. Hope SS still has plans for a Lyman board

http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=787127

i wonder what he is planning on doing for the army? Knowing him he would probably wanna be in an airborne unit or s.f. which means he will be going to fort benning, ga this summer for basic. Hope he is ready for it and knows just what he is getting into. i personally feel like he belongs behind a boat but obviously this is something he feels like he has to do so gotta respect that. a month into this he is going to be asking himself "WTF have i got myself into?" ..............trust me everybody does. haha

"WTF have i got myself into?" ..............trust me everybody does. haha"

^A month. It only took me fifteen minutes.

haha. yea thats more like it...... wonder why SS sligned him if he was going to the army all this time??

yea i knew when i got off the bus from reception and they threw 150 of our identical bags in a pile and gave us 30 seconds to find our own.... people dumping clothes everywhere. OSUT was the worst 4 months of my life but i wouldnt take it away for anything. Good Luck Keith

I bet you held that bag over you head for an hour waiting on that bus. Yo kieth, whatever you do don't forget to turn your cup upside-down!!!!

Keith ~~ Be safe and go get it! Thanks for stepping up to the plate to make a better place for all of us.

I hope SS brings out a Limited Lyman with ARMY worked in it some how.

It's sad to see Lyman leave the sport. He showed a lot of courage very early on cuz when he was just a rookie everyone, including Parks, said that Lyman was learning really fast and went really big. You have to be courageous to try tricks and go big. Not to mention his wake to rail gap, which was pretty much certifiable insanity. Takes a lot of courage to join the military too. Not a lot of brains tho. Maybe he should have gone back to school to learn to think for himself. (hope you groms are paying attention)

Hope you find Osama, Keith! He's gotta be out there...somewhere. Right?

First Keith Kipp retired from pro riding, now Keith Lyman. It's all you now, Keith Lidberg! It's your time to shine brighter than ever!!!

"Not a lot of brains tho. Maybe he should have gone back to school to learn to think for himself. (hope you groms are paying attention)"

Not trying to open a can of worms or anything, but that has got to be the most ignorant thing I have read on WakeWorld. Not to mention that the majority of the officers went to college and got a degree before they joined the military. For Keith Lyman to pursue something he is passionate about, wakeboarding, then decide to join the military is pretty much the definition of thinking for himself.

Mad props to Keith Lyman. Thanks a lot to him and everyone that is/ has served.

It definitely helps you rise up the ranks if you are intelligent, but I have met some simple dudes who still managed to get thru basic.

It's his dream, but I'm big on education just like I"m big on safety, so that's my 2 cents. Keep tha change.

Kids: stay in school

Good luck Keith, I respect your decision a lot. We'll miss ya on the wake scene.

i knew it wouldnt take long for this post to turn south, and it didnt thanks to a wannabe disciple of Alex Jones cisco and the fun police have started off the hate which was going to be inevitable. unfortunately my post will probably just produce more ignorant and ungreatful resposnses but i have to say

thank you to Keith for stepping up and serving his country out of his own free will.

whether we agree on our foreign policy or not we should all realize that our freedom to wakeboard has been paid for through the blood and sweat of our service men and women. Please do not take this for granted. Keith is a grown man that can make educated decisions. He is not a kid who has been brainwashed by a recruiter. Our men and women who serve in the military often have a much higher education than the rest of our citizens. The standards to join the military are constantly being raised to join the Marines for instance it is almost impossible to get in without a high school diploma. ALL officers in the current armed forces have a college degree often higher.

feel free to say whatever you want about the comments i have just made i do not mind whether they are constructive, positive or just ignorant bashing. im just happy that we have the right to make whatever statements we want.

and for that i am happy that i can personally say Your Welcome.

Ryan Allison= Baller

This thread should be about supporting a rad dude and his decision. Stoked for Keith.

Best wishes Keith, keep us posted and be safe. Proud of you.

I had four scathing paragraphs typed out for GQ, but I decided to be relatively nice instead...

G Q - You think Keith is not thinking for himself? Do you know him? If he had a marketing degree, would it help him defend our country? Keith will be getting an education while pursuing his dream of joining the military. He will, after all, be LEARNING about what he wants to do, will he not?

I know Keith quite well, and because of that, I know that he has been on the verge of joining the Army for the past five years, at least. If that is what he wants to do with his life, and it will make him happy, who the hell are you to speak up against that? If he was an amazing carpenter, and he didn't need a four year degree to live a nice, humble, and happy existence selling his furniture, would you look down on him for not having a proper "education"? Maybe YOU need to learn to think for yourself. Not everyone needs to attend a University to be a contributing citizen to society.

Keith, if you happen to read this, I want you to know that I am EXTREMELY proud of you.

I have never met Keith, nor probably ever will, but I guess the one thing that I can say is, "thank you." It takes a lot more courage and stones than many of us here to join up, especially after having a successful career doing something all of us would love to be able to do for a living. This reminds me of Pat Tillman leaving the NFL. I wish for your success and health Keith. FWIW my brother is graduating from school and is commissioning as a second lieutenant in three weeks, he will be going to flight school and is going to be flying MEDEVAC. So to him, Keith and all of the other service member current and former, "thank you" again.

I met Keith once at Worlds in Orlando and he was nice enough to stop and take a pic w me. Its actually my profile pic on here... but he seemed like a super down to earth nice guy. I am sure he is probably thinking for himself and has put alot of thought into his decision if he had been contemplating joining over 5 years. If you look at his situation being a badass rider and heavily sponsored he was definitely not forced to enlist. I am also willing to bet there will be some 18 y/o kid in his bootcamp who will be pretty surprised when he finds out he will be training with the wakeboarder he has been looking to ride like! I have buds that joined the military that have created some very nice careers for themselves and I always found that they got a lot of respect for doing what they do. When it comes down to it you cant be a pro level rider forever.

I have met Keith before. Got to ride with him at a demo in 2008. Great guy.

"Takes a lot of courage to join the military too. Not a lot of brains tho."

Cisco, I am not going to bash you for that comment. Hopefully, I can enlighten you. When I was in the Navy (which I joined to pay for my college after I finished my four years), we had enlisted personnel that worked in nuclear propulsion. Over two years of training, and trust me, the requirements to get in that program exceed what it takes to get into almost any college or university. Enlisted personnel become experts in ordnance, guidance systems, and various other things. In many cases these guys have MORE knowledge than someone that spends four years at a university to do a similar specialty. I think your "not a lot of brains" is an unfair assessment.

Originally Posted by Cisco

. Takes a lot of courage to join the military too. Not a lot of brains tho.

Not exactly the most educated of statements, kind of ironic. While everyone is entitled to their opinion, not all opinions are equal. The military is a microcosm of society, and just like society there are great minds and not so great minds within. Some programs, like stated above about the nuclear program, compete with many of the best college educations through out the world, while some other jobs are mindless grunt work, like being a cook. In fact many college educated individuals aren't worth the paper their degree is written on, while many who never stepped into the "hallowed" halls of a university are some of the greatest minds out there. If Lyman is motivated to serve good for him. I'm not going spout off about all the serving his country stuff, he's doing what he either thinks is right or is passionate about. It's easy to judge from behind a computer screen, but typically those who do don't have the balls to get out and do what they believe in or are passionate about.

Hats off to Keith for making this decision. That is a selfless decision to protect our American freedoms. It says a lot about Keith in that he'd choose a path holding a carbine instead of a wake handle. God bless our servicemen and women and all they do to keep us safe and allow us to live the lives we do daily. Chase your dream Keith, all of Wake's behind you as are the American people! God bless our troops.


On a separate note...
Cisco, I'm brutally offended that you would insinuate that those in the Military aren't educated or lack a particular level of education. Have you ever heard of The Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland? AF Academy in Colorado Springs? The Citadel? These are school steeped in prestige where students not only get an elite education, but go beyond what students like myself do in civilian schools and participate in military based education as well. Before you decide to voice your self claimed educated and somehow always IGNORANT/FOOLISH comments, think a little bit. Some of the smartest, most intelligent people I know serve our country. They also happen to be some of the most selfless. You should spend the day thinking about how our Military personnel, like Mr. Lyman will soon be, allow you to waste our time with your posts on this forum.

I say good for him. While I would never join or go in if drafted I commend those that do. I think any neg. Comments are bc people like watching him shred and were happy he's been getting his due lately:axis, slingshot. What is it 2 or 3 year contract? Serving the country is also done by paying erroneous taxes.

I am so sorry that I upset so many people with my comments.

No offense to Keith or any of the people who have served. I owe you my "freedom" (can we still call it that?).

Anything I say will only make it worse, so I'll stay off this thread. Will I stay off this forum? haha. In your dreamz!

Obviously I'm not good at making friends and I should have known better than to get political on a wakeboard forum.

Sorry again. I'm such a total jerkface.

My best to you Keith, thank you !!

G Q. 150 posts deep and you think can run around and just pipe off.

This video isn't exactly on point with GQ and his bull****, but I feel it sends the right message.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG4fe9GlWS8

Best wishes and thanks to Keith and all of the men and women who serve our Country. We owe them and those who have served and sacrificed in the past a huge debt for the security and freedom we all enjoy (and sometimes abuse - see above). Keith has always been one of my favorite riders - I watch his segment in Bent Felix (which also features "Wasn't Born to Follow" by Social Distortion, another inspiration) anytime I want to get jacked up before riding.

Keith: Your riding and your dedication to your beliefs and our Country are an inspiration to us all. Thank you.

A ton of thanks to Keith and everyone else out there serving our country!!!

Cisco Thank you for this response. i was surprised that you took the classy way out and i commend you for it. Obviously you have a much different opinion of what being in the military means and surely have much more that you would like to say about that topic. im glad that you realize that this is not the forum for that discussion/argument.

Thank you, Ryan. I truly regret what I wrote. That was really insensitive of me and if any of you read this thread, then you will see that my comments are in many ways completely wrong. I hope everyone can learn from my mistakes. I will definitely think twice before I go shooting off at the mouth again.

My life is definitely better because of Keith because I have enjoyed watching his riding and he is inspiring.

(I know I said I'd stay off this thread, but I totally ruined it. i will start a fresh new thread so we can all start again and keep it positive)

Good luck Keith

If in Doubt Cisco can ruin a fourm.... ***** Dude.... How can you call Lyman Stupid.... the education system is more twisted then everyone thinks

I want to think that Slingshot (and Axis) were pretty kool on the fact of Lyman wanting to potentially join the army and were willing to support it. might have been a major decision factor in sponsorship. Now this is just a total guess/speculation,... but i guess i have a short little tid-bit remembered from the Company Thread about Lyman here

" Rob Jacques (Robby_Jacques) Join Date: Feb 2011 03-28-2011, 8:43 PM Reply Quick Reply
I think he switched because they said that, like him, they TOO like the armed forces! "

ANYWAYS... back to the Congratulatory words. I too will throw my right hand in for a handshake of good luck, thanks, and all the rest of the good stuff

Lets see ya make a strong return when you get back with a killer video section like with Randall

OMG daveronix199. I never called anyone stupid. Implied...maybe, but that's not what I meant. It's not stupid to join the military. Stupid is starting a thread saying that an Australian landed a HS 10 w2w with no evidence to back it up. Whoops. Sorry, I forgot that was you .

would be realy nice if alliance published the video from this shoot on its website.

http://twitpic.com/4jljqn

i was looking forward to see how big keith was going on slingshot boards.
anyways, i wish all the best to him on this new path he has chosen and that he finds what he is looking for.
thanks for the inspiration keith.

Cisco, according to your profile, you're 32 years old. Why don't you quit acting like a 14 year old and grow up a bit?

Props to Lyman for joining the military though. Anybody happen to know what specialty he's looking to get into?

How old is Keith? Did he have any injuries from wakeboarding? They wouldn't let me join because I had Meniscus surgery and Keith being a Pro Wakeboarder I would think hes blown at least one ACL, just wondering

...Not a lot of brains tho. Maybe he should have gone back to school to learn to think for himself. (hope you groms are paying attention)

Hope you find Osama, Keith! He's gotta be out there...somewhere. Right?

If that's not saying he's stupid then I don't know what is......

Sometimes ya just gotta STFU. Nah mean?

Does anyone know when he is going? I'd really like to see someone catch one of his last sets on video. You gotta think that they'll be ones to remember. Stylish and emotional.

with the amount of military at the airports this week all going to training area locations, I'd guess he's already on the way. I've heard a lot of acquaintances have been deployed just recently as well. Thank you to all those who serve!

Keith was headed for Ft Benning.
I have known him for more than 10 years. And because I was a Vietnam Vet (not voluntary), Keith was always asking me about "military stuff." I have never seen anyone as focused as he was on a goal. He knew exactly what he wanted, and I know he'll get there. He was a great wakeboarder and I know he'll be an equally good soldier.

If Keith ever has to come to Ft. Hood, I have the only Axis A22 in the area (for now) and will pull him for free. Be safe Keith and thank you for you commitment.

thanks for serving keith.