Calibrated Wakesurfing at World Wakesurfing Comp

One of the great things about these competitions is getting the opportunity to meet the board manufacturers and talking to them about their boards and upcoming designs. They even listen to you, and seem to take a lot of feedback. We got to talk to Inland Surfer, Shred Stixx, Surf Tech, and Jeff Walker (surfdad) about the Walker boards he and his sons use. It was a great time. I had 4 kids in the comps from 9-16 and they all did well.

This post is not about any of the above companies/people, but about Calibrated Wakesurfing. Whenever a company treats a customer or a potential customer with such disdain and total disrespect, I believe it should be reported to the community. No offense to you if you ride Calibrated, but here is what happened:

We practiced all day Friday on our own boat, and then headed into the hotel after dinner, beat. Almost everyone in the World Wakesurfing Championship seemed to be staying at the Courtyard Marriot in Merced, and all of the boats I saw on the lake were in the parking lot. We got up in the morning to be at the lake by 7am. I noticed that there were a lot of stickers on different cars that I didn't notice. They were Calibrated Wakesurfing stickers. I thought maybe it was intentional, because they were placed very well, and perfectly centered and such. I didn't think much of it, and drove to the lake. Later in the day, my son says to me, "Dad, are we going to get a Calibrated Wakesurfing board?". I said, "No, Why?". He says, "Well then why did you put the stickers on our boat, I thought you didn't like stickers?". So I take a look, and on both sides of my boat, are the Calibrated Wakesurfing stickers, the clover and the name. Boy that ticked me off. There were a lot of bothered people, apparently they tagged all of the boats and cars they could find that were involved in the World Wakesurfing Championship.

Here is a rule I live by, "Don't mess with another man's ride". And where I grew up, it was a rule of survival. So I waited til later that day, and I was going to talk to the Calibrated Waksurfing people. My kids had started to peel the stickers, but they were permanent stickers and they were still partially on and a bunch of GOO was still in the place. We pulled our boat out of the water to get ready for the kid's awards and I drove my boat and parked it close to the tents.

I found where the Calibrated Wakesurfing people were, but only their stuff was there, and nobody was around. I placed one of my kids there, and told them to get me when they saw somebody. My son came soon and told me someone was there. I went over and there was an older man there, I believe the owner of Calibrated Wakesurfing and I spoke to him. I asked him who was responsible for the stickers placed on my boat without my permission. He blew me off, said he had no idea, and said it was probably one of the kids and he pushed past me and walked away. By "the kids" I believe he meant one of the kids on his team. It was obvious by his reaction he already knew about it, and he didn't want to deal with it. This was his first opportunity to make it right.

I waited around and about 20 minutes later I saw the same older guy, and a group of people. They seemed to be having some kind of a Calibrated Wakesurfing team meeting. There were about 10 or 11 younger guys and girls around, between 20 and 30. I walked up and said, "Who is responsible for tagging my boat with stickers last night?." The biggest guy, looked about late 20s came up and asked what my boat looked like. I said, "Its the navy Tige right behind you in the parking lot, did you put the stickers on it?". He said, "Yes, I am sorry, I won't do it again. You can just take some 'goo be gone' and that stuff will come right off." I said, "My boat is right there, go for it." He didn't want to do anything but said he would take care of it tonight at the hotel. I let him know my boat would be at the hotel right after the comp and all night. This entire conversation was in earshot of the entire Calibrated Wakesurfing team and the owner. This was the second time the owner could have stepped in.

So we go have a nice dinner after them comp. Come back around 10:30 and the stickers are still there. OK, maybe he hasn't got to it yet, out partying.

I wake up in the morning. We are leaving, our kids only competed on Saturday, and everyone else is already at the lake, we slept in. I walk out to my boat. Not only are the stickers and goo still there, but there is a NEW Calibrated Wakesurfing sticker right on top of the goo where one of the stickers was. When I saw that, it pissed me off.

I am sorry for the long post. But I really felt like a tattle tail or something posting this. But when they added the sticker, I really felt that showed some character of the Calibrated Wakesurfing team and the company, and I felt the wakesurfing community should know about it. I am sure they also did NOTHING to make things right with all the other property they tagged.

I am going to send Calibrated Wakesurfing out a $50 bill for my time removing the stickers, and links to this post. I will post back if they pay it or not.

That's wrong. Don't touch another man's ride.

I would love to hear their response on this, hopefully it will be an apology to everyone's vehicles and boats that they defaced.

I will definitely post back, and let you know.

That's unbelievable! I was sick the whole time reading your post, in disbelief that anybody, especially a company, would do that. I know I'd want to kill someone if they touched my boat without permission. Makes me think twice if I ever want to buy a Calibrated ever. Hopefully they handle this and make ammends.

very very uncool of calibrated....

All they had to do was just remove it and apologize. The second sticker was just insult to injury, and made me feel like I need to post to the community.

Unfortunately, Robert's boat/vehicles weren't the only ones that got stickered and he wasn't the only person who said something. We saw many, many vehicles with new stickers on them Friday (the 1st day of competition) that weren't there Thursday night, including RENTAL CARS and OTHER board manufacturers' boats & vehicles. Not only was this hugely unprofessional, it was also just plain immature. If Calibrated treats complete strangers and other industry professionals this way, customers can expect the same level of unprofessionalism & disregard.

I understand going out and having fun sometimes, maybe pulling a prank on some close friends, but not stickering a complete stranger's personal property & blatantly ignoring all requests to fix the issue. That's just lame guys.

Not to mention re-stickering after being confronted, and apologizing.

OK, I feel kinda stupid, confused, and I guess a bit madder.

OK, now I thought the older guy was the owner, and the guy that told me he did it, was a team rider or something. Then I saw this picture.



The caption on this image is that THIS is Mike Armstrong the OWNER of Calibrated. That is the guy that tagged my boat, and I guess the other vehicles also. He is the one that apologized to me, and then didn't do anything. I didn't realize I was speaking to the owner, and that he did it himself.

I found the image here:

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/87668/336661.html?1151617876

should have went to the police and got them for vandalizm... post their phone # and we can all call and tell them what we think.

http://www.calibratedwakesurfing.com

Relax!!! This has been going on in Board Sports longer then you have even been involved!!!! It was'nt paint so simmer down! You should of been on the Snowboarding circuit in the early nineties!!! It was just a sticker!!! RELAX!!!! If you can't handle a little fun then GO SURFING!!! Owe I forgot you can't get up on a real wave!!! There has always been a "BAD BOY" company in all of the board sports I have been involved with and if you can't deal with it MOVE ON!!!!!!!

What board was the World Champion Female on??? Not to mention 1st, 2nd and Third at Nationals...

They were having some fun ,stickers are not that big of a deal . Calibrated T.P d our camp site at Tulloch it's all in good fun but there is payback coming MoB style They are a good crew, What else is there to do in Merced but advertise .I know it was your boat & but it's not that bad, now you have an Official Calibrated Boat,

I don't think you guys are smoothing things over here....

Get over it and go surfing!, Get It!!!!! You got a problem wit me little man?, Yeah you heard me!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Listen they were having Fun, sorry it did'nt groove with your definition!

Move On A Little Sticker should not make you lose sleep!, Get It little Man!!!, hahahahahaha

Best Regards,

Quasi

@quasi

Who are you, Mike's niece? You kinda sound like a little girl.

@mobster

I am all for friendly rivalry. If inland T.Ps calibrated or vice versa, cool. I don't know Mike, he doesn't know me, and lastly, I AM A CUSTOMER, not a friend, or a rival. I came there to surf with my kids (I had 4 entered in the comp) and to research future board purchases, especially for my oldest son. And like I said before, I came to Mike, and gave Mike the opportunity to remove it, and no harm no foul. Maybe he didn't realize I wasn't part of the vendors or whatever, maybe it was a mistake. At that point, I was willing to accept that boys will be boys. At that point, I didn't even realize he was the owner of Calibrated. I just thought he was a team rider that could use some maturity. It wasn't until the next day, when the stickers were NOT removed, and a NEW STICKER was added, that I got pissed, and decided to post about it. When Mike chose not to remove the stickers, and place another, Mike new who I was, and that I was a CUSTOMER, not a vendor, or a rival. Now I know how Calibrated Wakesurfing treats potential customers.

Anybody that does that is is a stupid a$$ plain and simple. You don't touch other peoples stuff outta respect. I witnessed some dumb sob a few years back stickin' stuff on harleys (mine included) at a bike run. It seems i wasn't the only one that saw him and shortly thereafter he wasn't capable of sticking anything anywhere for quite awhile i'm sure. And it all started with just a little sticker, a flyer and havin' some fun.

I think that stickering up boats and cars was a mistake, a laps in judgment. Mike should issue an apology and make amends where practical and possible. For some there may be no recovery no apology acceptable, for others I think an apology would go a long way.

I met Mike and some of his crew at Nationals. He’s a fun guy and he’s really in to the sport. I think that it’s worth noting that Mike and Calibrated Surfing have sponsored riders and they made donations to wakesurfing competitions.

That still doesn't give anyone the right to tag a boat, car, etc... If Mike wanted to tag stuff, make sure he does it with his own boat. As for me and my 5 boys, I will NEVER buy a Calibrated Wake Surfboard. Just pitiful and morally wrong. He should have know better. He is the owner.

I'm not saying it was right but I think things are getting a little out control You have a right to be upset I'm sure they did not to mean your boat or any other boat any harm , You & Mike can work it out. Its not the way to advertise ,It would have been better to hand the stickers out. Mike is a great sponsor of wakesurfing and helps promote the younger riders also .They have a great team & help the sport, I hope you can work it out. Wakesurfing needs a family like yours to enjoy the sport for it to grow keep surfing JL

jl why didnt mob group come up???

ok rag boy its like this....shut up and surf. this did no real damage to your boat nor your car. the sticker tag game has been around longer then you have been riding. if you cant take some harmless fun stay off the water. when someone does some real damage to your boat or truck then you can bitch. get over it. every sport has the ''bad boy'' team and you should be thatnful they even thought of you. in fact all they did was make your boat look better. you should send then $50. no worries man just let it go and lets just ride. no more bitchin.

calibrated mulisha..keep killin it like you do.

@trevor

Adjust your flatbill, I think its cutting off circulation. Its definitely affecting your spelling. Or is that just "how you roll"?

I have been surfing for 22 years off and on. In the real ocean even. Thats the big blue thing past the sand. Never had an issue with other people and stickers. Although I can recall local surfers beating the crap out of people for disrespect, like messing with a board, or someone's RIDE.

(Message edited by ragboy on August 28, 2007)

What I find interesting is that two out of the three people that commented for the first time did so in this thread. hummmmmmm???????

Indeed, interesting.

Mark Twain, in 'Following the Equator', wrote: "Be good and you will be lonesome." I have to wonder how many rebellious teenagers are clicking on http://www.calibratedwakesurfing.com due to all this? I doubt that Mike could have purchased this level of exposure, with that target market, if he wanted to.

In the CCS catalog this month, there is a tshirt with the most appropos lettering: Motivation - I "heart" Haters.

The fix is pretty easy, I would bet the page counter increment is the reason it hasn't been. Unconventional, but selling to teens would be, huh? I wonder how many folks appreciate being part of the marketing strategy at this point?

I agree Jeff. I have heard of them but never visited their website before. The owner is learning a valuable lesson even thou I think you are right that this is providing his company additional customers. I would would be willing to say that Mike will not be doing this again and allowing stickers to be tagged onto vehicles.

I'm not sure that I can agree with that last statement David. I'd be willing to bet that all this furor has boosted traffic to his site 100 fold and that will eventually translate to sales. It's biz, not personal and if the bottom line increases due to this...why would any business owner want it to stop? There are postings on over a half dozen sites, and as a biz owner...I wouldn't put an end to it too quickly. However, as an organizer, I'm concerned that we'll start seeing more of it and I'd rather avoid that. I'm wondering if there aren't more biz owners calculating how it could be benefical to them?

I don't think so. I have 3 of those teens, and 3 coming after. They won't be looking calibrated. Not only that, teens don't have the cash, guys like me do. I will probably buy 4 or 5 boards in a year, plus other accessories. It doesn't matter, he has had the opportunity for a long time to do the right thing, and it doesn't look like he is going to.

Mr. Garcia,

Please allow to publicly apologizing for this whole incident. It was simply just a prank that got a bit out of control. I never meant to make you, or anybody else, feel this disrespected. I am sorry.

This year during the height of the whole surf vs. skim controversy at the Centurion Spring Championships. We kind of started rivalry when we toilet papered the MoB Group, Shred Stixx, and the Wakesurfer Mag crew. It was all in fun and nobody was that pissed off. It was taken light heartedly and laughed off, just as it was intended to be.

Last week at the Worlds was supposed to be pretty much the same thing. Our initial targets were other vendors and manufacturers. We tagged the Shred Stixx van, Surf Tech, Roush, Vicky from kal-kustoms, and totally worked Bogdanoff and Oswald. It probably should have stopped there, this I now know. Getting everybody else was crossing the line, and for that I apologize. However, you must know that there was no mal intent. Nothing was placed anywhere that would damage a vehicle, it was all on glass and gel coat, and everybody knows that a sticker will not harm either.

When I got you the second time, I had the intention of seeing you at the finals that morning (maybe charging me like a pissed of buffalo) and cleaning up your boat. At that point it was just an extra ribbing to see if you would lighten up. I intended to clean your boat when I saw you. Once again, I am sorry.

To make amends I am boxing up and shipping out a 50” Lovett Pro for R.J. today. This is our top of the line freestyle model. It is a single fin pintail outline that has a divinacell core, carbon fiber and texialium glass, ABS rails, and epoxy resin, all the best composites we can get our hands on. This board will help R.J. to progress into the ripper that he is already becoming. If you don’t want it, sell it or do with it what you please. It retails for $420 so you should be able to get some cash out of it if that’s what you choose to do.

I would like to thank you for your understanding, and for your support of the sport. It’s dads like you that make it all possible.

Mike Armstrong
Founder/President
Calibrated Wakesurfing

I have been watching this thread for a while. I understand why the whole sticker thing was done as a prank/advertising, but also understand why some were upset about it, and the re-stickering. Most responses here have been great, with a couple exceptions.

Way to step up Mike. Good to see you take responsibility for what happened, and the apology seems very sincere. When someone steps up like this, it can take a very negative image and turn it around.

Hmmm! Maybe a Calibrated in my future. I only have 4 brands of boards so far!

Mike, I accept your apology, and I honestly never expected more than the $50 invoice for cleaning my boat as a gesture. Or possibly just removing the stickers that night like you said you would. It was the second sticker that set me off, not the first.

We all do stupid things at times, or at least things we can look back and say, "That probably wasn't the best idea." I have been known for many of my own. And if this whole thing actually brings you more business and exposure, then good for you. The only reason it will is because you stepped up and took responsibility, and it sounds like that board is going to be a sweet addition for RJ.

I am sure I will see you again, and I will make sure to locate you at the next comp and look you in the eye and shake your hand, so we can be sure this is behind us, and there will be no hard feelings. I hope you feel the same way.

I am going to tell RJ about the board, and am looking forward to receiving it.

You rock Mike....way to go on the "damage control"

Robert Garcia, I think you set a good example for your kids, and Mike Armstrong, it was big of you to appologize.

I'm not trying to stir things up here. I just thought it would be fun to add some reality check clips to the thread. Kids, don't watch these. Wakesurfers seem much more polite...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bAlApgzpN0&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiTI5x8gph0

That was the best...the fat guy threw the first punch then got schooled. hhahahah

Mike, way to step up and apologize and explain what was going on behind the scenes! Good luck with your business!

Mike My boat was tagged too and im more pissed than robert please send me my board ASAP and ill forget that this ever happened either that or let me punch ryan fair in the face....... lol you decide

You have to know that ^^^ was coming.

See things can work out I'm proud of what I've seen here This sport has all the makings of greatness Great Job Mike on steping up, Robert, I hope this can soothe things over JL

mike, very big of you to come in here to make up for the pranks. nice work.

---

quote:

Nothing was placed anywhere that would damage a vehicle, it was all on glass and gel coat, and everybody knows that a sticker will not harm either.

---

fyi, jessica's RENTAL car was plastered with calibrated stickers and wasn't limited to just the glass.

Your the man Mike. Nice job making amends to a practical joke gone bad. Believe me, most of us have been there in one way or another.

P.S. Got any sticker remover left? J.K.

hahahahahaha this is great. the calibrated crew rocks on and off the water, and anyone who visited room 218 at the marriot knows that now...

Bri your pretty cute a solid 7 in my book maybe a 7.5 considering your smuggling yoyos in your main pic on your website. Hugs and kisses babe stay classy... but seriously you are pretty cute.

Not sure what Kayley is going to do next year with the "Bad Boy" crew since she has to be in bed by 9:00. She might have her older brother take her place in the evening.

Mike, really classy apology and way to make amends!

Bri...you guys do ROCK!!!

You guys were were a blast to meet.

PS: Just checked out your website all I can say about that video is DAYYYYYYYUMMMMM!!!

You go girl!!!

Mike, that was the right thing to do.

Roy, I think Kayley should get some bicker tats, that should help her fit in with the bad boyz.

Ed, maybe next year Kayley should have a pink mohawk instead of corn rows when she rides for the Calibrated team.

team two one eight kills it.

hey mike, my brother ran out of stickers and my buddies want some. next time mike is ridin with you send him home with some more. they all heard about the past weekend and want to rep some stickers in our house and on their cars. take care

If you sticker at SURF EXPO its a 5k fine so they say, so be careful
how you promote. This happen to my truck once and I just left it.
The stickers hold it together.

Now that is funny...

Thats what you call an UPGRADE. Props to all the people who took the time to slap the stickers symetrically. ATTA BOY

Wow! what a post! I LOVE STICKERS!!! If thats all it takes to get a new board, by all means put as many stickers on my boat as you want. 50 bucks to clean off a sticker? Come on! Man I am in the wrong line of work. Great way to advertise Calibrated! Enjoy your new board. Hey Mike I will proudly display your company on my ride if you have any more of those stick's

i'm still rocking the Calibrated Stickers on my boat. they make my wake bigger!!

Did somebody on here call themself a "bad boy"? LOL

Did somebody on here call them self a "bad boy"? LOL