WB Magazine's Top 10??

Got the new mag today, great timing, I am working a OT shift and needed some reading material....

But how is the world can Soven NOT make the top 10 riders after winning the PWT, winning 4 stops, and a few other comps to include Wakestock 10??

The Mag cover says..."The Worlds 10 Best Riders", but inside it seems to indicate that it is a Readers Poll, which would make more sense to me.

Honestly, I am not even a Soven fan, kind of indifferent all in all, but that seems a little screwy to me.

Also, is it obvious I have alot of free time on my hands tonight?

Sean

If we are basing it on style, its because soven looks like a robot when he rides, everything he does is perfectly text book, which is good for contest riding, but when it comes down to what video section is better, if someone puts their own sense of creativity into a trick, their going to win

Yepp...Froggy is TOO good..

Ya, there is no way he isn't in the top 10 best.

Caleb, watch Soven's piece in The Truth...

Not the best video segment ever, but pretty darn awesome...

I reread the magazine a little better, it definitely is a "Readers Poll" ie: Ten Most Popular riders, not Ten Best Riders.


Apparently a Big Difference between the 2.

Sean

i think its cus hes a punk. every time i see him interviewed hes got an attitude about him. just my two cents

apparently you didn't read the thread when he posted on WW several times explaining his punk@$$ behavior in the past.

tyler?? wat u saying?

I'm saying Soven posted on Wakeworld just maybe a couple weeks ago adressing many including my own opinion of him. Which was basically he's a cocky little punk who thinks his shizz doesnt stink. He seems to have changed and apologized for any ill behavior in the past, as well as clarifying other mishaps that really didn't even happen. Can anybody find that thread. Even the title slips my mind right now.

here you go.

Thanks Joe.

Punk or not, he is definitely one of the top ten riders right now.

How can he not be?

The title of the magazine should have been..."Top Ten Most Liked Riders"

At least that would have been an accurate representation of the story inside.

This actually reminds me, just this past week I was watching TV with my daughters, who still watch The Disney Channel, and there was this little "spotlight' story on a very little kid and his even littler brothers......Guess Who?? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Thats right, Phillip Soven and his family. Pretty good story, but it certainly demonstrates how young he really is, and especially how young he was was when he started getting well known.

Sean

I think there is Phillip_________






everyone else.

I don't get how people can say he has a lack of style when he does everything perfectly, goes as big as anyone when he wants to, holds and pokes his grabs solidly and for as long as humanly possible, grabs everything he throws short of whirly dicks and 900's, and his landings are the smoothest in the business. I honestly don't get it. Would he have more style if he started purposely adding flaws to his riding and stopped making things look so incredibly easy? If people were honest with themselves, there's no way he'd be outside the top 3 of wakeboarding's "best".

^^^^ for sure!

seen Philip ride head to head with the "best" ...only leaves no doubt in my mind he is THE best. Scarey thing is the better the rest get makes him only work harder to be the best.
my .02

its wierd that he didnt make it this year. he was in it last year, and he was younger then then now (obviously)so it has nothing to do with age. i guess its just who people like the most, and he's not one of them.

it is all about hype, not who is the best

soven has the biggest bag or tricks out of any rider out there and he can land them all flawlessly.....how many riders in the top 10 are throwing whirlydicks, nuclear whirly 5's and blind petes of the wake...not many....he def deserves top 10...who cares about his attitude

Ya, I don't see how anyone can say he doesn't have style. Jeff nailed it perfectly. And I agree with Sean his section in The Truth was sick.

Just to make sure that I am not crazy, I pulled out my The Truth DVD, and watched Soven's segment again today........

Ummmm, just my opinion, but you guys who say he has no style are crazy....

I think that my favorite segments in The Truth are Tino and then Soven....Both very smooth...

Sean

Ok,

I double checked myself... the very FIRST trick you see Soven pulling in the Truth is wicked and it keeps rocking through the whole section. Go watch for yourself.

The kid's got style. Maybe he used to be a jerk, but the couple of people I've talked to who've interacted with him in person and lately have said he's a stand-up guy. I think it's time to forgive past transgressions--real or imagined--and just enjoy his elite riding.

everyone's got style (or a style of some sort). It's more about what you'd rather watch and what sort of personal touch a rider puts on their tricks to make them a little different and unique. To me, phillip is very tallented and clean, and very text book. Compare him to someone like ben greenwood or someone like randall...YOWZA!

are you joking me, Benny G has one of the best sections i have ever seen, its not all about tech, i would much rather see a big grabed late bs180 rather than a huge fs 900, period.

Watching Soven's section in the Truth, he's got the huge 900 and the huge grabs. Don't get me wrong I love Benny G and his section in the Butter Effect and The Truth are some of my favorites, but I don't see how anyone can say Soven is all tech and like a robot. He has extremely technical tricks, but just because he's smooth, stomps everything clean, and kills it in contest people say he doesn't have style. They either havn't seen him ride away from competition or arn't being honest with themselves like Jeff said. But like eletricsnow said its all what you like watching.

from what I hear Soven only fell once the entire pro tour, that is freaking amazing....some people need to stop hating on here, I guarantee Phillip could throw the biggest BS 180 with all kinds of steeze on it if he really wanted to, maybe he doesn't enjoy doing them though...and isn't riding supposed to be about having fun, if he finds technical riding fun then that is how he should ride

sancho, I didn't say ben has a bad style (I should have been more articulate). In fact, I prefer it over phillip's. He doesn't always grab the same way, some times it will be late, etc. I'm saying they're wayyy different in terms of riding, and riders like ben and randall have made their tricks a bit more personal, or added more of their own touch.

Becareful Kevin, calling Soven a punk will get you a Email from him attacking you, just as I did the last Soven discussion.
Maybe he has changed, I have talked to a couple of people that say he's better, but time will tell I guess.
He has a lot of fences to mend which is obvious in the Mags Top 10 results. There is no question he's a top ten talent but people have to like you to vote for you.

That really sucks for him. I agree with some of you that he is definately a top 3 candidate. He has a huge bag of tricks, grabs most of them nuclear, takes them huge, and does them in contest. That being said, maybe this is a learning experience for Phillip. He will see that people in this sport don't like him because of his attitude, not his talent. You can win every tournament possible, but if the crowd doesn't like you, then who are you? Barry Bonds.

After Phillip wins his next contest, he should throw his hands up in the air and scream, "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!"

"but I don't see how anyone can say Soven is all tech and like a robot. "

Yeah, the slow-mo on that Nuke Whirly 5 in The Truth was a great way to show case his style.

Videos, comps, technical ability...he's not one of my favorites, but all of the above places him in the top 3 as far as I'm concerned.

I haven't got the mag yet who did make the list?

Billy, are you scared of Froggy? IMO, Soven has great talent, and always had it, but his people skills were/are lacking. WBM Top 10 is a popularity contest, nothing else, and he is not one of the top 10 popular riders. All this technical vs free style talk of why he didnt make it is BS. Rusty made #1, and his style is very technical. Benny G's style is just the opposite. They all bring their own personality to the sport, unfortunately for some riders, personalities are more important than skills to the fans...

UHHH NO.

What about another missing name, Mr. Andrew Adkison? Maybe it wasn't his best year on tour, but it seems like he is surely an oversight from ANY top 10 list.

Maybe it was The Top Ten Wakeboarders that have all their teeth.

I agree with you guys, Soven has absolutely killed it since he's been on tour many years ago and this one was no different.

People may "prefer" one rider's style over another. People also have favorites. You could probably argue at least five other guys who deserve to be on this list (Soven, JD Webb, Greenwood, Errington all come to mind). However, the 10 that made the list all earned it because they are great riders AND loved by the majority of fellow riders out there. Is this fair to Soven? No way, but his past mistakes might have left a bad taste in some people's mouths and it can be hard to shake that image.

I'm not trying to give any opinions other than my own, but that's what I feel like is happening to Soven and I feel for the guy.

Someone post up the list. I haven't seen it yet. I already have a feeling that it will just reflect the marketing impact from advertising. There is a ton of new young talent busting through, but we get lazy and expect the media to bring us or tell us who is hot. Unfortunatly advertising will always influence the outcome.

The next few years we will all see that list change & possibly with some fresh new names on it.

1. Rusty Malinoski
2. Danny Harf
3. Randall Harris
4. Shaun Murray
5. Keith Lyman
6. Parks Bonifay
7. Shane Bonifay
8. Shawn Watson
9. Josh Sanders
10.Chad Sharpe

Thanks for posting the list!

Glad to see Shaun up there.

Considering how little Parks rode this year... I'm not really all that suprised to see him there.

I think my list would be very different from this list of 10 best. Obviously it is a 10 favorite not a 10 best list.

I cant believe David Williams wasnt on the list.

No doubt all of those guys deserve the right to get paid to ride as long as they choose it as a profession.

To me that list isn't accurate. Some very respected vets are on it, but I dont think it really captures where wakeboarding is today. Or where it is headed. Take Ben Greenwood for example. He is pushing the riding scene to explore better style with attention to detail while your riding. That will have a huge impact of the future or direction of the sport.

I could be missing the whole point of the article since I haven't seen it yet.

2 of my fav riders are on that list tho.

Now that I've seen the list there are several other riders who deserve to be on the list. And maliburyder was right on that all the riders who are on it earned it.

Also, Is it a 10 best right now or 10 best ever. That would be an interesting thread.

I didn't really agree with the womens top 3 either. I think it went..Dallas-1, Emily Copeland-2, and Amber Wing-3.

Sean,

I really don't get the point of this thread? First off, it's a readers poll, not WBM's Top 10. Did you vote? I wonder how many people on this thread actually voted? I did. Do I agree with the outcome? Not really. But that's just my opinion and only one vote. Read "Voices" on page 44. I wonder who Parks voted for?

Soven will never be the ambassador that Murray is, no matter how good he rides. The next ambassadors? That would be the Hoffmans. Go Hoffmans!

Steven, I didn't think that I caused such a major upheaval in the Wake World Community.....

The point was that The magazine cover says something like "Top Ten Riders"....and then when I read the list, my first observation was "Hmmmm, the guy who won a bunch of events, and the PWT, is not on the Top Ten Riders?"

Now, I am certainly no Pro Wakeboard insider (such as yourself), but I do read WB magazines, and this forum as well, and I could not help but notice the obvious inconsistency between the list and what I read.

SO I asked the question. I did later realize that it was a Readers Poll, which makes more sense, ie: Top Ten Popular Riders.

So, Steven, that is the point of this thread. A discussion of the difference between the Top Ten Riders, and the Top Ten Most Popular Riders.

It seemed like an interesting discussion, especially on a WakeWorld Discussion Board.

Does that answer your question? I hope so, at least I gave it my best effort.

And No, I did not Vote, although I am not sure what relevance that has for this discussion.

Also, I Absolutely LOVE The Chick Flick!! Nice Work.

Sean

Sean, by no means did you cause any major upheaval. There are just a number of people on this thread that disagree on the top 10. I just wanted to know how many of them voted.

I loved the Chick Flick too, but don't thank me thank Joe Umali and DPC.

Awww, Come on Steven..........

Now I am man enough to admit that I have watched The Chick Flick more than I reasonably should have....And I know I have seen you in there at least a few times....

Taken from The Chick Flick Home Page....

The TCF crew would like to thank contributing photographer Steven Hahn (wakeshots.com) for providing the pictures and doing the write up on the film.



Sean

(Message edited by seanmcd on August 21, 2007)

I was also suprised to see Andrew not make it, I know he is well liked by the riders and fans & a great ambassador for our sport. I did vote and the riders left off my list were,
Andrew,
JD
Easy-E
Brian Hutton

Im glad Randall made it on there. He hasn't made it into a top 10 list in a while.

My personal preference in riding styles is completely opposite to what seems to win contests..So I see Steven's point, about how my favorite may not be your favorite, and neither favorite rider may ever win a contest.


I LOVE huge air, long glides into the flats...I Love grabs and especially pokes... I dig the long floats...with the last second 180 before landing..

I like Inverts, as long as they are big, not a fan of (watching) backrolls, no matter how hard they are to execute.

I really do not like spins at all, I know I know, they are super hard and technical, but to me, watching a 7 or 9 is not that aesthetically pleasing...

I Love Raleys, Batwings, and of course, Fashion Air Rules...

Speaking of The Chick Flick, watch the teaser at 2:18....I think it is Dallas, but whoever it is, I Love that move..Sooooo smooth and cool.

Sean

Here's the shot of Randall in WBM. I was in the tube on the opposite side of the wake and he's still way above me in this shot. The Vandall just goes huge!

Love that grab...Thats definitely some Bad Ass riding there.

Thanks Hahn

That picture is insane.

Does anyone know how many votes they get for this? It does seem a little odd that Phillip didn't even crack the top ten. I'm just wondering if maybe it wasn't a big enough sample to represent their readers.

That picture redefines going big! How many feet above the tower was he?

(Message edited by timmyb on August 30, 2007)

Dunno David, I am not sure where the poll was even given, online I suspect??

I don't remember seeing anything in the magazine, although I really just look at the pictures, truth be told.

Soven is having a killer year, thats for sure, still think he should have been top 10.

Sean

FYI... Soven doesn't have the best reputation in the industry from the fans standpoint.

soven's pretty amazing
i think he does desrves a spot in the top 10

I don't think Soven should be in the top 10 Readers Poll, he's in the top 10 wakeboarding contest poll, but when it comes to the riders and readers, video parts and freeriding I think he has to put in more time and get better at being an all around rider and ambassador of the sport

he's top 3 in the contest and sticking a single run of tricks, but not in the top ten for video parts, freeriding and being a unique rider that represents all aspects of the sport like guys like Rusty, Sean, Danny, and even guys like the Vandall, sure he's not the best in contests but every other aspect of the sport he's one of the best in the game and basically a legend in the sport, this sport wouldnt be the same if it wasnt for guys like Randall, Byerly and Gator which shows you winning contests seem to rank pretty low when it comes to what people like to see and the Readers Poll(only 1 rider in the readers poll this year won a contest, Rusty)

so I think thats why Soven wasnt in the top 10 this year, it might take him a couple more years to prove himself as a top 10 all around rider and ambassador of this sport, but the kid does kill it when he's on in contests DAAAMN!

Im gonna go with D. Williams on this. I bet very few voted for the WBM poll. OR readers are turning a blind eye to the progression of the sport and just looking at whomevers name is being printed more in adverts.

History repeats itself. Same discussions regarding Shapiro back in the day vs Byerly, Gator, etc.

I think that's the point. Shapiro is a perfect comparison, but he was on the list every year!

thats cause Shapiro was a way better ambassador of the sport and a better all around rider

plus I think people dont like the fact that froggy, I mean Phillip seems like a rich spoiled wakeboard kid who rides lke a robot(he was saying in a interview he hasn't fallen on a switch melan crow 5 in years) and should be in the top in contests with all the benifits he's had in the sport

he was like born into riding with all the pros the most expensive boats pampered into being the perfect wakeboarding machine, kinda reminds me of the Napolean Dynamite dude in Blades of Glory haha, but he comes off like he should be in the top and he should win everything, I mean he does kill it but he just doent have the whole package yet, a couple more years probably then he'll desreve a spot in the top, maybe even the top spot who knows

If anyone says that Soven has no style and is a robot, then they have to say that Dallas Friday has no style and is a robot too. She's a "contest rider" and does tricks with "mechanical repetition" with no emphasis on pokes or long/late grabs. But nobody would ever say that about Dallas. But it's OK to say about Soven?

I'd say that about Dallas too, don't get me wrong she's a great rider, one of the best in the world, but alot like a robot in the way she rides

I would much rather watch Melissa Marquardt ride doing 3's and 5's boning them out and grabbing, then a bunch of scarcrows and rolls and tantrums ungrabbed

but then again thats just my personal preferance

I'd much rather watch peeps like Melissa, Danny, Randall, Lyman than Soven or Dallas, even thought they are both great amazing rider, its always the same with them Im never surprised after you see them ride once each year the rest of the year seems the same like a robot, execute the same tricks and stomp the landings

as where those other riders you really never know what they're gonna do next trick, they might not stomp it everytime but its gonna suprise you and be exciting and unique each time ya know

If you say Soven and Dallas have no style and after the first time you see them ride the rest of the year seems the same like a robot. That would mean that Parks, Harf, Malinoski, Adkinson have no style and are like a robot? In a contest you have to stomp everthying, be consistant, and constantly lay down your most technical tricks. And yes that may look like a robot and be the same all season but that doesn't mean they ride like that all the time. If guys like Ben Greenwood, Keith Lyman, ect. rode contests they would probably be throwing the same tricks each run like everyone else. It just seems like the second someone starts winning comps people say they have no style and are like a robot.