Ronix...

So to start off,im stating my own personal opinion,} as most of you know Paul and Herb Obrien have left Hyperlite to start Ronix Don’t get me wrong, I am all for the progression of the wakeboarding industry and always interested to see new companies come along. But the way they have been promoting Ronix, makes it seem like they are holding a grudge against Hyperlite because Paul and the new president of Hyperlite had different views on the way the company should go. On the Ronix website if you watch the pro interviews, they repeatedly talk about how Hyperlite had so many problems, but who was overlooking Hyperlite when all of these problems occurred? The same people who are starting Ronix. It almost seems like they sat there, memorized a script and regurgitated a bunch of propaganda to slander Hyperlite. In my point of view this •••••••••••••• happen in the wakeboarding industry. If things don’t work out with the company you work with move on, don’t ••••••••• the company you left, that just makes you look like a jackass. Theres a lot of room for other wakeboard companies and it will just give people more choices. All in all, everyone from the pros to the beginner wakeboarder are out for one thing and that is the joy of wakeboarding. Things only get ugly when you forget about "fun" and involve yourself in the politics of company split-ups. Pro riders such as Danny Harf and Parks should just consider themselves lucky to do what they do and get paid for it. They should not get involved on a personal level. This is not to say that they shouldn't voice their opinions, but at the end of the day they will have to face their fans and all their fans care about is "fun". There have been many times that a company has been bought out and split etc.... But eventually life goes on... and people need jobs so they can do the things that they do so you the public can have fun riding the boards that you chose to ride. The only thing left that I have to say to the owners of Ronix is to "let it go and go on with life" don't waste it on negative energy. This is a small industry so lets all be friendly towards one another.

hmm. Something tells me that they would know more about the situation THEY were in than you. I am sure they would not sign on with Paul and Herb if it wasn't for the better. You make it sound like they are jumping ship with the perpetrators. That doesn't make sense.

The fact remains that you (and I, and everyone who is not an insider) is probably grossly misinformed as to what actually went on.

[EDIT] Why does there have to be 20 threads on this, anyway?

(Message edited by garret_s on August 19, 2006)

look at how much energy your wasting on something that is just stupid.

I couldn't care less about who bad mouths who, who rides what board, or who dicked who over.....WHO CARES?

not me.

Wakeboarding is not core, it's never going to be core. Wakeboarding is a fun hobby, and a way to spend time with friends and family, and once everyone realizes that, maybe we can obsess over something worthwhile.

I see wakeboarding more as a lifestyle than a hobby.

That was harsh, Todd. It takes a special someone to use paragraphs.

I just thought that the public school systems taught students to organize arguments into readable paragraphs.

Depends what school district in Washington you're talking about...

For all the crap the O'briens take about being bad businessmen, they sure do have a loyal following. Seemingly on the same day as their contracts with Hyperlite ran out, 3 of the biggest names in the sport joined on to a company yet to establish its foothold in the industry and likely won't be making the equivalent of their Hyperlite contracts for a year or two until Ronix can move some product. That's a big leap of faith to take with a couple crooked car-salesman.

What happened with the Obriens and HL happens every day in the business world. You sell your start up company off to an investor company to get more capital for your business. The investor company comes with a board, who dictates how you run what used to be your business. You try to take things in a certain direction and they block you to protect their investments - in this case, several other wake companies. So, you split off and "restart" your company so you can run it the way you want to.

Probably having dealt with a long time of battling "the board," it's only natural to hear some bad mouthing from Ronix. That's business - "Company A sucks and has crappy product and business process so you should buy my product." Or in the case of action sport companies, "Company A is corporate and we're like your cousins." Even though their boards could be pressed in the same Chinese factory...

As for the riders, strong gain usually only comes from taking risks. They took a risk - and a temporary pay cut - to move with Paul and Herb so they could be with a company from the ground up. People who do this with successful start-ups usually see a larger gain than those who stay with the larger more secure corporation.

It's really nothing unique. This is how you progress an industry. The competition will drive both companies - and the other board companies - to deliver better, more competetive products. Or, Ronix will flop and leave it to some other company to challenge the others.