Wakeboarding unpopularity threads

I have seen recently some threads regarding the unpopularity of wakeboarding within the extreme sports arena. I wanted to get my thoughts out on the issue. First of all, I do think it matters that people who are not wakeboarders like to disrespect the sport. Some recent examples were the x games announcer and the lack of wakeboarding on fuel threads. The reason I do not think it matters is because those of us who do wakeboard are so passionate about it.

I think the concern here is that unpopular things die. Wakeboarding has a good enough following that as long as we all keep with it, it is here to stay. I am certainly never going to quit. That said, outside recognition is VERY nice and I am always telling people about the sport in an attempt to gain that outside popularity.

Despite the recent threads on lack of popularity, I think we are sitting OK. Wakeboarding is showing considerable growth in the boating industry. I have been going to boat shows for a long time and in recent years not only have new wakeboard boat companies shown up but a lot of old stern drive manufactures are sticking towers on their boats. Part of the issue is that wakeboarding is constrained by its nature to the boater’s world. And within that world it is really taking over. It is hard for people who do not boat to care much about this sport because the initiation cost is really high ~ 35k at the least.

Every person that I have introduced to wakeboarding falls in love with it. It seems to me that wakeboarding might always be the love it hate it sport depending on whether or not you do it. Please give me your thoughts.

The fact that we can all come together in a community such as Wake World, just shows that the sport has quite a large following. Our sport has grown so much and will continue to grow with the advances in technology.

I think that to press wakeboarding to the masses it is going to have to happen on the cable due to the cost of owning a boat. Cable riding will propel our sport into the future and allow many more peopl

It's simple to me really, for the kids it's a part time sport that requires reasonably financially well off parents or if there are no parents involved a younger person with normally a job and responsibility to pay for it all.

The majority of kids can't or won't do extreme maneuvers in their favorite sport but at least they can participate in the sport and therefore relate to and admire what the pros are doing.

This is a numbers thing pure and simple. I think wakeboarding garnered more attention overall when it was a new sport then it does now.

I think people need to stop worrying about what others think about your favorite sport. If you enjoy doing it, that is all that matters.
if you are looking to bring more people to the sport, and have the means to do it, encourage friends, neighbors etc to come out with you and try it.
I think riding with a boat load of newbies can be more fun then with a group of regulars. watching the smile and determination on a newbies face as they cross the wake for the first time is what I enjoy the most.
and what Rich says makes total sense.

if you truly want the sport to grow, bring out a different person who has never ridden each time you go. some will stick, and others won't.

I agree, Don't worry about what other people say. I'm not being negative, But there's a lot of a lot of things that have to come together in wakeboarding. First you either have to be older and financially set, or have very supportive parents (Normally you have 30gs or more in a boat, Gas adds up, Up and over 800 dollars for pro model boards and bindings, vests, ropes, wetsuits all of the accessories make this a very expensive sport). Second you have to have a boat (or become friends with someone who does). Third you must live on a lake or close to one.
Where as skateboarding you spend a little over 100 on a board and you're set. Cruise around town for free, there's free city skateparks, Maybe 10 bucks on the weekend at a private park. This is why skateboarding is much more popular, Its far less expensive and far more versatile.
Wakeboarding really only caters to the upper middle class, and because of this it will not have as much popularity as the other sports, but it's something I like to do and I'm okay the fact it wont ever have the popularity as others.

(Message edited by lakemiltonwake08 on February 05, 2009)

i think wakeboarding is doing good even with the disrespect mentioned. it has virtually taken over the water sports industry. i mean, when was the last time you saw somebody out slalom skiing. let alone learning how. the only people rarely see doing it are older people who feel like they are too old to start all over with something new.

comparitively, with snowboarding and snow skiing, snowboarding has not nearly taken over the snow sports like wakeboarding did water sports. i could be wrong, but i think there are still more snow skiiers than snowboarders.

wakeboarding will be fine, i hate to see it disrespected too.

although i enjoy wakeboarding, wakeskating, and wakesurfing these activities are far from ever being viewed as the same as surfing, skating, snowboarding, etc. I had this argument with a retired pro wakeboarder once. wakeboarders should be paid like surfers and skaters. i told him, not quite. i just wakeskated behind your x-star with a million pounds of weight in it and although it was more sketchy than riding behind my boat....i survived....even enjoyed it. now if i was with jamie obrien and hes said come on lets go surf Pipe....its only 3 or 4 foot....i would have to respectfully bow out. i have a four foot half pipe....nice....not like dropping in on a 12 footer at bob burnquists house. ever tried to get to the top of a 18 pipe on your snowboard.....yea exactly....thats not exactly boosting 10 foot air. deal with it. wakeboarding does not or will ever have the fear factor of other sports.

there's not much fear in fishing, and those guys are making a ton of money in that sport?

I agree with Mike Cable is the future of our sport and Cable is what will grow the sport to new levels.

Now don't get me wrong there is nothing like spending time with your friends and family out on the lake and wakeboarding behind the boat, but not everyone can afford a boat.

So wait... fear factor = more pay???

I can imagine blasting a doubleup behind a loaded boat can generate some solid potential to soil yourself. Wakeboarding does not force the fear factor on you, but it is certainly there.
Maybe I am not looking in the right places, but I dont think wakeboarding gets "disrespected". OK, so an announcer throws a dig at the sport. Do you try to knock out every person that makes a joke at your expense? Until wakeboarders are not allowed to ride on certain lakes, or are completely cut from things like Fuel TV, I dont think there is a respect issue. Just an interest issue.

I'll second the "who cares" mentality. Wakeboarding is just another sport venue like hiking, volleyball, skiing or fishing. They all have their calling and will probably grow.

Some of the best wakeboarding experiences I've had though were because of the people, not the activity, conditions, or rider skill. I've spent a lot of time at the lake with friends before and had a great time. What did I remember most? Bocce ball between runs, goofing off in the boat and hanging out by the bbq or fire pit, not the riding....

Just enjoy it, and don't act like a socialite about it. That'll keep folks coming into the sport, IMO

i think it is interesting how more and more boats are offering a tower on them as stated once above. even pontoon boats are offered with them! i saw a pontoon boat trailered at my lake this past summer and took some pics thinking it was a rarety and a little funny but kool too... then at the boat show i see about 3 of these things!

when towers first came out they kinda made boats look silly, but now any boat WITHOUT a tower looks silly and out of place ;)

...i do wish i had taken a pic of another boat at my lake though..., a hot, speed boat with a tower. it looked real good too!

(Message edited by wakerider111 on February 05, 2009)

Good news is even if wakeboarding comes to a point where it is actually unpopular. They are not gonna get the dozer out and level my halfpipe or fill in my skatepark. They arnt going to take my lake away (as long as god can throw some rain my way) and so as long as i have my board and my boat and my health (im about a week out of acl surgery) people can hate all they want im always gonna ride and love it, because there is nothing better than a day on the lake.

Just don't sport the "wake socks" and our sport will be just fine. Also, boardsports are a lifestyle, there's at least one for every season. We all should participate in as many as possible. If anyone has access to a boat and lake, they will likely want to ride.

Imo, winching could be a good catalyst for people to get a sample of the sport. Just about anyone with a job can save up for one, or a group of friends can all throw in a few bucks on one. You can use them in alot of peculiar places that a boat cant go. They are a blast on a beach. It costs $1 to fill up w/ gas for the whole day.

I think this avenue could be the gateway for people to get a taste, and eventually find a boat or friend w/ a boat.

Maybe Harris should have gotten behind one of these as a 'price point' skater convert product instead of the 40K Axis thingamabobber.

I don't think there should be much worry. Wakeboarding to the masses has become too generic. 8,000 for a use Sea Ray, 100 for the cheap combo at the sporting goods store, and 3 cases of beer is what most think is necessary. Riding my lake on the weekend is impossible due to the traffic. Everyone is entitled to use the lake, just as I am, but when I establish a run, and some jackass parks his boat right in the middle of it, or worse some driver pulls his rider right across the run ruins the day. If most boaters would learn basics to maintain at least semi-smooth water, would increase everyone's enjoyment. In the summer the lake literally becomes an ocean.

Maybe I am wrong, so I guess I'll continue my ritual of riding solely on weekdays.

I am glad ther is a relatively high barrier to entry to wakeboarding. Otherwise, every drunk redneck on my lake would be doing it.

Not much trey. It would be safe to say someone can find a board and bindings for less than 45.00. I've seen wakeboarding behind everything from a bass boat to pontoon boat. Only a decent thing about these guys is most of them can't get up to save their life, of course their driver always finds it necessary to make a huge turn going 20 mph to go retrieve the rider everytime.

Nothing ruins the day worse than a tuber though. Nothing irks me more than a tuber.

I am tired of the retarded jet skiers that screw around on the only butter I have at my lake. There are stumps all over my lake and you have to grow up out there to know where they are so you don't hit any of them. And I always like to sit on my dock and watch the jet skiers cruising at about 45 in about 3 feet of water with stumps in it, and having know idea.


Just had to get that off my chest.

The last time I checked the only fun way to ride a jetski is to ride it like an a**hole, ha. Granted I don't ride jetskis rarely ever, but people aren't going to ever be conscious of what they are doing just because you're wakeboarding, If it was me or you we would, but non-wakeboarders have no clue. Plus.. It's a jetski. A small fishing boat does 3 times as much damage. Jetski wakes never bother us.

if were talking about tearing up the good water, im going to have to point straight to surfing. thats about the worst thing i can think of bc not only are these guys killing the water but about 95 percent of these guys wakeboard. there is a time and a place to get out the surf and when there is butter stick to skatin and boarding.

There are a lot of limiting factors that probably affect wakeboarding's relative lack of popularity, but one you guys haven't mentioned yet is time.

All the other board sports you can do together, as in participate at the same time. All out there thrashing a park, carving up the slope, or just waiting for a wave together. Wakeboarding only 1 person at a time can go, sure you can do 2 or more but you know what I mean. There is plenty of camaraderie in the boat and that's a big part of why we all love it but if you and 5 buddies all go boarding for 6 hrs one day, you each only get 1 hr of riding. You go surfing, skating, or snowboarding and you each get 6 hrs. I know you aren't always on your board (chair lifts, paddling, waiting your turn on a rail) but you are still all participating in the activity at the same time.
When I do the other things I want to get as big a group as I can to go, the more the merrier. When I wakeboard, I find myself debating who and who not to call. I enjoy sharing, teaching others, helping the sport grow, but if I invite a newbie that usually means I don't invite someone else. There is only so much time on the water and so much room in the boat. That might sound bad but its the reality, you don't just go about inviting everyone you can everytime you go.

Seems to be two issues going on here.

Popularity: I agree with previous - this sport has taken over the water sports industry. Yeah there are access issues, but it is the primary towable activity. Cables will make it more accessible and think popularity will climb further.

Respect: That is a different issue and it depends on respect from who. Compared to freestyle MX, surfing, snowboard park, and a few others, this is probably one of the less extreme X-sports. Compared to skateboarding, this is like a country club sport and kind of goes against some 'core' image. Yah there will always be someone from any sport that thinks their sport is the shiz and will take shots at other sports they think are somehow inferior in their minds, but anyone with an once of class wouldn't. Now for the average Joe that gets to see the sport up close, I think wakeboarding gets tons of respect. I have never had a non-rider dis any aspect of it.

Bottom line, I ride because it suits me and my family and friends and I really don't care what some skater thinks or if Hyperlite sells a 1000 boards or a 100,000 boards. As long as I'm healthy I will be riding.

Just to kind of echo what Train said. Take the time to teach newbies to ride and progress properly. Be positive and helpful. Try not to laugh at them or berate them if they dont get it right away, try to teach them proper technique, pull them slow at first so they avoid the catistrophic face plant where they not only give it up, they bad mouth the sport to all their friends. This happens a lot. I hear it all the time and I'm always trying to change their minds and when they come out with us they usually do. I love watching newbies pick it up and get hooked on it. I usually help them out finding a good deal on a set up where they're not paying "$800" for their gear.

People respect the sport a lot more once they get out and try it. I have watched many of my "core" skater friends get behind my boat for the first time, charge the wake thinking "it's only water", launch themselves, land on their faces, and barely be able to make it back to the boat. After taking a hard crash, they respect it....