Rider bashing?

I was browsing other various wakeboard related websites, some more local to certain areas than others, and noticed how much riders had positive things to say about one another for the most part. There were a few exceptions though where rider support, both pro and grass-root was virtually non-existant (most notably www.wakeboardnebraska.com rider forum.........VERY juvenile) where these guys seemed to find a certain level of humor in bashing one another and they are currently bashing pro-level riders. I guess there are bad apples in every sport but I think that, as a whole, the wakeboard community (with the help of wakeworld.com) has come together to help develope a sport that we can all be proud to be involved in, regardless of a few back-woods folk in the midwest. I know for one that I always give a wave to fellow riders, regardless of the skill level, when I am out on the lake and I encourage everyone else to do the same as well. GOOD RIDING!!!

i didn't know Nebraska had the internet... Did they recently get wooden modems?

Their are some great riders in the midwest.
While you Cali westsiders are busy trying to look like wakeboarders the midwestern guys are actually wakeboarding.
Great riders come out of the midwest but move away because of the short boarding season. You can't be pro if you only ride 6 months a year.

sounds like Matt is a little butt-hurt over your comments guys.

Well, I'm off to pick up some Hyperlite shirts. I need to make sure everyone knows I ride.

While you Cali westsiders are busy trying to look like wakeboarders the midwestern guys are actually wakeboarding."...uuhh excuse me, where do you get off saying that. Isn't the point of this thread not to bash riders?

I'm sensing some bashing in that comment

Bashing usually comes from Jealously... I do detect jealously in Matts comment

I live in Texas.....and ride in cowboy boots.......after eating my daily squirrel breakfast. Ok maybe not those last 2 parts

(Message edited by wakeboardjo on September 19, 2003)

Squirrel ain't bad man.
I'll agree with part of the original post in that this site has, for the most part, a more mature audience.

i would personally like to "bash" the non-bashers
so to all you non-bashers.........consider yourself bashed(i would also like to bash this emoticon

opinions are why these forums exist....don't be afraid to post negatives as long as there is something to learn

Bashing doesn't usually come from jealousy. Bashing usually comes when someone does or says something stupid or controversial. At least on the wakeworld forums bashing rarely comes from jealousy.

I'm from Nebraska, and i know all about the bad forums at wakeboardnebraska.com. That's why i never go there, there's so much more to learn from other riders that actually want to help you with your riding and get better. I admit that i'm not a pro. But i admit that I'm better than some of the others out there. But regardless of who I board with, wether I get put to shame, or am just teaching someone to ride. Whenever they come in I always tell them good ride and never bash them. I know I'm not going to tell someone that's trying their hardest that they suck, or even someone else that I've never met.
Who's fault is it that we live in nebraska and don't have the long season to become as good as alot of you guys posting on here. And i admit, i am a little jelous of you guys in Cali and Florida because yo can ride all year. I'm lucky if i can get out 10 times in a year, but i love it all the same.
So please don't pidgeon hole us midwesterners because of a few bad apples on another site. That's just lowering yourself to their level.
Thanks

Darin! Well put! Very impressive, way to rise up and represnt the positive. Also, about bashing being a good thing, I'd have to disagree, bashing is never a good thing, you can disagree with someone and/or bring a new point of view to the table without dissing someone if you put a little extra thought into your posts (I'm not saying that people don't), its not always easy to use 'Constructive Criticism,' but it is very effective.

This is a great topic. Mainly because i just posted a novel, on another site, voicing my disappointment in the behavior and comments of riders and their lack of respect for those who made this sport what it is today. For the most part our top level professionals are aged between 12 and 25 years of age. There are numerous discussion boards populated by this type of rider demographic. Hence the immature nature of threads and bashing of pro athletes. (POST YOUR HOT BABE PIC'S) I still view that thread when it comes up. With success comes responsibility. Just because you are successful doesn't mean you're a sell out. What these young adults and up and coming riders need to understand, in my opinion, is how much these guys are doing for our sport. They are opening doors with new sponsors and helping promote our sport by increasing media coverage and popularity. Cross selling into other sports like Motocross and other fortune 500 industries like Kellogs and Disney. Ultimately this means more money in the long run. This can only make the road for future competitors and easier one to travel.

But, in my opinion, you can try to sell these guys till you're blue in the face! But there will always be a few punk's out there that will fuel the fire for their own personal amusement in an effort to fulfill their own insecurity. Only hurting the industry and slowing it's progress down for everyone. Sad but true.

Darin,
I feel ya, man. Up in New Hampshire with nothing but chop every day, I'm lucky with 8 sessions a year, and nobody I know is beyond a tantrum. I know a girl who rides behind one of those inflatable fishing boat thingies with 2 inches of wake. Sometimes my friends and I sit around dreaming about boarding behind a yacht, because the rope is so high, never mind a fancy X-Star or Wakesetter. But we have an unsaciable appatite for Wake and are always stoaked when somebody goes W2W. My point is that just because you have no talent or even any good amount of ability, doesn't mean you can't have a positive environment in which to improve.

And I can't even spell right.

Hey guys... I finally got my wooden modem to work. Wow this internet thing is cool. It even allowed me to upload this video... everyone who rides in it sucks since it includes Shaun Murray, Jonathon Nodalski, Jeff Solie, Loren Levine, & (NEB local- really sucks) Ben Bazis.

http://www.wakeboardnebraska.com/mpegs/orlando1003.wmv

in regards to Matts comment:

Matt why dont you take a trip out here to the Westside and join us for a day of riding, at a Canyon Lake Wakeboard Club Tournament. Im sure that you'll find out really quick, who can really ride..We have all ages and all classes..where the kids that are so small, that there boardshorts cover there boots, are doing whirly's and the Junior Mens class is as competitive as the Open class, (these kids are doing 8 inverts and 4 spins). Even the Masters are doing 5 inverts. So why don't you come and check out the scene before you start bashing it. Yes we are all different but we do have a common ground which is the love for a young and exciting sport called, Wakeboarding..............

My 2 Cents.

Kevin you're from New England!!! I'm from Maine, do you do the INT League up here at all? We just got a new 04 Sea Ray with a Tower and board racks, if you ever want to come up and chill for a weekend in the summertime send an e-mail my way and we can ride sumtime.

Darin,

You say you're from Nebraska and I assume that you ride in Nebraska. If these presumed statements are true than you should know that WAKEBOARDNEBRASKA.COM is a grassroots riders website that caters to local riding in our area. You say it is typical for this site to commonly "rider bash" if you would frequent the site you would recognize that the riders doing the bashing ride together and in some cases with the pros they are speaking of! To finish this thread next time you go to a wakeboard website that in your words "help you get better" look at wakeboardnebraska and realize they played a part in getting danny harf and mike weddington here last summer along with many other clinics. it wasn't wakeworld.com nor was it wakeboarder.com. So as you can tell this site you are bashing is promoting your local scene. perhaps you can take advantage of the resources provided here locally if you would like to improve your riding.
Try getting in touch with anyone from the site and you will find that anyone of them are more than willing to pull you, or do what ever it takes to progress you riding.

that's my 2cents.

I help run WakeboardAtlanta.com

More regional site tend to have people who know each other personally and people who are friends, promoting a loser enviroment. I would say that 90% of the people on our site know/have met/riden with most people on the site, and we talk trash to everyone. Unlike here, where you don't know anyone and feelings get hurt. We are more friends on WBA and the site is an extention of it....the internet was made to talk trash, use it. I only say this b/c I am sure that is how Wakeboard Neb. works.

(Message edited by snead on October 14, 2003)