Anybody give up comps.....

I was just thinking of my early days of riding (93/94). I was so hard core about it I wanted to be in comps and kill it. I did 2 and did well in one and crap in the other. Leading up to it, I would go out and ride like it was an audition every time I went out. It was because of that I made the decision to not ride comps anymore from that point on. It was one of the better decisions I made to keep riding fun for myself.

Anyone else have any similar situations? How do you keep it legit for yourself?

I do what I want... Whether its a contest or not. I only do tricks that feel good. If a trick feels forced or rushed then I dont do it because it isnt fun. Never base your freeriding off of contest formats or rules. It defeats the purpose of wakeboarding, or even boardsports as a whole. The point of wakeboarding is to do what YOU want. Contests can be fun and they can help your riding improve. But you can't take them too seriously. I'm not saying contests aren't important, but most of my favorite Pro wakeboarders don't even ride in the major events.

To anyone riding in contests... Dont' do it to impress people, no matter how good you are. Do it for yourself. You get SO much more fulfillment out of doing your best and having fun. It feels good getting 1st place, but it doesn't make you better than everyone else.

i blew both knees in contests. but due to the circumstance of each... partied all night before and then was tense, tight, and nervous the next morning. i've never really had an injury free riding. i think being relaxed, well rested, and warmed up are huge factors. i haven't written contests off completely, but i need to take them more seriously if i were to do them again.

I used to ride in a lot of comps and always did really well in them. For some reason during competition I get really focused and usually ride as good as possible. The only problem is that the entire day before I ride, I am miserable. Nervous, can't eat, way too stressed and generally not fun to be around. As good as it feels to do well, it was not worth the emotional roller coaster and I haven't competed in 2-3 years. Finally I realized while standing on the dock waiting for my turn that I hated it.

Plus the thing that bothered me when I was young was all the douchebags asking "what tricks are you throwing?" GTF out of my face with that crap! Its a grass roots comp, chill out! Over it.

^ +1