wakeboarding may be gone forever??????????????????

does anyone think that wakboarding will slowly fade away since wakeskating is now here. is it just another thing evolving to another. in 6years will anyone even think about wakeboarding. wakeskating has a endless anout of tricks. will people then grow to wakeskates because their tired of the same old wakeboard stuff. ((((((like jetski's they all used to be standups,but know sitdown has takin over more than 80%of the sales))))) just think about that. iam not saying this because iam a wakeskated i've never tried it. i lovw wakeboarding

no way, if it does fade away it certainly wont be because of skating

no way girl seriously. i love to wakeskate but when i want to go big and release the adrenaline i wakeboard. i think that wakeboarding is on the up and so is wakeskating and the groups of people doing them usually do both. but then again maybe you should open a wakeskate only store and see what happens. you could sell skateboards also because if you don't sktaboard and you do wakeskate your a lameass.

APPLES TO ORANGES

luke iam not a girl iam a guy and my name is jamie

Quote from luke "the groups of people doing them usually do both" I would have to completely disagree. I know many people who just wakeskate. I also know many people who don't wakeskate. They are completely different. People wakeskate for certain reasons, and people wakeboard for different reasons.
peace
Derrick

no..lol

no way....who wouldnt want to go huge on a wakeboard compared to the more technical tricks of the wakeskate...but both are great in their own way

Think about it, snowboarding vs snowskating, do you think snowboarding is going to give in to snow skating? They are completely differnt sports. Luke, I wakeskate and I don't skateboard anymore (cause I messed my knee up skatboarding, its not worth it in my opinion).

Wakeskating is popular for a number of reasons.
1. You don't need and expensive boat with a big wake
2. Skates are cheap with no bindings.
3. They feel like other boardsports that aren't attached to the feed with bindings.
However most of these reasons are financial, not fun-factor reasons. Wakeboarding is a blast and it isn't going to be replaced by a plank with griptape.

i hope ur wrong jamie

No... wakeskating is too difficult for it eclipse wakeboarding.

no. IMO, One major diff in your example is that the jetskis have gone from a sportbike design that appealed to motorcylists to a fat, non-athletic, weekender friendly design that appeals to the masses. The wakeskate is the opposite, it takes wakeboarding to something more appealing to the skateboarders or other athletic types, which is a smaller segment of the population.

Yes, but soon thereafter wakeskating will be totally replaced with "wake BMX".
I SEEEEEE the future.

wakeskating is overrated! long live wakeboarding

Forget all that, everything will be gone once "wake-inline-skating" catches on. Just what we need, more fruit cakes in the water.

What about "lake-luge"

I think I saw it in a SoBe commercial . . . .

wake vert pipe, ride in between two boats sacked out opposite sides wakesurf style.

wake freestyle moto - jetskis doing backflips, barrrel rolls (i.e. 360) and seat grabs.

dont forget wake razor scootering

jetskis do backflips and stuff ski that

jetskis do backflips and stuff like that

wakeboarding will not fade... all the litle extra things on the sides like wakeskating and wakesurfing my fade in like 6 years or so but the roots will always be around!

I'll second Jamie by saying that jetskis do backflips and other stuff like that... They take them out to the surf at the beach and let it rip!

wakeboarding needs to be careful not to become the next in-line skating... too many "slap grabs, " flailing looking spins (without grabs because of the handle) among other things... it needs to utilize things like the handle and the different rotations it allows to develop a seperate wakeboarding identity... but focus on the bright side: it is a sport that requires boats, water, and bathing suits (namely bikinis)

I take it many of you aren't huge fans of wakeskating, but whether you like it or not, wakeskating actually has the potential to surpass wakeboarding just because of the cost factor and the fact that you can do it behind anything.

I'm not saying that wakeboarding will die, but neither will wakeskating.

Personally, I'm more worried about the world being taken over by those damn, dirty apes....

"Wakeskating actually has the potential to surpass wakeboarding" - Are you joking.

Rate of improvement on a wakeskate is way to slow for it to ever be mainstream. Wakeskating is not exciting enough for it to become favorable to the public. Think about it.

At the tour stop this I watched the skaters for a while and I appreciate the skills, but I left after 20 minutes because it got boring real quick. No big air... No big crashes... I know a kick flip is super hard just not exciting to watch compared to the speedball or double half cab.

Prediction - Skating will grow but will always be overshadowed by big air and crazy inverts.

Actually, No, rootc, I'm NOT joking.

Right now, consistency is an issue because it's so young. Do you think all skateboarders were super consistent in the beginning? Right now, wakeskating is still in a major league infancy stage, so the latest tricks (including kickflips, frontside flips,etc) are still being felt out. Wakeskating has unlimited potential and what you're seeing right now is just the tip of the iceburg.

Yeah, wakeskaters fall a lot, but as time goes on and more people get into it and more people ride on a consistent basis (like at a cable park), falls will be fewer and farther between. We here like to call it "progression." For real, in the beginning wakeboarding wasn't that spectacular either. They had small wakes and the tricks weren't anything like what they are today.

I'm not worried, I'm sure everyone said the same thing about skateboarding at one point or another (you know, the part about the improvement rate being super slow--it still takes some people months to learn how to ollie. skating is not a piece of cake.) Like I said, I'm not expecting to find too many fans in a wakeboarding forum that really *get* it.

Lastly, a sea doo doesn't show the true tallents of today's wakeskaters. Right now it's just a side show, but it is still exposure. Once they get the chance to ride behind a boat, larger tricks will be more prevalent. Have you seen grubb's video parts? HOw about thomas'--you can't tell me that hugging a metal hand rail is not a "big crash."

Hey, wait a minute, why complain about consistency when you want to see big crashes??

However,that's not to say that riding behind a 50,000 boat is the only way to do it--it's just one of many options to ride behind (don't forget how many influential firsts took place behind a pontoon boat).

Here's something funny: Nautica opted to use wakeskating for their commercial instead of wakeboardng . Hmmmm....

omfg you have got to be joking. Snowboarding didnt fade just because skateboarding is here. Thats the dumbest post ive seen yet.

I have to agree you, wakeskating is defenitly in its infancy stages right now, and for those of you that know your skateboarding history you know that skateboarding almost completely died out like once every decade since it was born. and look at it today. I don't think wakeboarding will always overshadow wakeskating, however I don't think wakeskating will ever overshadow wakeboarding either. Its like comparing surfing to skateboarding. Skateboarding was something to do for when the surf was bad. Do you honestly believe that the skaters of that day ever thought skating would be as big as it is today? The action sports industry is very unpredictable. while many say that its here to stay... time will only tell. All I know is that I wakeboard and I wakeskate and I will do both until I can't physically do them anymore.

Skateboarding and wakeskating are completely different. I have a skateboard and I can skate any day I want. I can skate by myself or with others. I can skate in my basement or in the driveway. Basically I am unlimited to how much practice I can get. Wakeskating there are limits. You can't just buy a wakeskate and go to the neighbors house and start tearing it up. This is where the learning curve comes into play. Granted some people may become pretty great wakeskaters but the public will not care because it's not feasable for the regular Joe to rip it up and it never will be.

Thanks for the lesson on the definition of progression (there is no need to talk down to me I am an educated adult). A Lot of falling is part of learning, and just because the sport progresses doesn't mean people will fall less.

As far as 'big' goes it, skating doesn't compare. Sure there are instance where the skaters are off the hook but in general the action is not very exciting. For the most part only wakeskaters can appreciate the skills of another wakeskater. It is the nature of a hightly technical sport.

Wakeskating will grow and 'progress', but it will NEVER become mainstream like wakeboarding.

whats this naked chef stuff?

Some are near-sighted, others are far-sighted....

Its obvious who is who.

I use to think that ropes and bindings limited wakeboarding, but I realize now that its the minds of people who are setting these limits. Where has the creativity gone???

SEAMAN

Well I hope not, because, even though I just started, wakeboarding is so much fun! I love it . Plus I don't think I can teach my 5 yo to wakeskate, but who knows.

Wishfull thinking doesn't constitute as creativity.

Seaman, I couldn't have said it better myself. I just quoted you on my "Window of Quotes."

You know, the two are different, yet so similar. Tricks cross over so you can go and practice little shoveits or whatever you want to learn on your skateboard and then take that to the water. So, even if you can't make it to the lake (or wherever) as much, you can still practice (or just have fun for the sake of having fun) on a skateboard. Or, if you really want to,you can learn some stuff on a trampoline.

I do think that you're (rootc) limiting things more than they need to be. In order to wakeskate, all you need is creativity--not some some 50,000 nautique and a glassy, clear lake. I'll give you a couple of examples, with the first one being the pointless jib in "boombox." They set up a fun looking little rail and towed people into it with a four wheeler. One other thing I heard about was this crazy guy in florida being pulled by his pick-up truck in front of this wakeboard shop he works for. I guess the road flooded and his buddy pulled him behind the truck down orange avenue. Whaaa?

One other option that is going to make things easier is the winch. The developer is working on a system so you can ride alone and you can be pulled across any body of water you want--including ditches and other stuff that is normally inaccessible. Just save your duckets folks--it'll be worth it.

Lastly, just because wakeboarding is in the X games doesn't make it "mainstream." I mean, barefoot jumping was in the X games and that isn't mainstream. Wakeboarding has its own limitations that will hold it back: expensive boats, needing a lake, the COST to participate. Interesingly enough, the characteristics that hold wakeboarding back are the exact thing that make wakeskating appealing--it's cheaper, you don't need a huge boat and wake, and if you're creative, you can ride in a lot of different places that you could't reach with a wakeboard (anyone remember the shot of aaron reed doing a frontside board on a rail while being pulled behind a truck?).

Also, when people ride more and become more accustomed to a wakeskate, they do fall less. Daniel lovett is one of the few people that actually have a consistent kickflip, and that came from practice.

Lastly, there are people out there that are interested in a challenge and the "marathon rewards." Not everyone wants a quick, easy fix.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go listen to my ABBA cds.

Oh yeah,seaman, the naked chef thing is a reference to Jamie Oliver--he's my favorite chef (and to my dismay, he was NOT naked on his show. You know, his show was called "the naked chef.")

I think the main hurdle against wakeskating is it is boring to watch. People who know something about wakeskating would be impressed that someone pulled off a kickflip, but the general public is WAY more impressed with a raley that anything you can do on a wakeskate. The "general public" doesn't have a $50,000 boat or get to ride in glassy conditions. They get to ride once or twice a month on the weekend with all the other wallies behind their 1993 Bayliner.

These are the mainstream people. Not the people with $50,000 boats. Not the people who visit wakeboarding websites. I don't think you will EVER get these people to throw away their $200 Walmart Special wakeboards for a wakeskate.

Not cutting down wakeskating at all. Although I really don't care for it, it obviously has its place in watersports. I just don't think it will ever catch on mainstream.

Of course, that is just my opinion.



(Message edited by michaelb14 on September 06, 2003)

mr chef,you dont need a $50000 boat and a glassy clear lake to wakeboard, you can hav a seadoo and a choppy brown/green river

Can't We All Get Along?!?!?

If there's a trend in watersports that's going to fade away, it's wake surfing.

If you ask a skater or snowboarder they'll almost always say wakeskating is cooler than wakeboarding. All the technical inverts are impressive to us (wakeboarders), but they're usually lost on other boarders. I'm not saying wakeskating will surpass wakeboarding, but it has the potential to.

Wakeskating is a pretty cool sport, extremely technical and demanding of incredible talent. But to say that its existence means the end of wakeboarding is akin to say that snowboarding is doomed because you can ride down a mountain on a lunch tray.

Wakeboarding won't die for at least another couple of decades because I'm not gonna stop until they lock me in a nursing home, and as long as there's at least one guy still doing it, it's not dead. Not to mention I'll convert my kids to Wakeboardism.

It's actually Ms chef....

You are right, you don't need a 50,000 boat (mine isn't worth more than 1000.00 and it doesn't have a pylon). However, people are A LOT more picky about what they ride behind when it comes to wakeboarding and at times people tend to use their boat as an excuse as to why they arent' that good (when really it's just poor technique). And I'll admit, when I first started, I was one of those people. But it was those damn dirty seadoos on tour in 1996 that convinced me otherwise. My brother used to harass me and say "Hey, if they can do that stuff (raley's) behind a seadoo, there isn't any reason you shouldn't be able to do it behind our boat." Now I love my 1000.00 alminum boat with high quality rivets that you can't find in a boat anymore. All you need is some old school ghetto balast (buckets of sand and rocks!) and you've got yourself a par-tay. Anyway...

Bird, I agree with you on that one. I have no Idea why it's such a huge trend now; if you look at the first wakeboarding magazines (I'm talking 1993 here) you'll see ads for wakesurfers (or whatever you want to call them...skurfers-ha!) Now hyperlite is making them like they're going out of style. Anyway, to each his own but to me it's a huge waste of gas to surf a knee high wake.

Also, I just want to make it clear that I never said wakeboarding would die...I don't know if anyone else did, but I'm speaking up!

Also, I'd highly recommend watching sfumato--reed's texas gap is crazy (the wakeboarder test pilot didn't even want to hit it). Also, danny hampson does back to back kickflips, no edit (wake to wake and then out in the flats, but I'm not sure if you guys would appreciate that or not). Anyway, it's worth watching to see where wakeskating is heading....so crasy, so crasy....

(Message edited by electricsnow on October 13, 2003)

This was an interesting thread. I watched Beg Borrow and Steal the other day and the Wakeskating was a cool part of it, I will likely buy a wakeskate next year but I will never stop wakeboarding. I am sure both sports continue to grow and evolve.

I think your all wrong the new sport that will take the watersports world by storm is extreme vert innertube competions. That's right once I've perfected my on water 1080's you will all stop laughing and begin to cry.mark my words!

You can get good at wakeskating, but the learning curve is too steep for most. Wakeskating will go the way of other watersports that are fun, difficult, and not that flashy unless you've devoted way too much time: Swivel skiing, trick skiing.

The learning curve for wakeboarding used to be steep...

Anyway, you're probably right, if you can't do a double front or an "ole spin" it'll never last...

Hehe, you're preaching to the wrong crowd over here electricsnow. Your insight is lost in this thread.

Some people appreciate the finer elements of wakeskating, other just wanna try and land the latest flippy spinny thing on a wakeboard - or a big fat raley .

Some people have open minds, some have closed minds.

Some people wakeskate, some people wakeboard.

It's their choice... I feel happy I've made mine.

And,
Some people are multi-talented and even more open minded and appreciate both

I'll have to say I agree with the chef's point's.I do and love both but am def trending towards the skating these days.I live in the whistler area and would have to say that all the skier/snowboarders [many of them pro's] that I take out for the first time are way more interested in wakeskating than wakeboarding by like 10 to 1.I make them wakeboard first to learn how to get up but they all get on the skate right away and stay with it.

Sean - 10 to 1. That is hard to belive. To come up with that stat you must take a lot of people out on the water.

David and Josh - How does having an open mind have anything to do with liking or disliking a sport. For that matter what does having an open mind have anything to do with thinking a sport will do well. It's purely personal preferance/opinion.

This is not a moral discussion... Is it?:-)

Nutin', I was just messing with Josh since he's a close minded wakeskater.
You know Josh, if I could get my hands on a Perserverence I might just come over to the dark side once and for all.
OK, maybe not, but I refuse to ride my Cassette until then.

Josh, you're probably right, considering the wakeskating forum was turned into a wakesurfing forum...

Also, I'll get in touch with you at some point. I've kind of been down and out because I needed another knee surgery and then my knee became infected, which hurt so much more than the actual recovery from surgery. I've just been preoccupied with other stuff...

Never mind, the wakeskating section is up. The first time I came on here it was gone...poof....

rootc yeah I do take alot of people out on the water I didn't think that was that strange.Every one I know is big on skiing/snowboarding/surfing/skating,etc but since we all live the life nobody has any money for a boat.I scraped and bought one[cheap,i/o so not up to standard to most on this board] so now they buy the gas I supply the boat.And your right I did make the 10 to 1 up in reality everyone prefered wakeskating

Sean - I only question you statement because everyone we go out with wants to wakeboard. I have never had someone request to wakeskate. People usually get pushed into trying it. Everyone likes the skate, but would rather tear it up with bindings. I don't take nearly as many people out, but to have completly opposite results is strange.

The difference is probably a result our different attitudes toward wakeskating. My crew thinks its no big deal while your crew thinks it's great. Who knows... Who cares... Have fun on the skate.

Cool I see were you're coming from.Most peeps I take out are skiers (but most snowboard as well] so maybe it's the whole feet locked in thing that makes them uncomfortable in the water though the exclusive snowboarders I know like it too.Don't get me wrong I love to wakeboard, my girlfriend only wakeboards and I don't think wakeboarding will ever die I just think wakeskating has the possibility of surpassing it.There is the poss that my perception is warped from the mainstream though as skating is def much harder and everyone I know is an accomplished athlete so balance isn't an issue.