Are we forgetting what wakeboarding is all about?

I just got done reading the thread about Rathy's boat deal with MB. Who cares who he signed with? We should be happy that another boat company is stepping up and coming into the mix. I am from Nor Cal and have personally met the president of the company and from what I have seen he is a stand up guy. I work at boat dealership in Stockton, CA and have gone to MB's factory to pick up boats and he has personally come out and helped me hook up the boat and made sure everything was all good. But none of this should matter. The fact is is that one of the top pros in the sport changed boat sponsors and we should congratulate him. God knows that 90 percent of us that come on this website couldn't get a boat sponsor if our life depended on it.
As I recall when I started none of this mattered. I learned how to wakeboard behind a 1972 Keaton and watched my brothers best friend learn Raileys behind it with no tower and no ballast sytem. Back then it didn't matter how big your wake was or who was riding behind what. It was a family fun event to go out on the California Delta, find a beach and spend the day on the water til you got a sunburn.
I was also on Ricky G's thread about the new systemic 2.0 at Wolf Lakes and saw a bunch of negativity as well. Like I said before I work at a boat shop and I help run the pro shop as well. I know all of you have seen the decline in the sport due to the economy. Even when I get our monthly subscription to Alliance, I pick it up and it is about half the size of what it used to be. I guess what I am trying to say is that our sport is small and the current budget crisis isn't helping at all. But the few who have expeienced wakeboarding have a passion for it. Lets just keep it real and go out there and RIDE FREE.
If you got on this website for the first time and saw the negativity that people have been posting you might be turned away. Lets keep this sport strong and remember the roots. Us as fans and as riders need to do all we can to help keep this sport going. Lets quit all this negative nancy B.S. and just have fun.

Sorry if I sound like I am whining but I have a lot of spare time at work cause the season isn't quite here yet so I am on here a lot and I just thought something should be said.

"As I recall when I started none of this mattered."

When you started there wasn't an internet either. Negativity on the net is like hookers without STD's, they just don't go together.

With that said there are a LOT of people that linger here and don't necessarily post because of all the internet warriors and monday morning QB's. Just take a look at just about ANY good video posted that doesnt have the rider wearing a PDF, about 5% of the topic actually relates to the riding...and of that 5% about 4% are people saying the riders should have grabbed some trick different, or the riding "just wasn't that impressive".

I actually agree. Sometimes riding has lost its fun factor because it is so competitive now and people are just too critical. I see it at the lake and on the boards. The stoke meter for boarding right now has dropped a few notches. I think once summer is in full swing, it will come back a little.

I'm sure everyone would agree with what you are saying, but I'm also pretty sure nobody is going to change their attitude on this site, or anywhere really. People will be people. But as long as there are still people willing to pick up that guy standing at the end of the dock with a board, vest, rope and a 20 for gas, I think wakeboarding will be alright.

Ya that thread was starting to get under my skin. But I knew it would. I don't even like to argue because it will just end up getting uglier. If you are not on the most popular board or most popular boat then some think you are compromising for a lesser product. It would be cool if there was some scientific way to measure the size and mass of a wake. I bet people would be surprised at how similar all the wakes are on high end wake boats. The shapes may be a little different but as far as energy potential, I don't believe there is some vast difference. I see people rip centurion apart, yet you see sean o'brien and his students absolutely booting in the recent videos. If someone is picking between the big three then "it is all preference" but throw a lesser known brand in there and all of the sudden the wake just doesn't hold up. So anyways I say go MB make it the big 4!

Originally Posted by liquidmx

"As I recall when I started none of this mattered."

When you started there wasn't an internet either. Negativity on the net is like hookers without STD's, they just don't go together.

Bahahahahaha AWESOME!

I thought they did go together. Can't have one without the other

I thought wakeboarding was about Boat Bun.... isnt that point of going out on the lake anyway?

Its just all the pent up anger from the winter and 6+ months of no riding. Everyone needs a slump buster and take that first run of the season. That will cure the funk.

Originally Posted by nuckledragger

Its just all the pent up anger from the winter and 6+ months of no riding. Everyone needs a slump buster and take that first run of the season. That will cure the funk.

Werd. Warmer weather is coming, but it's just not warm enough to ride yet. As soon as everyone gets back out on the water these threads will stop.

Don't forget about us who wakeboard for the chicks!! To some of us that is what it's all about!

So you read a thread where 90% was congratulating Rathy, and 2 maybe 3 people were negative, and a post where a Pro was trying to gain exposure like they all are and it was incredibly half assed, and again 2 or 3 people commented, and the whole sport/this website is going down the drain?

It's a forum where people want to post their thoughts, opinions, and discuss stuff. Not having that would make it facebook, or alliance

I see where you are going with this, I bet Rathy is SO stoked to get the deal.
Where in stockton do you work?