Top 5 Most Important Wakeboarders to Wakeboarding

(andy_nintzel)

So I just read the Top 5 best wakeboarders thread and there is a clear difference in peoples voting, the Old Schoolers like me want to vote for the riders who had the biggest impact on our sport, on the flip, it looks like a lot of the young guns or people who got into wakeboarding more recently are voting for riders landing the biggest moves that are currently on top of there game.

So now we have the Top 5 most Important wakeboarders thread to get away from the word “best” and focus more on impact they have or had to the sport, vote for the top five Riders you feel are or were the most important riders ever to the sport. I am actually having a hard time deciding who to vote for. I am not going to order my vote because I think they are all equally important.

Shapiro (obviously)
Parks (the first super grom)
Gator (rider/owner)
Byerly (living Ledgend, invented so many moves its crazy)
Murray (hands down one of the best ever to ride a wakeboard)

Don’t forget guys like, Kovak, Horrel, Necrason, Best, Greg Nelson, Zane, Cobe, Ricky G, etc. the list goes on and on. We could have a whole other thread devoted to the ladies of the sport as well.

I bet Umali Posts first!!!

(brinks) · (brinks) **Join Date: Mar 2002** 01-14-2008, 6:59 AM

You forgot Collin Wright

(norcalrider39) · (norcalrider39) **Join Date: May 2007** 01-14-2008, 7:15 AM

I'm pretty sure Nelson would fit into the biggest impact category.

(jon_a) · (jon_a) **Join Date: Feb 2003** 01-14-2008, 7:41 AM

Andy,

You nailed my top five. No question, they are the greatest.

(joshugan) · (joshugan) **Join Date: Apr 2005** 01-14-2008, 8:15 AM

If you were Alliance you'd have to qualify Shapiro by saying "love him or hate him." I think that's so low class when they do that.

I think I'd put Nelson in instead of Gator. Not that Gator's not amazing, just that I think Nelson has done more.

(sloshake) · (sloshake) **Join Date: Mar 2003** 01-14-2008, 8:25 AM

What about Dallas? As far as bringing the female side to the sport (and not just as boat buns) she would have to be listed there.

(andy_nintzel)

Gerald I agree we should list some women too, you have to Have Ladies like Adea Gayten in the List, I think she had the women first Pro Model by fulltilt, in like 1997 or something.

I CANNOT BELIEVE I forgot Write, we ride for the same board shop even!

(tommy_piper) · (tommy_piper) **Join Date: Sep 2007** 01-14-2008, 8:34 AM

BEST
BYERLY
SHAPIRO
MURRAY
PARKS

(wakesurf12) · (wakesurf12) **Join Date: Jun 2003** 01-14-2008, 8:34 AM

Tara Hamilton was before Dallas. So I think she would get my female vote. But other than that I think those would definitely be my top 5 as well. Without any of those guys there would be no wakeboarding.

(timmy) · (timmy) **Join Date: Jul 2001** 01-14-2008, 8:40 AM

was tony finn important?

(wakesurf12) · (wakesurf12) **Join Date: Jun 2003** 01-14-2008, 8:41 AM

Nah... haha! I kid! I kid!

(bbr) · (bbr) **Join Date: Apr 2002** 01-14-2008, 8:56 AM

I vote for Kovak. Isn't he the guy that said,"why grab the board when its already attached to your feet".

What a tool.

K.B.C. 01-14-2008, 9:10 AM

I want Nelly on that list!!!!

(socalwakepunk) · (socalwakepunk) **Join Date: Dec 2002** 01-14-2008, 9:21 AM

Charley Patterson - M2R brought wakeboarding to places / people that never had that kind of opportunity.

(garrett_cortese)

Read page 40 of the Oct/Nov issue of Alliance and you'll get the A-List's version of the eight most influential wakeboarders ever.

(andy_nintzel)

What up Cortese, when you guys gunna come to Minnesota and see how we do it! I did read that great list of OG's.

(chris_williams)

Randall Harris, Scott Byerly, Greg Nelson, Gator, Josh Smith

(bendow) · (bendow) **Join Date: Sep 2005** 01-14-2008, 1:31 PM

david williams
andy nintzel
j-rod
umali
burt reynolds

(liquidmalibu) · (liquidmalibu) **Join Date: Sep 2007** 01-14-2008, 3:37 PM

Im gonna do a guys list, and then a girls...

Shapiro (first great contest rider)

Byerly (no explination needed)

Murray (for bringing the sport we love into the homes of playstation nerds around the world)

Shannon Best (Great aussie rider that left his home and decided to change wakeboarding, also loved the 'best board')

Zane Schwenk - (he could survive a nuclear bomb and still bust mobes whilst marketing his brands)

Girls....

Tara Hamilton (Won contests, got magazine covers.. starred in Shaft. haha)

Sarah Cline (for wakeboarding in a hot thong bikini. still my favourite vid section)

Dallas Friday (i don't know who this person is, but everyone else seems to mention her? haha)

Amber Wing (has given hope to women all over that Dallas can be beaten especially the australians.. she used to compete with the men on the Australian Pro Tour before the women had there own division. first female 720, i could go on)

Leslie Kent (because she landed a pete rose, and that was just freakin crazy)

(otown_dave) · (otown_dave) **Join Date: Dec 2007** 01-14-2008, 3:55 PM

Shapiro (obviously)
Parks (the first super grom)
Gator (rider/owner)
Byerly (living Ledgend, invented so many moves its crazy)
Murray (hands down one of the best ever to ride a wakeboard)

Don’t forget guys like, Kovak, Horrel, Necrason, Best, Greg Nelson, Zane, Cobe, Ricky G, etc. the list goes on and on. We could have a whole other thread devoted to the ladies of the sport as well.

Sounds like the credits for Switch

(bmartin) · (bmartin) **Join Date: Jan 2007** 01-15-2008, 9:46 AM

The riders are no doubt important, but the people developing, promoting, and marketing the sport need to be in the mix. Where would the sport be without the likes of Herb Obrien and all the companies that spun off from him? Or Tony Finn's vision of converting a surfboard to a towable skurfer?

I guess my top 5 would be:

Herb Obrien
Byerly
Finn
Toss up between Murray, Parks, Shapiro
Andrea Gaeten - OK this one would be easy to disagree with but had to throw in a pioneer of women's wakeboarding

(eternalshadow)

Another mention for the girls, Buster.

(wakescene) · (wakescene) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 01-15-2008, 10:41 AM

Let us not forget Dean Lavelle. He was on the HO/Hyperlite team with Darin.

(maggiewss) · (maggiewss) **Join Date: Nov 2007** 01-15-2008, 10:44 AM

dallas friday has some balls after her injury.. and she gets just as much pop as a lot of the guys... thats why i think she is great...
keith lyman is such a good freestyle rider... his style is redic its unexplainable and im sure those of you who agree know what im talking about...

(woreout) · (woreout) **Join Date: Aug 2006** 01-15-2008, 11:15 AM

Maggie I thought Dallas had leg surgery? Did they just grow on their own, or were they added?
Anyway thats some kinda surgery.
I wonder if her board shorts still fit the same way.

(maggiewss) · (maggiewss) **Join Date: Nov 2007** 01-15-2008, 11:17 AM

hahaha that is a good one billy

(woreout) · (woreout) **Join Date: Aug 2006** 01-15-2008, 11:19 AM

Shapiro
P Bonifay
Zane
Murray
Byerly

These 5 guys have been there pretty much since the beginning and I know at least 3 of them still compete.

(kalenk) · (kalenk) **Join Date: Feb 2007** 01-15-2008, 11:46 AM

Hands down.

Shapiro
Erich Schmaltz
Todd Brendel
Scott Byerly
Gator

Moderators please lock thread now.