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Old     (somebuddy)      Join Date: Jun 2009       08-11-2010, 4:49 PM Reply   
I just got back from Lake Powell on Monday, and I had the awesome experience of helping and seeing my 8 year old daughter wakeboard for the first time. She had tried a few times a couple months ago, but was finally able to get up and ride on Friday. Her longest ride was about 5 minutes and I was so happy and proud when she said, "Daddy, can I please just go one more time?" I never thought it would be such a good feeling, it is the same feeling as when I first wakeboarded. It just makes me happy to know that if I ever get too old to ride, I still have my kids to cheer for.
Old     (ian_ashton)      Join Date: Jul 2008       08-11-2010, 5:06 PM Reply   
I got the same feeling watching my cousins (7 year old boy (Charlie) and 9 year old girl (Reagan)) ride. It's awesome.
Old     (kko13)      Join Date: Jul 2006       08-11-2010, 5:16 PM Reply   
CONGRATS!!
I had the same experience last weekend! With my 9yr old daughter.
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Old     (gravity)      Join Date: Jul 2009       08-11-2010, 5:24 PM Reply   
thats what its all about.
Old     (somebuddy)      Join Date: Jun 2009       08-12-2010, 7:32 AM Reply   
Kevin, that's awesome!
Old     (kko13)      Join Date: Jul 2006       08-12-2010, 7:17 PM Reply   
Thanks Russ. She really took to it. I was suprised for sure. we are going again on saturday.She is already telling me she is going first and how many sets she thinks she can do in a day. I may have created a monster. I hope i still get some time behind the boat!
Without a doubt one of my greatest dad moments.
Old     (cwb4me)      Join Date: Apr 2010       08-12-2010, 7:28 PM Reply   
kevin she looks pretty good. how long will it be before shes teaching you tricks.LOL
Old     (stxr_racer)      Join Date: Jun 2006       08-14-2010, 1:28 AM Reply   
Awesome!
Old     (kko13)      Join Date: Jul 2006       08-14-2010, 5:01 AM Reply   
I hear ya Robert! I am just glad she likes it. She is already asking what trick she should learn first. We are going to work on a little edging today. She calls it "driving" "I want to learn how to drive it better " she says.
Old     (cwb4me)      Join Date: Apr 2010       08-14-2010, 7:58 PM Reply   
WELL KEEP HER DRIVING KEVIN. she looks like she likes driving.
Old     (WakeBait)      Join Date: Aug 2010       08-14-2010, 8:18 PM Reply   
Awesome man... Cant wait til i get back from deployment, And get a boat to get my nephews out on the water
Old     (seth045)      Join Date: Jul 2010       08-15-2010, 7:27 AM Reply   
Thats great man! Do you know the best age to put them on a board? maybe start with skis? Thanks
Old     (kko13)      Join Date: Jul 2006       08-15-2010, 6:02 PM Reply   
Byron not real sure its a number thing on the age. my daugher and I thought she was ready @ 7. We tried and it went bad..my fault I didnt really do any work with her ahead of time. I just treated her like older kids/adults I teach. Just a bunch of verbal stuff and bam in the water hold on here we go. Again my mistake.she got pulled out the front and filpped on her belly and FREAKED OUT! She thought she was going to drown. She didnt realize she could float on her beally with the board behind her and be fine. She struggled to flip the board over she is not the biggest kid.Took almost 2 yrs for her to ask if she could try again. She would still ride the kneeboard and tube but she wanted nothing to do with the wakeboard. Then about a month ago out of the blue she asked if she could try the wakebaord again. I almost cried. Learning from our last bad exp. I said yes but I want to do some work in the pool first. She was game and really excited to go to the pool and get some pointers. First thing I did was just put the board on her with vest on and let her float around the pool. You know just get comfy with the board on. Then I flipped her on her stomach. Assured her she could float just the same on her belly as her back. the we practiced flipping over with the board on. Again she is small for her age 9 60#. She had a hard time at first but got the hang of it pretty quick. Then I but a dog leash on a spared handle and practiced giving her pulls up so she could feel the pull and I could watch and coach from close up. we went about 5 times to the pool working 45min-1hr each time. Man when we took it to the lake and put her behind the boat it was amazing. Second pull got right up and has made it up every time since. Two trips to the lake and she looks like she has been doing it for years.
Yesterday was another milestone for her..GOING OUSIDE THE WAKE!! No matter it be on the tube or kneeboard she has always feared going outside the wake. Well yesterday it happend! She was forced outside the wake right on take off and kinda freaked and paniced and fell. But she gained a little confidence and said that it wasnt the bad out there. Then she said she is going to try and get outside the wake! At this point i am freaking all I can picturs is a big crash and then end of her ever wanting to wakeboard agin. But I said ok if YOU think your ready go for it. Meanwhile me and the wife are looking at each other like WTF is going on here. For the last 4 yrs this kid had been so affraid of going outside the wake tears are shead everytime she got pushed outside of the wake. But now she is TELLING us she is going for it! Well man she rode down that wake like a friggin champ! The wife and I went crazy! When she got done with that ride she was so freaking stoaked she made it out there it wasnt even funny. I have a great video of her dismount after the ride. A nice little coast on her heals after letting go with the big touchdown signal ! I will try to download but ii am not very good with comp. crap like that.
sorry for the long post..long story short do the pool work first no matter what age. You will be able to tell if they are ready. And you can be at ease they will be safe and know how to handle themselves when they do fall.
Here are a couple of pics from yesterday. i will try to get the video up.
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Last edited by kko13; 08-15-2010 at 6:05 PM.
Old     (WakeBait)      Join Date: Aug 2010       08-15-2010, 6:13 PM Reply   
Very nice man... Happy parenting moments

She will be shredding like you in no time.. Then it will really be fun
Congrats brother
Old     (dguille)      Join Date: Dec 2007       08-15-2010, 6:59 PM Reply   
Here are some pics of my daughter. She's 5 in the pics but she's 6 now and it is eager to ride every day.
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Old     (WakeBait)      Join Date: Aug 2010       08-15-2010, 7:14 PM Reply   
She is a GA girl, you know she will be shredding soon lol
Old     (kko13)      Join Date: Jul 2006       08-15-2010, 7:19 PM Reply   
Thanx...LOL I dont shred..I just ride,,,but man do we have fun.
here is a pic of me..shreddy as I get LOL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxxVvx592l8 Hope this link works to see the video. Wow you loose alot of clarity on download to youtube. Its all new to me.
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Old     (kko13)      Join Date: Jul 2006       08-15-2010, 7:25 PM Reply   
Yeah the link works.
sorry about the powerturn at the end..I wanted to get back to her so bad! We were the only boat on the lake ALLLL DAY! It rocked. Small lake . but we are usally the only boat out.
Old     (WakeBait)      Join Date: Aug 2010       08-15-2010, 7:28 PM Reply   
Man, she pops up out the water quicker than I do and she's 9 lol

Shredding harder than me lol.. I am pretty new to wakeboarding, Grabs are next on my list when i go out
Old     (WakeBait)      Join Date: Aug 2010       08-15-2010, 7:29 PM Reply   
I know how it is man, thats your baby out there.. I woulda done the samething
Old     (kko13)      Join Date: Jul 2006       08-15-2010, 7:31 PM Reply   
Good stuff David!!!!
big kid she looks about same size as my daughter @9.
Old     (cwb4me)      Join Date: Apr 2010       08-15-2010, 7:34 PM Reply   
kevin it's not as easy as it used to be to get those grabs.lol but it looks like you got good air.kaitlyn looked comfortable riding her board. if you can get her body position straight it will be much easier for her to get back inside the wake. do you know how to show her correct riding position and technique?
Old     (WakeBait)      Join Date: Aug 2010       08-15-2010, 7:37 PM Reply   
Nice TD signal at the end too
Old     (kko13)      Join Date: Jul 2006       08-15-2010, 8:42 PM Reply   
Hit me robert I am always open for tips.As a matter of fact I have a video of a sorry ass tantrum attempt by me I want you to look at and give me some pointers i will post it in the trick section in the next day or so.

Last edited by kko13; 08-15-2010 at 8:44 PM.
Old     (cwb4me)      Join Date: Apr 2010       08-16-2010, 4:48 AM Reply   
okay kevin i'll save my comment for your video.
Old     (somebuddy)      Join Date: Jun 2009       08-16-2010, 9:13 AM Reply   
Kevin, I'll have to check out your video when I get home because The Man blocks it from work Don't tell him about WakeWorld though, or I'll have to quit! Yeah, what you said about the pool is exactly right. For some reason most kids are freaked out about having their feet strapped on a board in the water. I pulled my daughter around by the shore so she could get the feel of the board on her feet and that helped a bunch. I tried the same thing with my 5 year old son but he wasn't having it. I'm not going to push it though because I know he'll come around when he wants to, just like your daugher did. let me know when she lands her first trick!
Old     (mattgettel)      Join Date: Jan 2009       08-16-2010, 9:14 AM Reply   
right on. love the see the little ones out there.
Old     (thor)      Join Date: Oct 2001       08-16-2010, 10:16 AM Reply   
My two boys have finally became a part of our regular riding crew this season. Here is a picture taken with my iphone yesterday at the delta. Trevor is six and Nathan is nine.
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Old     (jmuthafnp)      Join Date: Feb 2006       08-16-2010, 1:42 PM Reply   
We have a four year old in our group that rides and a seven year old that reminds me of a young Randall Harris. The seven year old rides better switch than I do. Here's some info on my buddies four year old, feature on the seven year old coming soon.

http://wakeboardstl.com/?p=805
Old     (somebuddy)      Join Date: Jun 2009       08-17-2010, 12:28 PM Reply   
Dude I love the interview - (Shrugs shoulders, looks at the ground)
Old     (ian_ashton)      Join Date: Jul 2008       09-27-2010, 8:14 PM Reply   
Reagan, age 9:


Charlie, age 7:
Old     (lhlocal)      Join Date: Jun 2003       09-28-2010, 6:59 AM Reply   
I got to know the feeling at the end of this summer. I have a ten year old daughter and a six year old son. Both know how to snow ski and have started to snowboard. They have water skiied on trainer skis a couple times but didnt like it. I didn't pressure them, but would just ask every other week or so. I knew the six year old would because he's into skateboarding and riding his 50. I wasn't sure if my daughter ever would. She's very hesitant about this type of stuff. I really have Parks to thank for getting my son out there. He has a small statue of a little boy peeing in his frontyard, similar to what they have in the airline catalog. Everytime he sees it, he asks why we dont have one. I told him when he can wakeboard we'll buy one for our lake front. Much to his Mom's disappointment that was all it took. The first day he required a little push to get up. The second day he needed no help and was doing it all by himself. The kid can pop out of the water and ride straight at 17.5 mph all day.

My daughter saw this and didnt want to be outdone by her little brother. She made a couple half hearted attempts day one, and I figured she just wouldn't wakeboard. That night she saw some flip flops she wanted and I said no. She already has 30 pairs. The next day son rips, and she says she wants to try. I tell her if she makes it to marina, she gets flip flops. You guessed it first try she makes it to marina and lets go. Gets in the boat and says, I knew I could do it, I just wanted something. Gonna be a long next 8 years.

Two awesome moments for me were after second day of them both ripping my daughter says, "that was fun, now I know why Dad wants to do this all the time!" The second was seeing my tentative daughter start cutting in and out of the wakes on both toe and heel side. I have friends who struggle with that. Ok third was their last run of the season. Water was low 70s and air was 60s. I asked what we were going to do today and they said go wakeboarding. They both ripped, while their old man was out there in a heater shirt.

If anyone has a hook up with little boy peeing statues, I need one by spring.

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