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Raequel Hoffman Hits Two 720's

Shawna and Raequel Hoffman

It was several years ago when I heard the first rumblings about "the Hoffmans" in northern California. I assumed it was two brothers that were slowly turning heads up in that area. I made this assumption based on the brilliant deductive reasoning that not only tells me that 85% of wakeboarders are males, but also that the word 'man' appears in their last name. I told you it was brilliant.

Since my erroneous assumption, I've learned a whole lot more about the Hoffmans. It was brought to my attention that these two rippers were, in fact, lovely young ladies when I heard about them getting a part in The Chick Flick DVD. In fact, I first got to see them ride while playing chase boat for the filming of said DVD at the 2006 Spring Ride at Lake Tulloch.

Shawna Hoffman

I was impressed before they even got a board under their feet. It was spring and it was early. The water was absolutely freezing and the air wasn't much warmer, but both of these ladies insisted that they ride without wetsuits in order to get the best footage for the DVD. They were already acting like complete professionals toward the job at hand and toward each other. Their camaraderie was more like that of two best friends than two competitive sisters, with nothing but encouragement and praise exchanged.

Raequel Hoffman

Since that time, word has spread far and wide about how hard these girls throw down. 19-Year-old Raequel made a mark on wakeboarding by being only the second woman rider to land a 720. 15-Year-old Shawna made a mark of her own by landing a toe back 180 on her first try. In fact, when I had the opportunity to watch these girls ride last summer, Shawna took her first crack at a 720 and nearly hit it and Raequel did the same with a 900.

I could probably ramble on for a few more paragraphs about the accomplishments of "the Hoffmans," but, instead, I'll let them do the talking...

WW: You have both begun competing professionally and finished #2 and #3 in the 2007 WakeWorld Riders Choice Awards Rookie of the Year voting, but how long has it been since you first got up on a wakeboard?

Raequel

RH: We first got up on a wakeboard almost nine years ago when our neighbor Mike Irete had our family try it. But we didn't really start riding a lot until about five years ago. Before then we were pretty naive until we met our friend Kyle Utterback. He started coming out on our boat and inviting us on his boat with his friends.

They taught us why we needed non-stretch ropes, how to go wake-to-wake, that there was such a thing called toeside (laughs). Ever since then we have been really into it. We never thought of ever competing with wakeboarding or anything, but after Justin Nix from CWB started to hook us up with some quality modern equipment, we got more and more into it.

Shawna

SH: I was sold on the first trick I saw Mike throw way back then. He went so huge! To me, it looked like 10 feet up. Then he started throwing all these crazy flips that blew me away. I popped up my first try and promised everyone I'd be trying flips too. All I could do was cross the wake back and forth and, instead of coming back on my toeside edge, I'd do some butter 180's out in the flats. I didn't start trying flips until I was 11.

WW: You've both managed to generate quite a bit of buzz and exposure over the last year. However, it's mostly been via word of mouth rather than self-promotion. To what do you attribute this grassroots swell of support?

Raequel

RH: Nor Cal has a really outstanding grassroots community that we are very proud to be involved with. There are so many sick riders and really nice people that we love to wakeboard and kick it with. We meet a lot of those people and get to know them really well at Nor Cal events like contests and premieres. The DRA's, INT's, WWA's, CIE Spring Ride, Wet Wednesdays, Spanky Beaver and Off-Axis Rail Jam, among many others, allow us to make lots of friends that we hold very valuable. They've also allowed us to have some of the best times of our lives, so we owe a lot to the people who put them on.

Shawna

SH: We are very fortunate to have so many friends we've made through wakeboarding! The many grassroots competitions and events in our area have brought together all the local riders and friendly people to have fun. My first competition was a local Nor Cal WWA put on by Troy and Lisa Ingolia. I was all nervous because I didn't know anyone or how to put together a run. I started talking to this really cool girl named Bree, who was in my division, and we had fun meeting new people. I didn't even care that I probably took last place because everyone was so friendly.

It's not just going to comps to meet others. I enjoy watching the outlaws or the younger crowd getting better every time! So much work goes into putting on these events and I really appreciate it from everyone! Maybe when I'm older, I'll be putting some together.

Shawna

WW: Will you both be competing in the Pro Women division for 2008?

RH: Yes

SH: Yeah, I will for sure! I had a good two seasons of Junior Women and I feel it's time to move on.

WW: Would either of you be as serious about wakeboarding if you didn't have your sister along for the ride?

RH: No, because we both help each other and push each other every day. When we're on the boat, we can tell each other what we are doing wrong, suggest new tricks and different places to grab the board, etc.

SH: I wouldn't. It's really difficult to ride without an inspiration to look up to or to be pushed from. Seeing my sister try her first inverts about 100 times all summer to land them made me want to work hard on something new. She also taught me to never give up until I land it.

Raequel

WW: Does it help or hurt to have a sister who is also pursuing a wakeboard career? How does it help or hurt?

RH: It definitely helps because we can learn from each others' mistakes and we know each other better than anyone else, so we can tell each other what to do to perform best on the water. The only way it might hurt us is if people can't tell the difference between us, but we don't blame them. If it helps, I have bangs and Shawna doesn't.

SH: It helps me because that way we're both working together and helping each other. In the future, I know that we'll be fighting to land the new best trick first so that one of us will get the first credit. I'm sort of scared! I know its coming.

WW: How competitive are you with each other?

RH: Not very competitive any more, but we used to be. I remember sitting in the boat with a cast around my leg crying at Shawna, "No, stop trying whirlybirds! It's not fair if you land it before I do. You can't try them until my leg heals!"

SH: Not so much right now because we both like to learn our own tricks. But I know that later this season, we'll be competing in the same heats and it's going to be hard and frustrating trying to beat my own sister.

Shawna

WW: Which one of you has more sponsors?

RH: We have all the same sponsors right now.

WW: What's your favorite trick to do and what's your favorite trick that your sister does?

RH: My favorite trick would probably be a big nose 360 off of the double up when I can land it. I think Shawna is one of the only people I could ever love to watch do roll to reverts and half cab rolls not grabbed. She takes them big and out in the flats and I just like the way they look when she does them one after another. But I also like her ts bs 180's too.

SH: I like smooth tootsie rolls and ts bs 180's. I'm so proud of my sister's 7 that she has consistent. Hopefully she'll be throwing them in contests!

Raequel

WW: Tell us something about your sister that she doesn't want us to know.

RH: I'm working on a list of her top blondest moments. I'm not going to mention all of them, but some include thinking that Norwegia is a country and thinking that there were hippos in the Mississippi River. When she was little and even now she can have some major temper tantrums. She used to kick her bike when she couldn't ride it without training wheels and scream, "Stupid bike! Stand straight!"

SH: She used to drive a dump truck to high school. When she did basketball, she dribbled down the wrong way on the court and almost gave the other team points.

WW: How much have you been riding this winter?

RH: The last time we rode was Thanksgiving weekend, but if this interview comes out by February, we will probably have started riding again. I've been snowboarding at least three times a week and I think that it can really help with rails and courage. There are certain rails I never would have tried on a wakeboard had I not already done something similar on the snowboard.

Raequel

SH: We live in Northern California, so it gets to below freezing temperatures in the winter time. Last time we rode was Thanksgiving Day with Justin Nix! We'll be out on the water in February. In the winter, we do a lot of snowboarding and sometimes if there's not enough snow, we'll ride some single track.

WW: Have you ever thought about moving to some place like Orlando in order to ride year round in warmer conditions?

RH: Yes, I've thought about that before. I lived there for a little bit last year when I worked as a cook for The Wakeboard Camp. I will be doing that again this year. I really appreciate being able to ride with people like Kyle Schmidt. This will be my last semester that I can take online classes, so if I go there next year it will have to be during school breaks. I wouldn't want to live there all year because I think there are way too many things I would miss about California. Where else can you be able to snowboard and wakeboard in one weekend, have Shasta camping trips on fine channels of water, feel like a pirate in the Delta, have the coast within driving distance and have a "Governator?"

Shawna

SH: Yeah, I would like to visit maybe for one month in the winter, but I do enjoy the different seasons from summer to winter, spring, etc. I appreciate the scenery of how everything changes. It gives me something else to look forward to.

WW: What is it like to live and ride in Nor Cal? What are your favorite riding spots?

RH: The biggest difference about Nor Cal is what we do when we aren't wakeboarding. It's very rare for us to go out on the lake just to practice wakeboarding. We go out as a family with our parents or our friends and we hang out together as a family. In between sessions, we like to do what Shawna and I call "exploring." We've found some really cool waterfalls, big rocks to jump off, sand beaches, caves and even old ruins (Ok, maybe not ancient, but still old and cool to find).

The Delta has some more things to "explore" too. Whether it's a different restaurant or town on the shore, a different animal to see or different looking cove or lagoon, the Delta has a Jimmy Buffet type of pirate atmosphere, I think. The prettiest places to ride are in the Sierra mountains where there are coniferous trees everywhere and bright blue water. I can't reveal the exact names of those lakes. Sorry.

Raequel

SH: Well, like I said, there are many beautiful places in Nor Cal. But for me, it's really cool 'cause we have a lot of reservoirs that are only 30 minutes to maybe three hours away from where I live. In spring, everything is so green and pretty. I feel like I'm in kind of a tropical paradise. As far as favorite riding spots go, I can't tell, so the word doesn't get out.

WW: Who do you usually ride with other than each other?

SH: Alex Scagliotti comes down and rides with us and helps so much. He is one of the best riders from the Northwest. We have lots of fun! Terry and Michelle Leroy, Blake Cannon, Derek Conway, Shelby Kantar, Matt Norton, the whole Delta Crew: Paytons, Twelkers, Dinatales.

RH: In addition to everyone Shawna mentioned, I ride with the Chico State Wakeboard Team quite a bit. They are really cool people who seem to have adopted me even though I go to Butte College. Kyle Utterback, Kevin Skeen and Kevin Copeland are some of our oldest and best wakeboarding friends. When I am in Sacramento, I ride with Jake "Spin2win" Weaver and Matt Norton. In

Shawna

Florida I ride with Kyle Schmidt, Trevor Hansen, Robert Sichel, Bo Burton and Chad Lowe to name a few.

WW: What aspect of wakeboarding does your sister do better than you?

RH: Shawna's style seems to come more natural with her where I have to work harder on mine. She does more on-axis spins and a lot more switch tricks. Shawna's really good at riding switch because she's goofy on a snowboard and regular on a wakeboard.

SH: Contests, consistency. She has more mobes than I do.

WW: What tricks are you working on right now that you just can't seem to get?

RH: Raleys. I've had so many people try to help me for so long and I just can't do it. They turn into huge backrolls even when I put a ton of weight on my front foot. It very much vexes me, but I'm just going to try to get a batwing instead of a heelside Raley.

SH: Any type of a Raley-based trick.

Raequel

WW: Which trick gives you the hardest crashes?

RH: I try to do mute off axis 180's and they really hurt when they accidentally turn into ole 540 crashes.

SH: Back mobes give me really hard crashes when I try them.

WW: How do you deal with the fear of trying a new trick and/or crashing hard?

RH: I make sure I have bindings that my feet will come out of when I fall hard. I wear a mouth guard and just always focus on the positive side and never on the negative side. I don't really get scared when I wakeboard. Maybe it's because there have been other things that have scared me a lot more like steer riding, big snow tabletops and bungee jumping. But the best feeling ever is overcoming those fears with the satisfaction of being able to say, "I did it! I didn't get hurt and it was really fun!"

SH: For trying new tricks, I'll basically get up the courage to just go for it. I don't let fear stop me. Most of the time, if I know something's gone wrong, I'll just dive into the water and cover my head. New tricks come out either totally off or really close, but it still takes me forever to get it down.

Shawna

WW: What new tricks will we be seeing from you this year?

RH: I've been working on trying to get a Pete Rose, slim chance, big method 180's in the flats, pressing rails more and also some other possible surprises.

SH: I'm really trying to get a flat 7 down, probably some backside spins, anything to blind...hopefully.

WW: If you could be given three new tricks to add to your bag, what would they be?

RH: I mentioned them above.

SH: Most tricks I try take me months to land. If I'm lucky, weeks. So it's hard for me to imagine tricks to be given to me. But if they were, I guess it would be a back mobe, a stalefish glide like Aaron Rathy's and a double grabbed ts bs three.

WW: How was it to be featured in The Chick Flick?

RH: It was awesome! Turbognarlatron! David Cervenka and Joe Umali are some of the tightest people I've ever met. Filming for it allowed us to be able to ride with other girls, which is kind of rare, but really fun to be able to do. The movie does a really good job showing the progress girls have been making and I'm really glad to be a part of it!

Raequel

SH: It was awesome! I got to meet all these other girls who kill it! Reno Pro Tour was really fun because a bunch of the girls got to take a small trip out to a private lake, which was pretty sick. We felt all exclusive like it was this private VIP thing. We had lots of fun riding on the glassy waters of the Delta with Shelby and Gretchen! We are definitely stoked on our section! All the other girls' sections turned out great too. It definitely shows that wakeboarding's all about having fun. David Cervenka and Joe Umali did a really good job! Thank you to Epic and other sponsors. Without you guys, there would be no Chick Flick.

WW: What's your favorite wakeboarding video other than The Chick Flick?

RH: I really like My Side. The Cali section and Randall's section rule. Delta Sessions 2 is also one of my favorites.

SH: I love The Truth! I'm sure everyone else does too! But I also really like Retrospect, All or Nothing, One Eye Shut and both Inspirado and CWB Nor Cal Faction team video.

Shawna

WW: Are you going to be appearing in any other wake videos?

RH: Riley Poor made a CWB team video that will be given out at the tour stops this year. It's called Inspirado and I like it a lot! I really like Nick Jones and Gabe Lucas' parts. The CWB Nor Cal Faction video was really good too, by Damon Chamberlain. Matt Norton, Joel Deroche, Brandon George and Billy Tonis have ultra-sick sections, but there are a ton of other riders in that video that really stand out too. Damon is going to make another video with more Nor Cal riders in addition to the C-Dub riders, which will be out this spring.

SH: Just CWB's Inspirado, Epic's team video and Nor Cal Faction. The Faction video is really good for those who haven't seen or heard of it. It shows several good riders out of this area who deserve to have some fame! So if you happen to be walking by the CWB booth at a boat show, just watch for a couple minutes.

WW: Shawna, do you go to high school like a "normal" kid or do you have to do some sort of alternate schooling because of your busy schedule?

Shawna

SH: Yep, I'm a sophomore at Durham High. It's about 400 students, pretty small, so you know everyone at school. I run track and cross-country to stay in shape for wakeboarding. I work my best to keep up good grades. It is hard when I'm traveling. I do my make up work on the plane and my mom's a math teacher, so whenever I'm stuck, she's always there. I really appreciate her.

WW: Raequel, How do you work college and wakeboarding into your schedule?

RH: I go to Butte College and take normal classes during the fall and online classes during the spring. It's not always easy, but it used to be a lot harder when I went to school, wakeboarded and worked at a restaurant. I'd go to work with my hair still wet from the lake. This is my last semester at Butte and I'm taking full time online classes so I can work as a cook at The Wakeboard Camp in Florida. The online classes have discussion boards like WakeWorld except instead of talking about wakeboarding you get to talk about stuff like deductive categorical syllogisms of argumentation. Woohoo!

Raequel

WW: Other than school, what do you do when you're not wakeboarding?

RH: I snowboard, longboard, ride my dirt bike, disk golf, take my friends to go get freaked out in places we dub as "haunted," work in construction with my dad sometimes and go to church.

SH: Ride some single track with my family here and there, ride my horse, snowboard, if we have good snow (it really helps with rails), attend my high school dances and games as much as I can, go camping - boat in camping - I love being around the fire, roasting marshmallows with my friends or cousins! I always have the best memories camping!

WW: Tell us about your bungee jumping experience.

SH: We wakeboard a lot with Terry and Michelle Leroy. They're awesome riders, I love them so much! They're also professional bungee jumpers and have a team, Vertigo Bungee.

Shawna bungee jumping

I believe Michelle is actually the first woman to jump one of the tallest bridges in the world! She jumped Royal Bridge out of Canyon City, Colorado at 1,053 ft! They took our family to a local spot last August. I jumped at night. As I jumped, the first two seconds were amazing! Then I started to get worried because my cord hadn't pulled yet. I thought the cord snapped! Then after another two seconds went by, my cord pulled and my heart stopped beating. But when I got back to the top I was so excited that I did it again! These were the longest, most amazing three seconds of my life! I jumped 185 feet, so imagine how Michelle felt when she jumped 1,053! Vertigo Bungee will be in Portland during the Tige Pro Am tourney if you want to jump with them. Many other pro riders have gone, so you should try it for sure!

RH: That was the scariest thing I've ever done. It's like the scariest roller coaster times fifty and the bridge we jumped wasn't even that high compared to some of the others Terry and Michelle jump. Definitely one of the best experiences I've ever had.

Shawna getting ready to wake someone up!

WW: Shawna, can you explain what you're up to in this picture?

SH: We're all camping at an INT tourney. One morning, Justin P. and I find this huge snake! I run over to check if it has any rattles on it, you know, nothing dangerous. I pick it up and we got dared from a certain dad (whom I won't name) to play a joke on Robby Carter. We woke up Rob with this snake on his bed and then the snake started hissing. I really regret that! He is so nice, so hopefully he will forgive me.

WW: Do you prefer contest riding or freeriding?

RH: I actually like contests a lot even though I don't perform my best at them because that's where I get to see lots of my close friends. I just don't like practicing for contests, although I do it every day because I know I'll fall behind if I don't. When I'm out behind the boat, I'd rather be trying to do different tricks and having fun than practicing a pass. Local contests and rail jams where I compete against the Open Men are really fun because I'm not out there to try to win. I'm just there to have fun and, because of that, I perform a lot better.

Raequel and Shawna

SH: I definitely like freeriding because I don't have to rush my tricks. I can learn new ones, focus on style and getting lots of air. But I also really enjoy competitions. Some people don't like contests because you get so little time to ride, but I see it as a day to hang out with friends and meet new ones. Then I put my head into the game and ride my best! If I win, cool deal. If I lose, it's never really a big deal unless I've traveled across the country for a huge contest. Then, I'll be a little depressed.

WW: What's the hardest part of competitive wakeboarding?

RH: I still get pretty nervous. I don't get as nervous as I used to when I was first starting out, but that's definitely the hardest part. It's tough how you can't just put your hardest or most fun tricks in your run and you have to do your most consistent tricks instead.

SH: Calming down before you ride. I always have to get into a happy mood, do a couple jumping jacks to get the butterflies out of my stomach, get a good song stuck in my head and take a couple huge deep breaths.

Raequel attempts a 9

WW: Which rider do you fear the most when it comes to competitions?

RH: All of the women can be frightening these days, but that's a good thing. There is no such thing as an “easy heat” because every girl out there is trying her best to progress and push forward in the sport. There is a lot more style and difficulty that you see now more than ever with the girls. I wish we had more than two Pro Tour stops to showcase all of that hard work.

WW: When competing against each other, do you share your trick lists or keep them a secret from each other?

RH: We tell each other. Having a sister to share all the secrets with can help a lot. We both know each other better than anyone else, so whoever goes off the dock first can tell the other one of us vital information. She can tell me or I can tell her whose wake that wake was most similar too, if we should move our ropes out or in, how the course was and everything like that. She might tell me, "Think twice about throwing your front to fakie, you might over-rotate it," or "Make sure to really wait and pop before you do anything on this wake."

Shawna attempts a 7

SH: It depends if we're in the same heat. If not, we'll both talk about our runs and help each other decide how to fit certain tricks in through the apparatus.

WW: Tell us about your training regimen. Do you have coaches? How much time do you spend on the water each week?

RH: It's funny because we used to just have an instructional DVD, Higher Education, which was our primary source of coaching for a long time. I always looked up to, but never thought I'd ever be able to meet the people who taught in the DVD. Now some of the people who made the DVD have taught me some of my hardest tricks. Kyle Schmidt taught me how to do crow mobes and Zane Schwenk taught me a whirlybird. Working at The Wakeboard Camp has allowed people like Kyle to help me a lot. Derek Conway at the Delta Wakeboard Camp has also helped us too! I can't wait to work there this summer. Alex Scagliotti also has helped us a ton. I think he's ridden with us the most, so he really knows what would be best for us as far as which new tricks we should try. There have been some times when I've almost lost a trick and he'll always get it back for me.

SH: Well, we started out learning most of our basic tricks from Higher Education and trying them on the trampoline. My sister helps me a lot. We don't really have specific coaches. We ride with other really good riders, who definitely help us, like Alex Scagliotti, Derek Conway, Blake Cannon, Matt Medved and Jared Rice. Raequel and I ride nearly every day in the summer, trying new tricks and working on our runs for big competitions to come. When school starts, we go out on weekends and as many evenings as we can.

Raequel

WW: If/when you get a pro model board, what kind of board would you design graphically and shape-wise?

RH: I would like to see a board that could be a really good wake and rail board; one that has a curved up nose and tail like a snowboard so you could still make really high ollies. If it could work out so you could still cut just as aggressively as you always would on a wake riding board that would be pretty rad. There are some good things about the Sapphire that I would like to keep, like the center spine and mild three stage rocker because those qualities eliminate the pain of landing in the flats. Graphically, maybe it would have paisley designs on it with some other type of artwork in the middle, like a wolf howling at a moon or something.

SH: It would have an aggressive edge for those fast cuts that bring you 10 feet out into the flats. The design would have lily flowers and an outline of huge palm leaves spread all across the top buried in other hibiscus flowers. The bottom would be a bright pink or lime green that reflects on the water, especially for those perfect glassy days!

WW: What is your current setup; board, bindings, speed and line length?

RH: '08 CWB Sapphire with Ember Bindings, Diamond Series handle, 85feet at 25mph.

Shawna

SH: CWB '08 Sapphire 134, Tiffany bindings, Proline Diamond Series LG. 80' at 24mph.

WW: What kind of music do you like to listen to on the boat? Give us some of your favorites.

RH: Guns & Roses, Swollen Members, Minus the Bear, Shiny Toy Guns, A.F.I., Kenny Chesney and Jason Aldean. Lots of diversity. It can depend on where we are and who is on the boat, but I like everything.

SH: To get pumped up, I like any kind of rock alternative. I like the old school '90s country or island music.

WW: What are your goals for the 2008 season?

RH: I want to help progress women's wakeboarding as much as I can. I would really like be as much of an idol to some other girls like Dallas, Melissa and Shelby have been for me. I would like to land lots of new tricks and start grabbing and poking them out in different ways. Making some podiums at contests would make me happy too. I've chosen a few tricks that I would really like to land this year. I've been trying to find a sponsor for a pro women's division at Boardstock for a few years and in the past have surrendered and competed with the pro men instead. If I could help get a women's division there this year, that would be awesome.

Raequel

SH: I would like to get a couple podiums, get some blind tricks down and to get at least one Raley trick

WW: What wake event are you most looking forward to for 2008?

RH: Reno is one of my favorite locations for the Pro Tour. The casinos in Reno are incredibly fun and plus it's close to home, so that's always nice. I'm looking forward to some local events too, like the CIE Spring Ride. That's always a blast! Georgia is gorgeous and I like driving around with my friends when I'm there, looking for old scary roads or cemeteries to venture off to.

SH: Either Georgia Pro Tour stop or Worlds to be held in Oklahoma.

WW: Which riders do you think will make a big impact on wakeboarding in 2008?

RH: For men, Bryan Hutton is going to make a big impact. He's the best spinner there is in my opinion. All of his different variations of 900's look effortless, and all in one motion and not just thrown around everywhere. It's hard to explain, but if you've seen him ride you know what I mean. I think he could do a wake-to-wake ten. Everything else he does is big and stylish too.

Raequel

For girls, I think Shelby Kantar will continue to make a big impact. I remember the first time I saw her ride. She was competing against all these boys in the higher division at a local comp. I was in women's intermediate thinking, "How cool would it be just to be on the dock riding with those guys? That chick is awesome!" The next year we were both competing against the guys and the year after we were riding the Pro Tour, which she won! She deserves a lot of respect because she worked really hard for everything she's achieved and nothing has ever just been given to her on a silver platter. That kind of natural talent and drive is going to continue to pay off.

SH: Alex Scagliotti, A.J. Racinelli, The Valdez brothers, Rafael Derome, Nicola Butler and, hopefully, my sister and I.

WW: What are your long-term goals? What do you want to be doing in five years?

RH: I'll be 24. There are a few tricks that I would like to be able to say I was the first female to land. I would like to stand in my room next to at least a few guitars from the Pro Tour, sitting next to a framed bachelors degree in English and maybe with a ring on my left finger. That would make me very content. In the further distant future I would like to be an English teacher and have a family.

Shawna

SH: I definitely want to still be involved in the wakeboarding industry. I also plan to go to college and get an elementary teaching credential.

WW: What kind of advice do you have for young riders, especially females, that are looking to follow in your footsteps?

RH: It's important to be careful out there so you might want to wear a mouth guard and helmet if you go for something big. Make sure your feet can come out of your bindings on a hard fall. Learn the basics first. It helps to get professional coaching at whatever level you are at because that can help avoid bad habits. Also wear sunscreen out on the boat. And if you are a girl, don't be afraid to be the only female wakeboarding on the boat.

SH: Never forget the meaning of wakeboarding. Always have fun! Never give up. Always have faith in yourself. Hard work and determination is what it takes to pay off in the long run. That goes for anything!

WW: Tell us about the support you've gotten from your parents.

Shawna

RH: There's a tremendous amount of support from our parents. We wouldn't be anywhere if it weren't for them. I really respect how they grew up working hard all their lives to be able to provide us all of the fun we have. They weren't as lucky as Shawna and I are when it came to fun things to do on the weekends. My Dad grew up on the Delta, but the most he ever got to do on the water was float on his homemade raft. He works his back off framing in the heat and my mom stays up late grading papers so we can wakeboard. They ride too and they rip! Our mom does wake-to-wake 180's and grabs and our dad has almost landed multiple inverts! We are really thankful that our parents are this supportive.

SH: My parents are always there for us. My dad comes out on the boat as much as he can. He works every day building houses, working so hard so that we have the chance to wakeboard. My mom is a math teacher. She gets the summer off and takes us out to the lake as much as we can. But it's not just that my parents support us in giving us pulls or coming to our competitions, they like to ride too. It's our main thing that we get to do together on the weekends. I thank them so much for all they do for us!

Raequel

WW: Who would you like to thank?

SH: God, my parents, everyone at CWB Board Co., all the people at Epic, David Cervenka and Joe Umali at DPC Films, Bern Helmets, Flojos, CIE Clothing and the guys, Kyle Utterback, all the guys and girls that we've ridden with who have helped us improve in our riding. You guys know who you are. All the people who put on the local events from Nor Cal to So Cal and even the national ones. You guys make them so fun and work so hard!

RH: Everyone who Shawna thanked, also Justin Nix, Terry and Michelle, the Hutcheck family, Kyle, Robert and everyone else at The Wakeboard Camp, all the Chico State Wakeboard cats, everyone who has ever filmed me, everybody who has ever given me a pull or helped me learn something, all of my friends, Damon Chamberlain, Priscilla Scollin, David Williams for the interview and chase boating in SD and Jesus.

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