Shaun Murray (Pic: Lloyd Murray)

We stopped by Shaun's house to talk about his latest venture, the Back Yard Tour, as well as a few of the other things he's got on his plate.

WW: Shaun, first of all, tell us about the cast on your hand.
SM: I was playing softball - center field - and Cobe hit a pop fly and I dove for it and the glove went backwards. Five screws later I'm back together.

WW: What did you break?
SM: The fourth metacarpal, which connects the finger to your wrist.

WW: What's the prognosis?
SM: About a month, to the end of April and I should be OK.

WW: Has it slowed you down?
SM: I missed the first few tour stops. It was kind of nice sitting back and watching. I did some announcing at the Pensacola stop. It was cool. I have a lot to learn about announcing, but it was fun just to get up there and do something different.

WW: Let's talk about the Back Yard Tour. What's it all about?
SM: I just wanted to do something different and also to give something back to all the dealers and customers who have given us riders so much and allow me to wakeboard.

WW: How many stops are there going to be?
SM: About 23 over two months and ten states. We start at the Masters in Georgia and work our way through Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan, and then back down to Indiana, Illinois and St. Louis. The fourth of July we head south again through Arkansas, and finish during the middle of July in Mississippi.

WW: What will the tour look like?
SM: A big bus pulling a boat with me inside it. Actually, the tour is structured around having a good time. Kind of a hang-out session for the shop owners, employees and their customers. At some stops, in the morning, we'll just go out on the boat with the shop and go for a ride. The afternoon is for the customers and everyone to come out and do some off the water stuff like playing football, basketball or whatever just to show that I'm a normal person just like they are. Maybe play some softball and break my other hand. Then an exhibition as well. Each stop will be different according to what the dealer wants.

Shaun and Roxie (Pic: Lloyd Murray)

WW: Who will be traveling with you as your BYT crew?
SM: My dog, Roxie, the coolest dog in the world, may go along. And during the tour people will be coming and going. My dad will be with us for about half the tour, as well as Kerri, my personal assistant, Gary, from Hyperlite and Greg Meloon. Several magazines and other pros have expressed an interest in coming as well. It's just a question of whether we can make that happen.

WW: So is this kind of like a traveling clinic?
SM: Not whatsoever. This is NOT A TRAVELLING CLINIC (put that in caps)! At the same time I want people to learn something from me while I'm out there. But this is for getting back to what wakeboarding is about. When I started wakeboarding, it wasn't because I wanted to go out there and meet somebody at a clinic. It was because I wanted to ride with my brothers and my friends, go out with my family and have a good time. That's what I want to get back to.

WW: Who's sponsoring the tour?
SM: The major sponsors are Hyperlite, Correct Craft and Activision. But WakeWorld.com, Boss Towers, Legend, Vans, GM Vortec Engines, Newt Juice, Fox, Ocean & Earth and Wake Boarding Magazine are all helping as well.

WW: Any free time in the schedule where you haven't planned a stop?
SM: I think there's a gap in the Midwest, in the Indiana area and if you've got some place to go ride that would be fun. Email my dad (Lloyd), who's the tour manager, at LMTWA@hotmail.com.

Shaun Murray (Pic: Hyperlite)

WW: How about next year?
SM: Next year our schedule's completely open. In fact, I'm hoping to expand. I've been talking to the other boat companies. I want to get one rig for each of the major boat companies - Nautique, Mastercraft, Tige and Malibu - and bring along a couple of riders per rig. Just have more people, all going to the same place and do this on a bigger scale.

WW: How can riders convince you to stop at their "unscheduled" site?
SM: Tell us where the best looking girls are...just kidding! Actually, it's where the most fun is. Not necessarily the biggest party. But who has the most fun out on the water and enjoys wakeboarding the most. I don't care how good you are. If you just learned to get up, it doesn't matter.

WW: Do you mind teaching beginners?
SM: No. Beginners are probably the most fun to teach because it's like they have a light turned on in their head and they see that there's so much to learn. I like teaching people at the highest level, but nobody gets as excited as someone who gets up for the first time or is learning their first flip.

WW: What should we be looking for in the way of new tricks from Shaun this year?
SM: Well, I've got a video game out that can do lots of tricks. New tricks? Well, I just went riding yesterday and not being able to use my left hand forced me to try stuff I've never done before, so we'll see.

WW: So you're really focusing on the BYT?
SM: Yeah, I want to push forward with this just so it can be something that's not just a side item for the years to come, but maybe one of the main events that a lot of the pro riders look forward to going to.

Shaun Murray's Pro Wakeboarder Video Game

WW: What can you tell us about your video game?
SM: It should be on the road with us. We should have a demo version that we all can play. You know when Activision originally approached me I thought they would have a tough time making a wakeboarding game that was comparable to Tony Hawk's game, or the snowboarding game, but now that I've seen it and played it, it totally blew me out of the water (no pun intended). It's actually amazing and really fun to play. If you can play Tony Hawk, you can pick this controller up and go right to it.

WW: When will it be in the stores?
SM: This Christmas on GameCube, X-Box, PS2 and there's talk about GameBoy Advanced as well.

WW: Let's talk about your equipment. How different is your 2002 board from the 2001?
SM: I went to the fin as opposed to the molded-in fins, just 'cause I wanted to try some different configurations - change in fin depth and size - and get a little bit better track out of it. And we added just a different tip and tail that would work better with that fin configuration. And the board, with the new DNA's and the new Biolite foam they're running, has more pop than ever.

WW: What changes will we see with the 2003?
SM: Just graphics. I've been really happy with the shape. We're able to do so much with the different fins. Right now I'm riding 0.7 inches on all the fins. There isn't anything I want to do to the shape this year. Maybe we'll see something different in 2004, but we have some cool graphics right now.

Shaun Murray (Pic: Hyperlite)

WW: How many more years do you see yourself continuing?
SM: Wakeboarding? I have no idea. I didn't realize I was gonna be doing it when I was 18 and I didn't think I'd be doing it until I was 26, so it's hard to say.

WW: What are you planning after you finish competition?
SM: I don't know. We'll see what happens with the BYT. I think this is something that could take our sport in a different direction as far as getting into big crowds.

WW: What about Ocean and Earth?
SM: That's a company that I'm a part of. I've been designing bags like board bags, backpacks, travel bags that are all compatible, interchangeable, super good quality and some pretty good prices too. It's cool because I've been traveling so long that I get to make the perfect bag that combines the best of all the bags I've been using for so long. It's hard to find good stuff. The company is called Ocean and Earth.

WW: How about your video production company?
SM: 313 Productions? I'll be putting out a new Detention if all goes as planned. I'll be working on it in November, so it should be out by next spring, no problem.

Shaun Landscapes the Murriott

WW: What's going on at your house?
SM: Well, right now Gerry is next door mowing the lawn.

WW: What's the most common question you hear from people?
SM: Can I get a free board?

WW: Which question bugs you the most?
SM: Can I get a free board? I get that a lot. People realize that I get boards for free but they forget that's how I make a living. People ask for my stuff all the time.

WW: If you could give advice to up and coming riders, what is important?
SM: Actually, one of the most common questions, getting back to your earlier question, people ask is "How do you get sponsors?" 'cause people wanna know how to get free stuff. The best way to do it is just the way that I did it and everyone else who's made it. You just have to get out there on the Pro Tour and get noticed. The reason people sponsor you is because you make their product visible and you make an influence. You are paid to become influential. People want to buy products that they see that work and if you show that something works, then people are going to sponsor you. It's like getting out there on the Pro Tour and making it into the finals.

WW: If you have to do the last eight years over, what would you change?
SM: Nothing whatsoever. I can't think of anything I'd do differently.

WW: What do you think of the new tour format?
SM: They did all sliders at the first stop. I felt it didn't work. It was too boring to watch for everybody. It was cool to see a couple good slides here and there, but I watched, probably, two entire runs over the whole weekend. But at Pensacola, they had a kind of mix between the two. They had a lot of sliders and they had a lot of wake riding. It went well.

WW: And we'll be looking forward to seeing you back on the tour after your hand heals. Thanks Shaun. And riders, if you want the BYT to stop at your lake, email Shaun's dad, Lloyd, at backyardtour@hotmail.com and don't forget to check out our Shaun Murray wallpapers.

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