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Cable Wakeboarding Photo Gallery
Zack Kaler (pic: Bok)
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WW: You founded the USA Cable Wakeboard Tour. How did that come about?
DC: Well, three years ago I realized it was extremely important to grow cable wakeboarding in this part of the world. Europe, Asia and Australia had so many more great riders than we did and they were leaving us in the dust. So I founded the Tour in an effort to bring the U.S. and Canada up to par with the international cable scene and create an avenue that would help build more riders to world-class level.
For the past three years, the Tour made stops at each cableway in the U.S., all sanctioned by the American Wakeboard Association (AWA). Last year we also had a stop at the cable at the Beach Club in Montreal, Canada. That was a total blast!
It must be working. Germany, Great Britain and Australia are still powerhouses, but last year at the Cable Wakeboard World Championships in Australia, the USA Cable Wakeboard Team brought home three medals and came within just a few points of landing a team bronze medal, among a field of 24 countries. That's a pretty good improvement considering we took home only one medal and were close to dead last at the Cable Worlds in 2001.
WW: Are there other cable events as well?
DC: Yes! It's amazing what's been created in just the last several years. Not only do we have the USA Cable Wakeboard National Championships, now in its fourth year, but Texas Ski Ranch created the now legendary Cablestock, patterned, of course, after WakeStock, BoardStock and other wakeboard festival events with cool contests and other great stuff bent toward cable wakeboarding and wakeskating, where any and everyone can participate. It's awesome!
In addition, each cable park has begun to host events and contests at the local level, such as the Slider Spectacular at OWC and the Texas Showdown and FreezRide at Texas Ski Ranch. Ski Rixen and KC Watersports have other contests planned as well.
U.S. Cable Wakeboard Team
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WW: What's the turnout been like?
DC: Compared to where we were when we started three years ago, it's going extremely well. Turnout for both athletes and fans at these events has been really good, considering we have so few cableways in this country. Word is starting to get around about how much fun we're having and how cool riding on the cable really is. It definitely bodes well for the long term. It just keeps getting better ever year.
WW: What about wakeskating on the cable?
DC: Cable is without a doubt a wakeskater's dream! With all the obstacles available and the fact that you can fall a zillion times and get right back and keep riding all day long working on your shuvits, varials, spins, etc., it's no wonder that we're seeing wakeskaters now comprising almost 25-30% or more of all riders on the cable.
WW: Do you prefer riding cable or behind the boat?
DC: Honestly, I really enjoy both equally. Of course, you'll hear me pushing cable, but let's face it, doing tricks off the wake and the double-up is so awesome behind the boat. On the other hand, cable is just as much fun if not more because you can do all the same tricks and more and get every bit as high either in the flats or off the obstacles, it's easier on your body, and you can ride all day long for a fraction of the cost of boat. I'm split.
Boat riding will always be around. I love it and have for decades and I'll still ride and compete behind the boat for as long as I can. I'm promoting cable as an adjunct to boat, not as a replacement. Cable is simply yet another terrific aspect of our world of wakeboarding. Cable definitely helps your boat riding and vice versa. It's great cross-training.
Ski Rixen (pic: David Cornwall)
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WW: Do you see a lot of riders crossing over between boat and cable?
DC: Yes. We're seeing it more and more. Boat riders who have never thrown some of the big air tricks on the cable are starting to discover what they've been missing. In the past, some boat riders would look at cable and say it wasn't cool, but that's starting to drown out. As soon as it was evident the guys who did the big stuff on the cable could come over and also kill it behind the boat, I've seen a change of attitude. Cable really is cool. No kidding.
The guys who regularly finish on the podium in cable competitions have definitely made names for themselves in the boat world as well. Look at Keith Lidberg. He needs no introduction. Donald Shelbrick was the WWA World Champion in Men I behind the boat for two years in a row. And have you ever seen Rob Mapp behind the boat? The guy goes absolutely huge! And what about Ben Hitch from Great Britain or Shane Bell from Australia? I've personally watched those guys for the past three years just kill it in both cable and boat tournaments around the world. They let their riding do the talking for them. Ask any one of these guys how cable helps their boat riding. You'll get the same answer.
So yeah, to say you can ride boat and cable and do the big stuff behind both really says something because it makes you that much more of an awesome rider and deserving of a lot more respect than someone who can do only one, yet trashes the other from the shoreline. That's lame.
The point is this: Any way you slice it, it's still wakeboarding. We're all riders, and what we all enjoy most about wakeboarding can be had to the nth degree on either boat, cable or both. That's the best part!
(pic: James Tetrault)
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WW: Have you had good sponsorship support?
DC: So far, yes. Fortunately, a lot of our sponsors have had the foresight to understand that they are tapping into a potential gold mine. As I said, cable is without a doubt the perfect gateway to the sport of wakeboarding. Think about all those potential riders out there who have been unable to get into the sport because they can't afford a boat or don't know anyone who has a boat they ride with. That's why it obviously would be a smart move for businesses in the wakeboard and watersports industry to get involved and support cable wakeboarding and the development of cable parks in this country...even the boat companies.
WW: The boat companies?
DC: Of course! Think about it. More cableway development is going to open the door for tens of thousands of riders to get into wakeboarding who up to now could not otherwise afford a boat. I can absolutely guarantee you that anyone who starts his riding on the cable will sooner or later want to ride behind the boat as well. That's not news. Tell me if you think that might translate into cha-ching for boat sales. If the boat companies are looking for new customers and/or new markets, which no doubt they always are, they need look no further than their local cable park, with all those kids throwing sevens off the kicker and perfecting their S-bend to blinds. The formula is simple: cableway development = boat sales.
WW: Do you think cable riding will ever outgrow riding behind the boat?
DC: In about 25 years, maybe. But I seriously doubt it. It might happen only if we get about 40 or more cableways built here in the U.S., or if the price of gasoline in the U.S. ever gets as high as it is in Europe right now. Our culture is extremely boat-oriented at the moment and we have so many unrestricted recreational lakes and cheap gas. To make any kind of shift completely would take decades or a severe oil crisis. Remember, there are over 100 cableways all over Europe, 50 in Germany alone, and cables have been around the European culture for almost 40 years.
One thing's for sure though, every single person I've met who rides the cable for the first time instantly sees the advantages and wonders why there aren't more of these contraptions here in the U.S.
(pic: Bess Marine)
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WW: What does the future of the sport look like?
DC: It's about as bright as it could possibly get! Look at what's happening out there. Ski Rixen and OWC have each seen a steady rise in ridership over the last four years and Texas Ski Ranch rocketed itself into the big time just two years after opening. Midwesterners don't have to travel to Florida or Texas anymore to get their cable fix, now that they finally have KC Watersports right in their own backyard.
And as I said, the number of inquiries we've seen from people looking to build a cable park just in the last few years would make your head swim. And if even half of these people ever follow through and are able to start construction, we'll be seeing cable parks in just about every major city in the U.S. over the next couple of decades. How cool would that be?
And here's the real kicker: The World Cable Wakeboard Commission conducted a survey last year of all existing cable parks around the world to find out the percentage of wakeboarders versus skiers they each observed at their park. Remember that each of these facilities was built during the heyday of water skiing. Are you sitting down? Virtually all cable parks around the world reported that an average of 95% of all people who used their parks were wakeboarders! Almost all of them reported a steady decline in skiers and huge increases in riders. What does that tell you about what's happening around the world?
And as far as the potential for future growth for cable in the U.S.? Think about this: There are 85 million people in Germany, over 50 cableways, and virtually all are jammed with long lines of people all season long. There are over 275 million people in the USA, and only 4 cableways. You do the math.
It's so very obvious the market is there and the tide is rising. It's already been proven in the rest of the world. It just has to be tapped over here. Once we get about 10 or so cableways in this country, you'll see it start to accelerate. In the not-too-distant future, cable will become just as much a part of the wakeboard culture in North and South America as boat, just as it is already in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.
It's coming. It's just a matter of time. Get ready.
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