EVERY Wakeboarder has to try this

Ok, I know a lot of you have awesome wakeboard boats with huge wakes, but listen to me for a second. It all started friday after noon and my boss let me leave work at 12:30. My dad was off of work and said, "how about we go wakeboarding?" No one else could go so I figured it would just be us two. I decided since it was 4 o'clock when we launched the boat that I wouldnt fill the ballast...it sure paid off. Without the ballast I learned so many new tricks and improved my riding at least 30%. I perfected my ts jumps, ts 180s, fs 180s, half cabs, learned bs 180s (1 wake), learned wrapped 360 (2 wakes), landed my first invert off the double up, and learned how to do methods with the board fully tweaked towards the boat. All of this done in one day during 3 hrs of riding without one wake. I know most of you can do these tricks, but if you really want to improve your riding then ride with your stock wake for a day. All of your switch riding and double ups are so much easier. I went wakeboarding again today (saturday) with a big wake and all my tricks were so much bigger. I was doing all my 180s and ts stuff as big as my regular hs jumps. For once I was impressed with my self. Finally my 180s and ts jumps are dialed thanks to riding with a small wake. Because of my improved ts jumps I landed my first scarecrow today. Try it, you will be suprised how fundamental stuff you can learn without a large wake.

Thats is how a lot of us started out.

I use to ride behind a 94' Ski Nautique with no fat sacs or anything. I learned every 180 every which way possible, HS/TS, blind, switch, you name it I could do it then moved on and was doing switch HS 5s before I finally got a boat with a wake. Now people see me ride and just wonder how the hell I can ride switch so well

Yea, i started off with no wake. Then I got 2 ballast tanks. Now my wake is intermediate, because Im using a ski boat. Next year I am working on getting a VLX. Hopefully I will have all my basic inverts down and be able to take them huge.

Whenever I am learning new tricks, I usually slow the boat speed down and shorten the rope, but I like to keep the wake big so I don't have to worry as much about getting enough air and I can concentrate on the trick.

Id have to say that leo is very right. My nieghbor wasnt home, and my throttle cable broke on my other boat. So I decided to go ghetto style. We went behind my "pontoon"! I figured we could try some surface tricks. When your not spoiled whith a nice wake your forced to stick to specific tricks. I learned surface 360s that day and perfected my ollie 180s. I got the balls to try backside half cabs over some bouys too. Id have to say it was worth all the "what the f*-k are they doing!?" looks.

(Message edited by yearling on June 20, 2004)

Rob - saw your score at the collegiate contest, nice performance. Nice profile pic too. sick.