PHOTOS = LETCHWORTH
LIQUIDFORCE.COM // OBSCURAWAKESKATES.COM
DANIEL GRANT
CONTENTS 07
14 DANIEL’S GOT GAME
20 RISING UP & STANDING OUT
30 DE-CONST
46 GALLERY
58 BLAIR SMITH - MAKING A SCENE
66 SCHOOLE
74 WE TRAVEL
80 WE THE PEOPLE
86 JONTY GR
wakedition is a product of Optika Creative PTY LTD © 2012
TRUCTING - RAPH DEROME
ED
WAKEDITION IS: EDITOR: JAMES TYRRELL SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER: BRETT HEMMINGS CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: CHRIS FLAXMAN MIKE ROBERTS KARL HERMAN CHRIS O’SHEA JACKSON RAFFERTY CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: KRISTIN BOWER CONTACT WAKEDITION: GENERAL INQUIRIES: james@wakedition.com.au ADVERTISING: advertise@wakedition.com.au EDITORIAL INQUIRIES: editor@wakedition.com.au
REEN
CONTENTS 07
it’s a small world after all
fast planes, hashtags & loaded couches.
07
Imagine a time when a trip to our Great Southern Land from Europe or the United States would’ve involved weeks or months on end at sea. A letter in the mail many months before alerting your contact in that foreign country you were setting sail and would land on this date. The true scale of our globe would’ve been appreciated. It’s really hard to appreciate the size of our planet these days. The distance between countries, their cultures and landscapes seem to shrink each year as this digital age steams on forward, showing no intention of stopping. Not only can we travel with immense speed to foreign places all over the world, but we can check the destination weather forecast from our seat in the double-decker jet…wait for it…on our mobile phones, using the onboard wifi. Insanity right? This summer a record number of international riders tweeted similar quotes to their contacts in Australia. The tweets went something along the lines of: @prowakeboarder1 sending it on flight 321 from #lax See you in the #future @prowakeboarder2 #flying #jet #ibettergetanupgrade #livinglikearockstar. If you aren’t aware of the Twitter lingo, the above comment basically says, ‘I’m on the flight and I’ll be there in 15 hours.’ No carrier pigeon required. The Aussies at home replied #justwaitingforamate. And there landed, on the shores of Australia, wakeboarders and wakeskaters from the U.S.A, Eruope, Asia and everywhere in between. It was an international invasion. Daniel Grant came and destroyed while getting his game on (p14), Raph Derome took control over every cable park and wake in the country (P30), Jonty Green toured with team DUP (P86) all scored some seriously good times down under.
THE VIEW FROM MY OFFICE
International riders are seeing the great potential for some off-season riding, world class media promotion and the ability to extend their friends and fan bases way outside their home countries. Local Australian riders became tour guides for the season, forfeiting their couches, spare beds and floor space to accommodate their international mates. The overseas visitors made new friends and re-united with old ones, like Luke Boor and Ethan Agius who are making some noise within the Australian scene (P20). Blair Smith accommodated a number of wakeskaters from the U.S.A in his new home (P58). Dean Smith and Scotty Broome taught them some new moves (P64), and they all entered our events (P70). Edition #7 is an international affair but with plenty of Australian flare. Devour it like you’d an American burger, green curry or a Pork Schnitzel ‘cause with each bight it just gets better and better. JT
JUST SAYIN’
RIDER: RAPH DEROME PHOTO: BRETT HEMMINGS LOCATION: CABLES WAKEPARK, PENRITH, AUSTRALIA
ON THE COVER
07
T H E U N S U S P EC T I N G C O V E R S H OT WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE FRONT COVER? WELL WE BELIEVE IT’S MORE THAN JUST GRABBING THE ATTENTION OF YEE READERS AND BLOWING YOUR EYEBALLS CLEAR OF ALL SOCKETS. The cover generally offers insight into our industry at present and in turn what content you can expect waiting your arrival come page one. It’s the front door to our house of wakeboard and wakeskate jargon. Typically, the cover shot takes many a day of conceptualising, planning and fine-tuning. The cover is the make or break and usually results in prayers to the weather gods, sleepless nights, and budget blowouts. It’s our digital billboard representing our mag until the next release. Having two of the best in their respected fields working together to achieve a shot lowers the stress level. In the case for Raphs cover, we only had a very limited time in which to shoot. Raph had a jam-packed schedule between landing in Australia and jetting back to his Canadian home. After throwing a few ideas around with senior photographer Brett Hemmings, we sent him on the mission to shoot this cover. Always faithful in the professionalism and ability Brett carries to achieve (and over-achieve) we were quietly confident we’d land a worthy shot. The cover that resulted after a few days of shooting was in fact a different shot to what we had planned. After the short window of time Brett and Raph had to pull this together, a phone call from our senior photog came through to say he didn’t think we had scored a cover. As the stress levels began to rise we planned a rendezvous to cast our eyes over the collection of images Brett managed to capture. Within a few seconds of looking at this image of Raph perfectly poised, nose pressing and back-lipping (a backside nose blunt some may say) the Cables Wakepark Alps, we knew we had the shot. This image is a perfect visual representation of the way Raph rides. Everything is executed with purpose, control and precision. His body position is perfectly balanced; it’s a visual lesson in weight distribution. The angle of the rail and the height of the camera make for an almost 3D composition. Once again our numero uno photographer, Brett Hemmings came though with the goods and at the time, didn’t even know it himself. The sweet convergence of photographer and wakeboarder, both in their prime, ain’t it beaut! JT
ON THE COVER
X
WE LOVE
X
WE’RE CONSTANTLY KEEPING OUR EYES PEELED FOR THE LATEST AND GREATEST IN PRODUCTS THAT HELP ENHANCE YOUR LIFESTYLE ON AND OFF THE WATER. HERE IS A SMALL SELECTION OF GOODS WE LOVE AND SO SHOULD YOU.
FOLLOW VEST - BLACK Follow are a fresh new brand in the wakeboard scene and are already making waves around the world. Specializing in ropes, handles and now life jackets Follow can help attach you to your boat while keeping you safely buoyant. This vest includes large cut armholes for extra freedom, a neoprene cuff, high quality comfort foam core and a multi-panel design for flexibility. It also happens to be Mitch Langfields signature jacket so you’ll be sure to see Mitch following his pull of choice while donning one of these jackets. Yep I went there with the lame pun. www.followmenow.com
OBSCURA ‘TAO’ Daniel Grant is successfully taking over the world one sport at a time. Not only is he a freak on a wakeboard, Daniel skates harder than most other specialist skaters out there. For 2013 Obscura has rewarded DG with his very own pro-model wakeskate the ‘Tao’. This deck in unique with a wood / hybrid construction with a Liquid Rail perimeter and sealed Liquid Rail fin pockets. The Tao also sports a Grind base for a long lifetime on rails, ledges or the brain bucket of any unsuspecting kneeboarders. With a progressive 3-stage rocker and some concave makes the Tao one of the best rides on the market. www.liquidforcewake.com.au www.obscurawakeskates.com
SAM Pics: Damo Liddy
V.E.D. (Variable Edge Design)
CUP Rails
Nexus Base (Seven)
V Hull (V Shaped Hull)
3 Stage Rocker
Dyna 2 Base(SevenPark)
S.C.R (Step Cap Rail Design)
Flat Base
PBT (Deck Material)
For your nearest stockist Please contact Activ Concepts on 03 8587 1111 or email johnno@activconcepts.com
Seven 137 with Nitric
Seven Park 142 with Socket
Both Available in 133, 137 & 142 _Youtube.com/DUPwake
_Facebook/DUPwake
_Twitter/DUPwake
DUPwake.com
ML DANIEL WATKINS HANDLE Three time World Series Champ, Daniel Watkins has teamed up with ML and stamped his signature on a brand new pro-model handle. It comes as a combo with a vinyl covered spectra line or you can buy just the handle. The grip is a 15” Chamois handle that’s 29mm in diameter. It has an injection molded end cap and rope attachment system, so you know you’ll always stay attached to your boat. www.masterlineaustralia.com.au
LIQUID FORCE DOUM SKIM Wakesurfing is one of our favorite ways to wind down a late afternoon session behind the boat. Even if the water is played out and rough, a wakesurf session always results in good vibes. Liquid Force offer the Doum which is a skim-style surfer, perfect for airs, shuvs and spins. The more advanced wake surfers will love this one with it’s full rail shape and sharp edge through the tail along with nose and tail channels for extra bite while riding switch. See the crew at Balmoral Boards to get your stoke levels soaring! www.balmoralboards.com.au WIN THIS BOARD!
CTRL SUPREME CTRL wakeboards are taking over wake parks and waterways around the world. Their clever construction and quality materials mean they will stand up to the hardest of beatings on the rails and off the wake. We think the new look graphics for 2013 are top notch. CTRL Australia have teamed up with our crew here at Wakedition to give you the chance to win a CTRL Supreme. Just flick through to page 18 and find out how you can win one for yourself. www.ctrlwake.com
DANIEL’S GOT GAME! BRETTHEMMINGS.COM
So you’re pretty much the ultimate grommet. You’re a pro wakeboarder and wakeskater, but what many people may not know if you’re also a pretty serious gamer. Yeah I am. A gamer, is that the correct term? Yeah I guess you could say that. So which one do you take more seriously? Well in terms of competition, I take wakeboarding more seriously. But when I’m back home I probably take gaming more seriously. When I’m out traveling I’m not focused on it too much, I have a lot more free time when I’m at home so I get more time to focus on gaming. Are you better at gaming than you are wakeboarding and wakeskating? So far I think I’m best at wakeskating. It’s been real good to me you know. I’ve been doing it as long as wakeboarding, seven years. When did you first become so serious about gaming? It sort of happened. Everyone was into the console market, then I went across to PC and I played that loads,
then about halfway through that year Razor sponsored me. I always used to be into gaming through PS3 and X-Box but now I pretty much only play PC. You’re set up to game while you’re traveling around the world, what do you carry with you? I bring two computers, my Mac Book just for cruising cause it’s small, then I’ve got my Razor computer which is called a Blade and I’ve got my Razor headphones, my mouse pad, two mouses, and a little gaming pad. What’s Razor? Is that a sponsor of yours? Razor is a computer company. They used to just make accessories like keyboards but now they make computers also. They sponsor me for gaming.
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There’s a side to Daniel Grant that some may not know about. Things that happen late in the night that keeps this superstar grommet up at all hours!
DANIEL GRANT.
DANIEL’S GOT Daniel doing what he does GAME! best during daylight hours.
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When do you normally game? Does it happen mainly at night? It’s pretty much whenever my friends are free, cause we’ve got to play in a team of five. You can play by yourself but it’s best to play as a group. How do you stay awake on a long night of gaming, especially after wakeboarding all day? I don’t know usually the motivation to play helps, but otherwise I’ll skull a couple of Monsters. Does your addiction to candy and sugar help? Yeah probably, I just stack all my food in front of my face for when I get hungry. The room is usually a mess the next day. It’s always worse when I’m traveling. I’ll be in the hotel and there’ll be food everywhere, I wake up the next day and I’m like oh god. I feel bad for the maid. Do you get paid to game? Yeah from Razor. What about competitions? Is there some decent prize money? Yeah there can be a lot of prize money. But that always splits into five, among our team. There was an international at the end of last year, I didn’t go but the prize money was like a million bucks. U.S. That’s insane! Super insane. What games do you normally play? I mainly play League of Legends. It’s a free RPG (Role Playing Game) by Riot Games. Sometimes I’ll play C.O.D and the games everyone plays. Maybe a bit of G Mod. Do you ever go to those gaming conventions? I want to. I haven’t been but I want to start going to a lot of them. Especially with Razor, they’ll send me to a lot of the big ones. It would be so awesome.
Luke Boor
R I S I N G U P & S TA
ANDING OUT
Luke Boor
R I S I N G U P & S TA N D I N G O U T
What was your first thought on wakeboarding when you stepped on a board for the first time? Did you think it was something you wanted to get good at straight away? Ever since I started riding I just got hooked, straight away I knew I wanted to get into it. Who were some of the first riders to inspire you to get good at wakeboarding? Going down to the cable and watching riders like Scotty Green and Mitch Langfield, both having such a dirty style made me just want to go shred.
Does respect play a big part for you? Is it important to you that people respect your riding style? Definitely having all the boys cheering me on makes me ride better. If there was one thing in wakeboarding that you could change what would it be? Everyone’s opinion about grabbing on rails, its just plain wrong. Where do you hope to be in 5 years from now? Hopefully traveling and exploring the world.
Your style on a wakeboard is definitely unique, and some would say your best asset on a wakeboard. When did you first start to focus on making tricks look different?
What do you think the difference is between an amateur and pro wakeboarder? Good question, I have no clue (laughs).
To be honest, I’ve never really tired to make all my tricks look different I just rode to what felt comfortable and cool. I kept doing it until I got it right.
If you’re not out wakeboarding, what else do you get up to for fun?
What kind of rider do you aspire to be now?
Partying or extreme see sawing.
I’ve been focusing on my grabs a lot lately so just trying to be as legit as possible.
What kind of tricks do you think are legit?
How do you make your riding stand out and be unique? I try to add my own little twists and tweaks, doing things I’m not seeing anyone else do. Do you think your riding is an extension of your personality? A little bit, I’m a pretty relaxed person and I try to show that in my riding. Where do you get your inspiration from these days to influence your riding? Just from riding at the cable with all the boys, pumping each other up to try different tricks. What kind of rider do you NOT want to be perceived as? A bendy boarder.
Anything that’s boned out or tweaked into ways that shouldn’t be possible or doing a press on a board, but not a bend.
“To be honest, I’ve never really tired to make all my tricks look different I just rode to what felt comfortable and cool. “
Ethan Agius
RISING
G U P & S TA N D I N G O U T
“In this sport the word ‘professional’ is being thrown around like its going out of fashion. A professional is someone who purely makes a living from their ‘profession.”
Ethan Agius
R I S I N G U P & S TA N D I N G O U T
What was your first thought on wakeboarding when you stepped on a board for the first time? Did you think it was something you wanted to get good at straight away? The first time I stepped in a wakeboard I was like I’m never going to be able to do this, but there was just something that kept me going back for more and more.
These days I get my influence off a lot of young riders such as Lukey Boor, James Windsor, Daniel Grant, Matty Hasler, I could go on and on, it’s been a privilege growing up riding with these guys and pushing each other to be the best we can be. What kind of rider do you NOT want to be perceived as?
Who were some of the first riders to inspire you to get good at wakeboarding?
I don’t want to be perceived as a rider who is one sided, I want to be recognised as a rider who is open to ideas and help shape this industry to its full potential.
Some of the first wakeboarders to inspire me were, Sam Bobo Collins, Matty D, Nick Davies and Phil Soven.
Does respect play a big part for you? Is it important to you that people respect your riding style?
Your style on a wakeboard is definitely unique, and some would say your best asset on a wakeboard. When did you first start to focus on making tricks look different?
Wakeboarding for me isn’t about whether people respect my style or tricks, I go out, enjoy myself and throw down unique tricks that alot of people can’t, and if respect follows as a result of this, then its a bonus for me and I am grateful.
When I first started to get good at Wakeboarding trick wise, I had no style what so ever. Once I got a big bag of tricks I just started to target all the basic tricks I knew and progressed up to all the big glides and water tricks you guys see me do today and then later progressed onto rails and all the rest. What kind of rider do you aspire to be now? I aspire to be a rider that people enjoy watching, being the best rider isn’t all about winning comps, i want to be the peoples winner. How do you make your riding stand out and be unique? When I am out on the water I just be me, I can’t go out and be serious all the time otherwise I don’t enjoy it as much. Do you think your riding is an extension of your personality? Definitely, the way I act on the water is pretty much exactly how I act off the water, laid back and always just having a good time. Where do you get your inspiration from these days to influence your riding?
If there was one thing in wakeboarding that you could change what would it be? We need a Pro Tour. Having a Pro Tour or some sort of ‘professional’ set of competitions will attract riders from other countries and give Wakeboarding in Australia the attention it needs. Where do you hope to be in 5 years from now? In 5 years from now I would love to still be apart of Wakeboarding, whether I’m still riding or even coaching. this sport will be forever growing, hopefully there is still a place in this sport for me by then. What do you think the difference is between an amateur and pro wakeboarder? The difference between professional and amateur is separated by one thing, money, and in this sport the word ‘professional’ is being thrown around like its going out of fashion. A professional is someone who purely makes a living from their ‘profession’ whether its being a pro athlete or being a professional chef, As long as that is all you do and it supports you then and only till then are you considered a professional and until then you are considered ‘semi-professional’. Someone who is title amateur is someone who does what they do purely because they enjoy it.
(DECONSTRUCTING)
R
A
P
H
DEROME My time within wakeboarding and board sports thus far has spanned 15-17 odd years and as the time fog rolls by, certain events and people stand out as either pivotal points for our sport or iconic symbols of a new era.
KRISTIN BOWER BRETTHEMMINGS.COM
Raph Derome could be classed as both. It’s a bold and loaded statement and one that I am sure will need firm reasoning and may not be without its arguments for and against but it is within my personal opinion that Raph Derome is truly a unique rider who has been elevated to a super star status that even he, I feel, is still coming to terms with. I don’t know a lot about Raph but I already feel I understand him just by watching him ride. His wakeboard is his minds gateway drug for his creative expression and hidden inside those video edits are glimpses of someone who has many layers.
I never thought that after watching those edits online that I would have the opportunity to speak with him. There is a lot more to this gentleman than meets the eye and my armchair psychology can only take you so far. This is a long winded interview so grab a good arm chair – but in my personal opinion these answers reflect an over analytical mind that is constantly searching and perfecting yet not really caring about the rest of the world. Like a wise turtle Raph is an old head on young shoulders. HAVE A READ OF HIS INTERVIEW FOR YOURSELF AND LIKE ART, THE BEAUTY AND INTERPRETATION IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER.
E R O M E
KB: You’re not unknown to wakeboarding however, it seems like you’ve been a relatively unknown person, and then all of a sudden you just exploded into something quite big. It’s like you’ve come out of nowhere. Using Harley Clifford as an example. Wakeboarding met Harley when he was six, and we all watched Harley grow up through the ranks and on the pages in magazines. We knew he was coming and we knew he was there and then all of a sudden out of nowhere there’s this video edit and this kid called Raph Derome that people were all of a sudden like, “Wow, where did he come from?” So can you maybe give me a little bit of background? RD: Yep. I think Australia, first of all, is still pretty far from the States and North America, but I’ve been around the industry for quite a bit. I mean I started riding international events in the States when I was around 14, I think, or 13. I was running against Bob Soven and Harley. My first World’s, I remember I actually beat Harley. I won World’s when I was 13. I think we were in Boys still. So it was me, then Jacob second, and Harley third. That was like my first big event where I did good. There were so many good riders and I’m not someone who talks a lot; I’m kind of shy. I’m not the kind of guy who’s gonna talk with everyone, you know what I mean? So I was doing my own stuff, I was just riding and having fun. I think it was kind of hard for me to stand out a little bit. I think when I was 18 to 20 is when everything kind of came together. I did ‘Wake the Line’ event and won a bunch of stuff and it was around those times when Liquid Force hooked me up. KB: So you started to get a little bit of dare we say, ‘corporate’ sponsorship behind you lately and you’re sponsored by Red Bull too, now right? RD: Yeah, and Billabong who really helped me from that 13 to 18 year period, I was on Billabong for all these years, so they were supporting me since day one. They’ve always been helping me. THE WAY RAPH RIDES, SHOWS HIS ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND HIGHLIGHTS HIS PRECISION AND ACCURACY IN EVERY MANEUVER. WITH THINKING OUTSIDE THE SQUARE AND INSPIRATION DRAWN ON THE NAKED BEAUTY OF THE WORLD AROUND HIM RAPH CONSTANTLY SEEMS TO BE SEARCHING FOR A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED THE “NORM”.
R A PH .
“I think when I was 18 to 20 is when everything kind of came together. I did ‘Wake the Line’ event and won a bunch of stuff and it was around those times when Liquid Force hooked me up.” RAPH DEROME
TRUCTING)
D E R O M
“...I’m not someone who talks a lot; I’m kind of shy. I’m not the kind of guy who’s gonna talk with everyone...” Back-lip, huge gap to Back-lip. Raph creating new lines on overused wakepark obstacles. Or some may call it product testing.
RAPH DEROME
D E R O M E KB: Who are you riding with in Canada? RD: We have our own little crew. It was called the SNF Crew, the Still Not Famous Crew. We were just a bunch of guys just riding. All the guys we were riding with were skateboarding or snowboarding, so I had the chance to grow up riding with guys who were making sure style mattered. It was just normal for me to do my stuff right, I feel like a lot of kids now just want to step up and skip steps kind of; start spinning and crazy stuff whilst forgetting to grab. I was fortunate to have a bunch of good guys around me showing me the right ways. KB: So who are these influential people? RD: Well, mainly my neighbor, Jonathan Ferguson. He is actually the filmer for all my video I’m doing right now. So it’s pretty cool. He’s pretty much shown me a lot of what I’m doing today and now he gets to film me. There’s also Mark Portier, he was helping me with the brands, and he was kind of like my manager/mentor he was just showing me the right things; I owe him a lot actually. I feel really lucky that I had Mark and John helping me. Then I had my brother, I guess a lot of the time he was gone, so he wasn’t there to show me necessarily, but he was just always pushing me. The fact that he was already in the States, kind of opened doors for me when I decided I would go there. So indirectly, he helped me so much just by riding and doing whatever he was doing and not necessarily showing me tricks or whatever. KB: What was school like for you? RD: I always took school really seriously. For some reason, I’ve always been pressuring myself to do really well. Same now, I really take it seriously; I love learning and thinking, over-thinking. KB: Where you the cool kid at school? RD: No. I switched from French to English school in my first year of high school. I met 2-3 friends that were speaking French that I am still really good friends with and that was it. We were not the popular crew but respected I guess. I have always been really low profile during my high school years. Didn’t really like to talk about wakeboarding much at school. I enjoy living a normal life and also switching between the two. Getting the best out of both worlds.
(DECONSTRUCTING)
THE WAY IN WHICH RAPH HAS COME INTO THE SCENE AT SUCH AN OVERWHELMING PACE WITH SOME POWERFUL GAME CHANGING VIRAL VIDEO EDITS IS A LARGE PART OF HIS NAME BEING CATAPULTED INTO THE SPOTLIGHT. THE SECOND IS CLEARLY HIS UNIQUE ABILITY TO CONTROL HIS BOARD IN A MESMERISING WAY ACROSS BOTH WATER AND OBSTACLES IN SUCH A WAY THAT STOPS JUST ABOUT ANYONE IN THEIR TRACKS AND GETS THEIR FULL ATTENTION. THE REASON FOR THIS IS HIS IN DEPTH ANALYSIS AND OVER THINKING THAT GOES INTO THE SIMPLEST OF MOVES. A PUREST TO THE ART OF PERFECTION AND MAKING SURE THE TRUE VALUES OF BOARD RIDING SHINE THROUGH, WHILST BLURRING THE LINES OF ART AND REALITY. WHEN PRESSING, PRESS HARDER. BE PRECISE. MAKE EVERY MOVE COUNT. SPIN CLEAN. LAND EXACTLY WHERE YOU WANT TO LAND. EXERCISE ALL ANGLES AND EDGES OF YOUR BOARD. I FEEL THESE ARE THE TRUE VALUES OF A BOARD RIDER IN ALL BOARD SPORTS. TOTAL FREEDOM TO HAVE TOTAL CONTROL OR TOTAL CONTROL THAT, IN TURN ALLOWS TOTAL FREEDOM. IN A WORLD OF UP CLOSE ANALYTICAL DIGITAL JUDGMENT WE ARE NOW AT A PIVOTAL POINT WHERE EDITS SUCH AS RAPHS MAY JUST HAVE OPENED THE DOORS TO COMPANY MONEY FOCUSING MORE ON FREE RIDING THAN CONTESTS. KB: How did your video edit come about? Did your sponsors pay this for straight up? RD: The main project started with Liquid Force. We were talking with Mike Gleason at the Liquid Force office and he was down for the project since day one. I talked with him the year before about it and he was all down. Then they supported the project so they paid John to make that video. I think they didn’t know what they were getting into kind of. They were just like, “Ok, you want to make a video, we’ll help you do whatever you want. Like we’re supporting you, but…” I mean Liquid Force was supporting the project. They didn’t know what John and me were going to do. They didn’t know if it was a five-minute video, a two-minute, or a full movie. They had no clue really what we were doing, I think. We just sent them a couple of clips to just show them what was happening. We had a bunch of ideas that we had thought about a couple of times. We just wanted to put it to work and do it and it turned out good, I think. KB: It turned out a little bit better than good. RD: The public response was good, I think. I mean it was really fun to do. It’s a lot of work, but it’s really cool to ride the set up you get to build.
“I had the chance to grow up riding with guys who were making sure style mattered. It was just normal for me to do my stuff right, I feel like a lot of kids now just want to step up and skip steps kind of; start spinning and crazy stuff whilst forgetting to grab.”
RAPH. Versatility is key. As wakeboarding becomes more versatile, pro riders need to hone skills in all areas of wakeboarding. Raph proved his ability across all disciplines by taking out the Redbull Wake Open in 2012.
D E R O M E
I have seen many riders come and go throughout my time and some have tried so hard to leave an impression and nev world owes the something and some actually do leave a mark on the industry. But for me I thrive on the ones who really press themselves through their art and allow others to open their eyes, expand their minds and really think about the tr defined ‘normal’ world. At the risk of making some people squirm it was my own curiosity that got the better of me and I c thoughts on things like having his own personal board graphics versus the well oiled Liquid Force marketing departmen sell on the shelf.
There also seemed like a real conflict happening in his mind between his true core spirit and the underlying corporate du riders’ career. With a humble non self promotion attitude and a brain that is gearing up for a university degree in marketing the conflict true message.
At the risk of making some people squirm it was my own curiosity that got the better of me and I couldn’t help but push fo having his own personal board graphics versus the well oiled Liquid Force marketing department board graphics that wil
uties that can sometimes seep into a
t rages within on how best to send his
or his intimate thoughts on things like ll ultimately sell on the shelf.
(DECONSTRUCTING)
ver quite made it, others may feel the y get involved in what they do and exrue possibilities beyond their society couldn’t help but push for his intimate nt board graphics that will ultimately
KB: Do you think that video edit was probably the one thing that started launching your, in a big way? RD: It’s hard to say. I think it’s kind of funny because my breakout year was when I was 18. So I guess two years ago, pretty much when I went won Wake the Line, I won like one Pro-Tour Stop and I won a couple of big contests, so I think that was my breakout year where people really started to know my name a little bit more and know what I was doing and stuff. The funny thing is – I guess it’s not funny, but the year right after that I was injured. I ripped my triceps tendon. I got an infection, so I was not there for a year, pretty much. It’s during that time that my name got bigger and bigger. But I wasn’t there; I was just back home coaching all the kids. I was riding a little bit and we filmed that short video which won web video of the year but I feel like my name got way bigger because I got my Pro Model too that year, but I wasn’t there to promote it. So when I got back on the scene, it felt like everyone knew a little more. I kind of felt like I had a lot of attention for some reason and it was weird because everyone knew me, in the industry, I mean. I would get calls from the magazine and stuff and they would be like, “Hey, let’s shoot, let’s do that,” and I was like, “I’ve never talked to you guys before. I don’t even know what’s happening.” That’s what I’m saying like in one click everyone was interested in what I was doing. WITH THE LIKES OF RED BULL AND LF FINANCIALLY SUPPORTING ONES CAUSE COMES THE FREEDOM OF CREATIVITY, YET I FEEL THERE MAY BE AN ALMOST UNSPOKEN AND UNDERLINING ‘CORPORATE’ RESPONSIBILITY TO YOUR SPONSORS WHILST IN THE LIMELIGHT OF THE PUBLIC EYE. WHICH YOU WOULD ASSUME, WOULD CARRY THROUGH TO SOCIAL MEDIA YET RAPH SEEMS TO BE QUITE CONTENT WITHOUT INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK AS WELL AS SOUNDLY UNDERSTANDING THE NEED FOR THEM AS A MARKETING TOOL. KB: You seem quite focused on just free riding, but are you truly just a free rider? Are you sort of dictated a little bit by corporate sponsors to go in events? Yeah, I still have to decide all of that right now. Because for me right now, it’s my off-season. I haven’t been wakeboarding for a couple of months, so I’m in that transition where I’ve got to prepare my next season, and hopefully for the years to come. I’m in that transition where I’ve got to figure out what I want to do exactly. Since I was young I’ve always done contests, but I’ve always been bitching about them. Maybe because I wasn’t doing good at them, but I was always like, “I don’t like contests, I just want to free ride.” I knew whenever I was free riding; I could do all my stuff. I don’t ride the same really when I compete and this is another dilemma I have and that I think a lot of other riders have or maybe not I don’t know but in wakeboarding right now you have to huck yourself and spin a lot, a lot to win.
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The thing is I can win contests right now doing that but it doesn’t really feel right. I always feel guilty when I win which is weird. I don’t remember the time I won a contest and didn’t feel guilty to win. I didn’t ride like I normally would do and so I don’t really like being seen riding in events but it is really weird for me because sponsors really appreciate me winning contests so it is a really complex thing. I really hope contests will grow into having it more free riding oriented where you can win by doing simple things. I think the park setups need to get bigger and harder.
KB: You are currently studying, what are you studying?
KB: Where does art and corporate meet? Is it on Graphics?
RD: I’m studying business and hopefully marketing when I get to university.
RD: I guess I am still in the process of figuring this out. I think it depends what kind of rider you are and where you are at. Some get to design stuff that people can hate while some have to design stuff to sell no matter the cost which is business wise.
KB: So is an education probably more important than wakeboarding?
KB: I feel you are quite conflicted with the whole corporate process of choosing a board from a range and getting a graphic that will sell – in comparison to designing and creating a board you want with the graphic you like. RD: Yeah, I guess. However Liquid Force is the biggest wakeboarding company and these guys know what sells well. I know what I like and they are open to my ideas and what I want to do and we try to work together to make it look good. We’re designing my 2014 right now, and it’s like a big decision because as we know how we’re designing is how it’s going to sell right. Right now I’ve got to decide if I do my stuff all black, simple and cool and the way I want it. That way may not sell to the big masses and all that, so I’m sketching something. It’s like the guys could be like, “Hey, here’s Option A, we’re it’s like your board. It’s going to sell that much. Or Option B, we add some colors, we add that, and you’re going to make double the sales or whatever.” So it’s a big decision for me, but it’s so hard for me to let go and say, “Hey, I’m not going to do what I want; I’m going to go for the masses, and for me, like I can’t do it, I can’t do that. It’s like too hard for me to do that.
D E R O M E
No, I wouldn’t say that. It’s just I like thinking outside of wakeboarding and thinking outside of just being a rider, because I think there’s so much more than just riding. I feel sometimes people are too focused on just wakeboarding. Sometimes I feel people have all their eggs in one basket and I want to make sure I’ve got my eggs everywhere and I’ve got a lot of other stuff that interests me a lot like snowboarding and skateboarding. I’m going to school, really not necessarily because I want to make sure that if I get hurt or whatever I have a back up plan, because yes, it is a back up plan, I guess. But it’s more because I like to learn new things; I like to get my head off wakeboarding a little bit especially after 6-7 months of solid wakeboarding. I guess I like learning new stuff really. I like all my philosophy classes and all that and I over analyse everything in my mind constantly. KB: How does it feel not having an instagram account? RD: Free. How does it feel having an instagram account? KB: (Laughs) Touché. Who runs your facebook page? RD: I do. I post stuff when I have something worthy to share but I don’t really use it that much. KB: What do you feel about social media? RD: I have nothing against them, I just don’t think I am able to keep up with posting photos everyday on all of my different social medias. Plus, I wouldn’t want to share stuff just to share stuff.
Although the guys are pretty cool to work with and they’ve been doing this for years so they’re probably the best with what they’re doing. It’s cool to work with these guys who want to work with my creativity.
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“I guess I like learning new stuff really. I like all my philosophy classes and all that and I over analyse everything in my mind constantly.”
“I don’t really like commercializing everything I do. If people are interested in what I do it’s really cool and they get to read interviews, videos and sometimes we could get to talk”
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I don’t dream and really look up to be somewhat famous or try to be more famous and have a lot of people following me. I don’t really like commercializing everything I do. If people are interested in what I do it’s really cool and they get to read interviews, videos and sometimes we could get to talk so. I do share stuff from time to time. KB: Do you get paid for shout outs or do you only shout out the companies that look after you? Do you tag only tag certain companies you are affiliated with? What’s your outlook on social media now, in that respect? First of all, I’m not getting paid for all that stuff, but I mean, I don’t have like a huge Twitter, Facebook or whatever following, I don’t put a lot of time into it and I’m just not a huge fan of it. I don’t know. I feel like it’s a hard question. I just don’t do it and there are not really any reasons why I don’t keep up with it. I don’t want to say I don’t really care, but I don’t really care about having a bunch of followers. I feel like hopefully, if I get people who love what I’m doing, it’s like people know a lot about wakeboarding. I don’t think I attract the masses, but hopefully, whoever knows wakeboarding well. I don’t really care about whatever I’m doing and how my image is marketed. KB: But at the same time, you’re studying marketing…? Yeah, I know, which is crazy and funny. I would love to be like an athlete manager and all that stuff interests me a lot, but at the same time, I guess technically, I’m not like a good manager for myself kind of. You know what I mean. Whoever knows how social media works and how they want to be big, make money and all that will tell you whatever happens you’ve got to put up pictures every day, have a following, attract people, put videos every week, have photos in every mag and the like. You know what, that’s how it works; that’s how a lot of people do it and that’s great, but I’d rather do like one video a year and that would be it. It would be quality, over quantity and the way I want to do it.
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James Windsor Suncoast Cable, QLD Photo. Tyrrell
Sophie Hogben Cables Wakepark, Penrith Photo. Tyrrell
Bec Gange Hawkesbury River, NSW Photo. Bretthemmings.com
Massi Pia Raymond Terrace, NSW Photo. Bretthemmings.com
John Henson Mannum, SA Photo. Tyrrell
Harley Cliord Raymond Terrace NSW Photo. Bretthemmings.com
Matt Napier Telegraph Point NSW Photo. Tyrrell
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B L A I R S M I T H MA KIN G A S C E NE
There’s no question that wakeskating involves quite a bit of motivation. Motivation to carry heavy winches through rough terrain to hit a spot. Landing awkwardly in shallow water, ferrying equipment and materials into remote places to build rails and even avoiding law enforcement, even though most officers of the law usually have no idea of which law they’re enforcing. Wakeskating is a growing toddler in the world of action sports, guys like Blair Smith who are not only talented, but are more importantly motivated to create, explore and are doing their best extend the reach of wakeskating. Blair is from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. A recent move for he and his girlfriend Mel, landed them in the small sea-side town of Port Macquarie in New South Wales. Upon their arrival, Blair quickly noticed the lack of any type of wakeboarding or wakeskating scene in the local area. With that drive for progression and the will to be wakeskating, Blair has set about starting his own scene, recruiting friends he has made in the surf and at the skate park. We called Blair to find out if he is scoring some time on his wakeskate since landing in the new surroundings.
BLAIR SMITH
PHOTOS. JACKSON RAFFERTY
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B L AI R SMITH MAKING A S CENE
Phone rings… Tyrrell what’s going on? Hey mate how are ya? What are you up to? I’m actually just waiting for a few of the boys to give me a call, might go surfing. How are the waves up there today? Yeah it’s a little shitty, a bit windy and pretty small. Still, it should be a little fun. So remind me where you’re from? I’m from the Sunshine Coast. I moved down here to Port Macquarie not too long ago. What was the reason for making the move? My girlfriend Mel got a job down here, and it’s a pretty sweet place to move so why not. It’s probably been a good move in terms of surfing too right? Exactly, we live right on the beach so it’s really good. No doubt there’s more of a wakeskate scene on the Sunny Coast and Gold Coast where you used to ride a lot, what’s the scene like in Port Mac? Well since I’ve been living here for the four or five months, I’ve only seen one wakeboat in town and I’m pretty sure it’s owned by a holiday maker who is only here for a week every year. There isn’t really any scene at all. I’m trying to make one. So I’m guessing since you’ve only seen one wake boat, there isn’t any wakeskating going on then? Nah not at all, but I’ve been trying to talk to people about it. Some people have heard of wakeskating and tried it but no one in town wakeskates at all.
BLAIR SMITH
Noseslide at Pandora. PIC O’Shea
How are you going to recruit some crew to ride with? A bunch of the surfers here like the idea of winching at the beach. I’ve done it with a couple of the boys here so far. I’ve also shown a few of the grommet skaters what wakeskating is and they seem pretty keen, I’m actually trying to line a jet ski up now with one of their mates. Hopefully we can start to make it happen.
Winching in waves is fun, it makes you feel like you can surf good even if you can’t (laughs). There’s a spot in town that’s perfect for it, it’s got like a rock wall that you can drive out onto and leave the winch on the back of the ute. We run the rope out along the beach and then tow in towards the rock wall and hit the two or three foot waves that come through. What are you doing for work?
In terms of wakeskating, Port Mac is a pretty untouched area. Have you found any good spots? I’ve been searching Google Maps for weirs and that sort of stuff. But haven’t had a lot of luck. For beach winching and riding in little estuaries there are heaps of options. So if I can get my hands on a tinny or ski then we should be able to find some calm water to set up a rail or winch. You’ve done some winching in the waves, how did that differ to winching in flat water?
I haven’t been working up until now, but one of the boys I met in the surf owns a building business so he’s given me a job with him. So I’m hoping to save some coin to head over to America this year. Nice, what’s the plan for over there? The wakeskate tour dates just got announced so hopefully I can get along to some of those stops. Are you heading over on your own or will you take Mel with you?
BLAIR SMITH
Front Blunt with Mayce Dipple. PIC Hemmings
I think Mel is actually going to go surf in Mexico while I go over. So we’ll both be over that way but doing different things.
Well it sounds like you have a good location to set up a little scene there. I hope you can get yourself a little crew together and get some more skating done.
You’ve had quite a few people drop in to your place over summer haven’t you?
Cheers mate, everyone up here seems pretty friendly and there are so many little rivers winding around the place, hopefully I can get a few guys keen and we can build a little rail park or something.
Yeah it’s been awesome, Port Mac is like a midway point between Sydney and the Gold Coast so pretty much anyone who has been traveling up or down the coast have stopped in for a couple of days. Some of the Goldy (Gold Coast) boys came down for a little surf trip. We’ve had Danny (Hampson) and a few of the Americans over here as well. So it’s been good. There are quite a few rivers in the NSW Mid-North coast, have you had a chance to explore any yet? I did go out on a boat on a river about twenty minutes north from Port and it was really good up there. Plenty of flat water.
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THERE’S NOTHING MORE IMPRESSIVE THAN WATCHING A RIDER LAUNCH INTO THE FLATS. THERE’S SOMETHING SLIGHTLY NERVE RACKING ABOUT SEEING THEM RAIL AS HARD AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN INTO THE WAKE, PREPARING TO SEND IT TO THE MOON. IT CAN BE NERVE RACKING AS A RIDER TOO WITH HIGH CONSEQUENCES SHOULD THE TRICK GO PEAR SHAPED. Handle control and body position are vital elements in successfully going large and landing cleanly. Dean Smith and Scotty Broome have been landing way out in the glassy flats for many years now and both have mastered correct handle control and body position. We asked both guys to demonstrate and talk about keeping in control while sending it to the flats.
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DEAN SMITH THE APPROACH
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THE SETUP AND APPROACH INTO THE WAKE ARE THE MOST VITAL STEPS IN SUCCESSFULLY MAKING IT INTO THE FLATS. DEAN’S BODY POSITION AND HANDLE CONTROL IS PICTURE PERFECT FOR GOING LARGE. HERE ARE A FEW POINTS DEAN RAISED ABOUT THE APPROACH INTO THE WAKE.
START WIDE & WAIT So you’ve edged out all the way and you’re out as wide as you can go. First thing you want to do is make sure you have enough time for the line tension to build back up. If you edge in immediately and too hard you’re going to get a weird jerk in the line. So keeping a continuous line tension into the wake is key. So get out wide, burn off a fraction of the speed by waiting out there. FLYING V
“SOMETIMES I LEAN FORWARD A BIT OFF THE WAKE WHEN DOING SPINS TO HELP CONTROL THE LINE TENSION.”
What I like to think about is creating a V with my upper body and thighs. I try and keep the handle pretty close into that V and get into a slightly squatted position on my way in. You don’t want to extend your body too far otherwise by the time you get to the wake you’ll be out of control.
SEQUENCE: BRETTHEMMINGS.COM
LOCKED IN
INDY BS 180 (AS SEEN ABOVE)
So get yourself into a seated position, having the handle locked in tight to the V in your body position. Another way to think about that is imagine gluing your elbows into your sides. As long as your elbows are locked into your sides, the handle can’t escape you on the way into the wake.
For a trick like my indy backside 180 it requires quite a lot of control coming off the top of the wake. Make sure you’re in that nice crouched position so you have control over the handle and where your body is going.
CONTROL OFF THE WAKE Head into the wake with speed and stand nice and tall off the top of the wake. Sometimes I lean forward a bit off the wake when doing spins to help control the line tension. If you lean back more, you’ll have more line tension. The reason why it’s best to stay in a squatted stance is that you will have the control you’ll need off the wake. You can get away doing raleys without so much control but when trying more advanced tricks, correct body position becomes vital.
As you take off the wake, you won’t need to pull on the handle too hard because you’ve kept it nice and close to your body. Give it a gentle pull into your front hip, grab the board and go about the backside one eighty as you would for a wake to wake one. That body position is crucial.
GOING LARGE
S COT T Y B R O O M E IN THE AIR
CORRECT HANDLE TECHNIQUE AND BODY POSITION OFF THE WAKE AND IN THE AIR IS VITAL TO TAKING TRICKS INTO THE FLATS AND MINIMIZING THE CHANCE OF VISITING YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY ROOM. HERE ARE A FEW POINTS SCOTTY RAISED ABOUT HANDLE CONTROL AND HOW IT AFFECTS YOUR BODY POSITION IN THE AIR
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DOWNWARD PRESSURE So when we’re talking about handle control, specifically for going out into the flats, doing big tricks like glides, you always want to think about keeping a nice downward pressure on the handle. The thing about going big is it can put a lot of pressure on your arms and try and rip you out if you go too hard or let off pressure at the wake. So it all happens in that cut. You want to go out nice and wide, take a nice progressive cut and keeping that line tension all the way into the wake.
SEQUENCE: BRETTHEMMINGS.COM
LEVERAGE
INDY GLIDE (AS SEEN ABOVE)
Once you’re actually in the air, whether your doing a batwing, indy-glide or any of your basic raley tricks, It’s all about having that downward pressure on the handle. This is why we always avoid using the baseball bad grip. Having the knuckles of both hands on top of the handle will give you the leverage you need to push the handle down.
With the indy-glide you want to come hard through the wake in the squatted position and once you’re off the top, push that handle down to keep you in control. You’ll be able to sail out into the flats and push the handle back down toward your leading hip to land.
I always think about pushing it toward the back of the boat. For example if your coming in on your toeside for a batwing style trick, you load through the wake from your back foot to your front foot which allows your body to float out the back a little bit, pushing down on the handle will help you control the glide.
“WE ALWAYS AVOID USING THE BASEBALL BAD GRIP. HAVING THE KNUCKLES OF BOTH HANDS ON TOP OF THE HANDLE WILL GIVE YOU THE LEVERAGE YOU NEED TO PUSH THE HANDLE DOWN.”
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BLINK AND YOU’LL MISS IT THE NEWS THAT FLEW RIGHT ON BY! THE DIGITAL WORLD HAS BECOME AN ADDICTIVE SPACE OF FAST FLYING SOURCE OF INSTANT NEWS AND INFORMATION. UNFORTUNATELY SOMETIMES WE MISS THE INFORMATIVE STUFF AS IT BECOMES BURIED IN A BLACK HOLE OF VIRAL, STIMULATING, LAME, COMEDIC AND FALSE INFORMATION. HERE IS SOME OF THE STUFF THAT HAS HAPPENED RECENTLY THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT.
BOARDSTOCK 2013 Yep it happened. Boardstock 2013 went down and went down hard! Anticipated to be the biggest event on the calendar for the Australian summer, Boardstock didn’t let down. With more insane cable wakeboarding than ever before, an insane lineup of international rider and more partying than you can imagine. Mitch Langfield, Daniel Grant and Sophie Hogben, Angie Schriber and Courtney Angus took top spots in the Pro divisions. Read the full report here.
AMBER DOUBLE FLIPS Amber Wing became the first woman in wakeboarding to land a double flip. Amber stomped the groundbreaking double halfcab roll in the lead up to Boardstock at Cables Wakepark Penrith. We dropped in with our cameras shortly after to capture her double for your eyes. Check the video!
www.wakedition.com.au For daily information that ain’t junk!
SUMMER JAM 2013 Following the huge success of Boardstock, a similar event was planned for GoWake Cable Park on the Sunshine Coast. Mick Neville and his crew at Liquid Force Australia succeeded again to provide a great competition platform for riders of all abilities to attend. Raph Derome, Daniel Grant, Sophie Hogben, Angie Schriber and Courtney Angus took top honors in the Pro Divisions. Read the full report here.
TIGE REUNITING OWNERS The crew at Tige Boats Australia have been working hard at providing the best support for their boat owners for the last few years. 2012/13 has been no exception with a number of owners reunions happening all over the country. Tige owners are invited to head out on the water for the day while the ProWake team instructs, entertains and inspires owners to use their Tige boats to the full potential. Read the full report here.
MITCH LANGFIELD IN A STRAIGHT JACKET It’s hard to imagine inventing a new trick these days. You would almost think everything possible on a wakeboard has been tried. Mitch Langfield has a creative brain when it comes to riding his wakeboard, and this creativity is what sparked a new trick that went down at Boardstock. It’s a Wrapped Tailgrab Toeside Backside 900. The crazy thing about this is the way he wraps up into the rope coming into the kicker. It looks like Mitch is in a straight jacket, but means he can grab the board just about the whole way through the trick.
BLINK AND YOU’LL MISS IT
IRIDESIDEWAYS.COM
WE TRAVEL CWC, PHILIPPINES
If we sit still for too long life becomes like clockwork. Routine rules and the familiarity of our local surrounds become bland. Adventuring the world opens our eyes and souls to new understandings, explorations and we are enriched with the will to squeeze every last flavor out of life on the go. We travel to relax and we travel to broaden our horizons. This edition we travel to Camarines Sur in the Philippines, home to CWC Wakepark. Wakedition correspondent Karl Herman delved into the wakeboard paradise nestled within the Philippine tropics and spat out a list of suggestions to help you make the most of your stay at CWC.
KARL HERMAN WAKEDITION CORRESPONDENT
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WE TRAVEL CWC, PHILIPPINES
OVERVIEW Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC) was established in 2006 by Governor Lray Villafuerte. Since the gates first open, wakeboarders and wakeskaters have traveled across the globe to experience the wakeboarding paradise CWC offers first hand. Nestled in the tropical region of Bicol, Camarines Sur is the largest among six provinces in the area both in terms of population and land area. It could be said that CWC played a pivotal roll in the spike in cable systems being implemented world-wide and despite the increased number of options for wakeboard holiday destinations, CWC remains one of the best places to stay, ride and explore. The friendly locals and interesting cultures make for a pleasant and insightful stay. The Philippines has a complex history involving a blend of the Malayo-Polynesian and Hispanic cultures, with influence from Chinese. These various influences can still be seen through the cuisine, beliefs and language. KARL SAYS: The park is a quiet place with a relaxed feel to it and on most days there is little to no line. Even though its glory days may seem to have passed, have faith!! WE TRAVEL
RIDING & FEATURES Designed with progressive wakeboarding in mind, CWC features a full size cable lake including an island in the middle to help provide the smoothest of water conditions. An impressive man made boat lake was dug right next to the cable lake, allowing riders the option to ride both boat and cable only a short walk away.
KARL SAYS: Its recent makeover that spanned the last few months of 2012 has allowed many traveling wake boarders to enjoy the no bullshit, cheap riding the CWC has to offer , compared to all the new and more high tech cables popping up .
Possibly the most ground breaking feature CWC boasts is the System 2.0 winch park. Purpose made pools were designed to give riders a street style course with hand rails, ledges and launch ramps. The combination of all these riding options means wakeboarders and wakeskaters can spend quality time honing skills in all areas of their sports.
On site accommodation is available and the best place to stay. CWC offers Villas, Mansions, Cabanas and Containers that vary in features, comfort, size and price. All are within close walking distance to the lakes, restaurant and pool. Accommodation starts at 1200 Philippine Pesos per night (approx $30 AUD) for a furnished container that will sleep two people.
ACCOMMODATION
WE TRAVEL CWC, PHILIPPINES
GETTING THERE The most likely way of making it to CWC is via Manila, the Philippine capital. Airlines from all around the world will fly into Manila, and often you will need to stay over night and take a connecting flight the next day into Naga City. Cebu and Air Philippines both fly 3 times daily from Manila airport to Pili and is a 50 minute flight. KARL SAYS: locals will warn you never to rely on flights leaving on time. If you choose see some scenery, you can travel by bus. You will find bus terminals in Cubao for Isarog bus line, which is 20 mins from Manila airport. They’re much slower way of traveling and buses leave morning and night with the options of sleeper buses. KARL SAYS: Wireless internet is provided and there are no weight restrictions which is handy when traveling with equipment. EATING CWC is equipped with a restaurant serving meals all day long, Meals at the cable are nearly all under $10 AUD. Naga and Pili Cities offer a wide range of local and western restaurants. GETTING AROUND TOWN When you’re ready to take a break from riding, take a courtesy shuttle into Naga City to experience the local Filipino cuisines, bars, shops and markets. Once in town you can hail a tricycle, they are cheap and the most exhilarating way to get around Naga. Jeepneys are the quirky local buses you will see around town and are even cheaper than tricycles. OTHER ACTIVITIES KARL SAYS: Visit the local waterfalls and natural hot springs. Take a boat from the local harbor Sa Bang to the Caramoan islands which have private islands and beaches. Go swimming with the whale sharks in Sorsogon.
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huge influx of international riders hit the Australian shores this summer for some defrosting time while their Northern Hemisphere homes sank into a deep winter freeze. Jonty Green joined the international migration flying from his English home to link up with team Double Up for a month of riding, surfing, partying and shooting. We spent some time on the road with Jonty and learned about his idiosyncrasies and natural skills on the water. Jonty is no newby to the wakeboarding world, with numerous titles to his name, and a reputation for being fearless whether he is exploding out of the corner at a cable park or charging into the wake. There aren’t many riders you will see stomping s-bend to blinds behind the boat. Yeah, he ain’t scared.
“I think to be a good wakeboarder you should be able to ride rails, boat and air tricks...all aspects.” JAMES TYRRELL
JONTY GREEN
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Penny is a pretty awesome cable. Having clockwise and anti-clockwise lakes makes it a pretty good setup. We went to Bonnie Doon on lake Eildon too which was real good. How about partying, no doubt there’s been some?
Describe your wakeboarding background. I started wakeboarding in 1999 behind a little jet boat in Oxfordshire. Then I moved to Surrey and started riding the cable shortly after. I’ve been involved in all aspects of wakeboarding since then. In that period of time what changes have noticed in wakeboarding? It’s been incredible to see how much it’s changed over that twelve to thirteen years. People weren’t even hitting rails back then and now hitting rails is one of the main aspects of wakeboarding that people are doing. Especially at the cable parks. What makes a good wakeboarder? I think to be a good wakeboarder you should be able to hit rails, boat and air tricks, all aspects. Do you specialize in any of these aspects with your wakeboarding? I try and be well-rounded but I’d say I mostly ride cable. Only because it’s the most accessible form of wakeboarding in England. Do you enjoy traveling?
Yeah it’s been awesome, I definitely want to come back for Australia Day next year (laughs). It was great fun, we had a few beers on the Hacko and played some beach cricket among all other kinds of shenanigans (laughs). You’ve been shooting for the Double Up 2014 range. How’s the product looking for next season? It’s looking real good. I’ve actually been riding the new Blank, I can’t give too much away apart from it being a super strong board and I’ve really been loving riding it. How has it been road tripping with team DUP? It’s been good man, I’ve been in Scotty Broome’s car so it has been fun. Loads of time on the road but it has been good fun. I’ve slept quite a lot of the time actually (laughs). That brings me to my next question actually. How do you manage to sleep in all different situations at any time? It’s a real skill you have! Practice! Practice makes perfect. I can sleep in any position anywhere (laughs), What are some of the other activities you’ve enjoyed since being here?
Yeah man I love it. I actually haven’t been away the last two winters but I’ve been wondering why I haven’t since coming back here (laughs), I’ve been having an awesome time. I’ll be back next year I reckon.
I have been doing a little bit of surfing, caught a few waves and getting slammed out there as well. Apart from that just some general relaxing really.
Australia’s been treating you pretty well then?
Where are you off to next?
Definitely, Johnno from Double Up invited me out here to shoot photos and do some filming which has been sweet. I also stayed at my mate Scotty McBriars house in the Sunny Coast and rode Bli Bli for a bit first to get strong and been traveling about since then. Been loving it man.
Well unfortunately I leave to go back to England today but hopefully Thailand will be on the cards in the next couple of months. There’s a new cable just opened in Phuket which is sponsored by Double Up so hopefully do some filming over there. Thanks Jonty.
Where have you enjoyed riding the most since being over here?
>
Cheers man.
> Another angle of Jontys frontside air on the Penrith Cable Quarterpipe on a moody summers afternoon.
“I started wakeboarding in 1999 behind a little jet boat in Oxfordshire.� JONTY GREEN
FLYING THE COOP // AARON GUNN Have you ever dreamed of setting course for another place to explore? Test your abilities and become independent and free? We all have this urge at some point in time, but sometimes we must earn our path to our new destination. Aaron Gunn is preparing to fly the coop after winning the Australian ‘Wake The Line’ qualifier at Cables Wakepark in early March. After a year of hard work and dedication to his riding, Aaron proved he has the skills and maturity to stick it to the best in cable wakeboarding. An entry to the ‘Wake The Line’ main event isn’t only a pass to compete, but it’s a milestone in Aarons career indicating it’s his time to fly and an opportunity to make his first mark on the international scene. Is the world ready for Aaron? Well, we’re thinking he’s going to shake some feathers in the competition scene. But there’s one thing for sure, Aaron is ready for the world and is eager to take his first plunge. We’ll be sure to keep you posted on Aaron’s trials and tribulations over the coming months. Work hard, back yourself and look for that new horizon. Fly the coop. JT
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