Finally made it up on the water.

[mmandley]

Finally made it up on the wake board today. Ive been trying for 4 weekends and never could get it right. I bought a DVD set and that helped some but i still wasn't able to get it. I had friends who wake boarded for years trying to help me. I just wasn't getting it.

Last weekend i was introduced to Wake Surfing and i got right up doing that. So after working on that last weekend we went out this weekend. We swam for a while and then i was contemplating if i was ready for this next attempt. Moral for wake boarding has been getting low. I was starting to think it wasn't a sport for me. Like Basketball lol.

I got in my gear and got ready for a pull. First pull was typical lost the board under water.

Second pull BAM up i went, swung my right foot behind me and the board jumped right up on the water and i was wake boarding finally. I just cruised for a minute enjoying the new view of lake i found. I could hear my boat crew cheering me on. I did the 1 hand hold and let my other hand go behind me to check my form and it felt good. I then decided to see about steering a little. Down i went lol. I was able to get back up several times and work ok my lack of skill.

The moral to the story realy is, never give up on something you want to do. The real turn around for me was Wake Surfing, since its a slower speed and a larger board, it jsut felt easier to me to get on the water with. It helps that its a slower and gentler pull from the boat so it doesn't wear ya down as fast and you can keep trying, over and over.

I truly believe that Wake Surfing taught me how to get up wake boarding.

My pro slide into the water.
The only pic of me boarding today lol.

[helix_rider]

Congrats man! That feeling of getting up is great...the first summer I rode it was frustrating...always a hit/miss whether I would get up the first try...the moon/stars had to all be in proper alignment. One thing you might want to check is your board size. I'm 160 sopping wet and I ride a 139. The bigger the board (as you noticed surfing), the easier to get on top of the water. My biggest advice: while you are learning, learn riding switch at the same time. It feels awkward either way to you now, but after 6 months of perfecting your normal riding...you'll never want to try riding switch (to your detriment). Trust me...I've had to go back and start at the beginning riding switch...I had though I was done with faceplants forever

[kaneboats]

Yeah! Congrats! You're on the way now. I am really thinking about trying newbies on the wakesurfer first. It's an easy out and if they aren't used to bindings it's not as confining. It's closer to the boat so it's easier to give assistance.

[mmandley]

Helix - yea i got a monster board its prolly bigger then i need lol. I got it couple months ago when i was 260 and now im down to 245 and still losing, so not to worried about that. If anything ill start complaining the board is sluggish and hard to get air on if i get to that this summer. I figured if get a bog board this summer while im still working out and losing weight. next year ill get a board for my ideal weight of 190-200 and see how that works out. I will use your advise and learn switch now while im learning regular. I didnt face plant today, i spun out and the board caught water on the wide section and dropped me on my arse pretty fast lol.

Kane- definitely agree with you. I'm going to have Claudia do surfing before she learns wake boarding. So much easier when you can move your feet around more, and when i was learnign how to get up on the surfboard, the guys in the boat can see my feet and the board and tell me exactly what to fix to make it easier.

On the wake board they cant see you feet and were yours placing the board. They can only speculate.

I think anyone who has trouble getting started wake boarding should try wake surfing, it just seemed so much more natural on the wake board after getting used to sliding my rear foot behind me on the surf board.

[kaneboats]

Well, you have it figured out now but in the future if you have someone with trouble getting out on the wakeboard you can try to adjust the bindings. With the front foot toed slightly out and the back foot either at 90 degrees or even toed slightly in it can be a little bit easier to get up the first time. I also sometimes tell people to try to ski out to the left (all this assumes a right handed person with left food forward).

[mmandley]

Good advise on the binding. I know yesterday my problem once i was up on the water was i had no steering. It just felt so awkward and when i would try to adjust my board would just spin out to the left on me. I didnt bring the screw driver to adjust my bindings.

I think i have to much angle in them. Left and right foot are both 12 degrees towed out towards front and rear of boar. I want to center them more and see how that feels.

[kaneboats]

Well, wakeboarding is a young man's sport so you (and me) may need to work on flexibility as well. I know dropping 20 lbs. helps a lot with flexibility even if you don't do anything else. Time to start stretching more in the office chair.

[mmandley]

Dammit i knew when i stopped drinking in Feb to help my diet my arms would get stiff from the lack of 12oz curls.

Yea i can see wake boarding as a young mans sport, but im getting older and kicking and screaming about it all the time. I'll keep this wake boarding up till i just know i cant be doing it anymore. I'm going to enjoy this ride as long as i can.

I truly do love Surfing though. Man thats the best ting ive done yet in the water.

[mcdye]

I can feel your pain and furstration. I have not skied in MANY years. Now older (45) and larger (260) it is a struggle BUT worth it. Just my 3rd time to wakeboard this weekend, it is getting easier to get up (I had been trying to get on top of the water to soon). Now to get brave and try a switch ride early in my learning process. I did not enjoy my first face plant when the front edge caught the water. I have the 'The Book' series and it has helped as we have never done anything like this.

We are turning it into a family gig. The wife got up a few times. The son (9yr) is getting up and being cocky right from the start. The daughter (12), well she is still in charge of music and not interseted in boarding....yet

[mmandley]

Haha nice McDye.

Yea gf hasn't tried yet but thats because we are waiting for her new contacts to show up so she can see in the water.

Me and my buddy are competitive to each other. He got up his 3rd pull and get up all the time. But he leans hard on his heals and cut wide and wiped out after a few seconds. So he teases me about taking so long to get up on the water, and i tease him because at least i can stay centered behind the boat LOL.