Wakeboarding: The New Surfing

Wakeboarding is a sport of the times. A wakeboarder is a person towed behind a boat or a cable skiing lift at a speed of around 18-24 mph. The main difference is that instead of skis, the rider uses a single board, shorter in length and wider than snowboards, with foot bindings.

For decades, surfing was the favorite sport of the beach lover. Even in doing this sport, one would require transportation by boat from one location to another. In 1985, a San Diego Surfer named Tony Finn developed a hybrid of the water ski and the surfboard. He called this the Skurfboard. This new board looked almost exactly like a surfboard but was pulled by a boat while its rider performed new skills and tricks. The sport was consequently called Skurfing. Later that summer, foot straps were added to these boards and this was a big thing. This allowed riders to do more free-flowing and dynamic stunts. However, the sport continued to struggle due to a lack of innovation and technology surrounding the boards.

Herb OBrien, a successful businessman in waterskiing and the owner of H.O. Sports, changed the face of the sport by refining the boards, making it possible for riders to perform even more stunts. Other companies soon followed suit. The sport gained large and wide audiences in 1992, when World Sports & Marketing, a Florida-based sports and events promoter, began setting up wakeboard events. This gave wakeboarders a chance to compete on a professional level at the same time getting exposure on international sports stations ESPN and ESPN2. The sport got more validation when World Publications launched its own publication, Wake Board Magazine, in 1993. With each passing year, support for the Pro Wakeboard Tour and the magazine continue to grow. To add to this, various cups have been formed and launched and are eagerly anticipated and widely attended.

For the average beach dweller, the pull of the sport is obvious. Unlike surfing, it is fairly easy to pick-up. You have something to hold on to when wakeboarding and, for a lot of people, this support is a real perk. The obvious other advantages are there. With Wakeboarding, you are free to do the sport at any time. While surfers need to follow the waves, wakeboarders can be active on any beach. The only thing necessary is a boat to pull you along. There is a lot of room for self-expression as well. Much like water-skiers, wakeboarders have the freedom to reach for greater and greater heights when doing stunts. Some interesting trivia about wakeboarding include the following. At present, there are over 3.1 million wakeboarders worldwide. A video game about wakeboarding called Wakeboarfing Unleashed was released in 2003. The average income for wakeboarders is $95, 400 USD. Wakeboarding is now part of the X-Games and Gravity Games attracting even more attention and credibility as an extreme water sport. 75% of wakeboarders are male and aged 13-24, but a growing number of female wakeboarders are beginning to make a dent on the male-dominated sport. In addition, wakeboarding is currently the fastest growing water sport.

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