December 2014: No. 6

www.boardersmag.com | DECEMBER 2014 A

December 2014

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spot-light: candice appleby p. 53 | sean cummings p. 75

Mark payne’sbest of 2014page 32

Let there be

lightSUP Glow + light-er boards

+

Holiday Gift guidemerry christmas

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The demand for a twenty-one foot boat that earns the G-Series badge has been delivered with the Super

Air Nautique G21. Wakeboarders, wakeskaters, and wakesurfers around the globe have found the G21 versatility

to be the answer for the perfect pull. Riders and surfers get the award winning G-Series wake and the ability to

adjust the size and shape to maximize every set and have the perfect endless wave.

With the most versatile and customizable wave on the market, the Nautique Surf System (NSS) with WaveplateTM

creates a world-class surf wave that allows surfers the ability to keep the boat evenly weighted and switch the

wave from side-to-side in seconds without the need to offload ballast and people.

The G21 lives up to everything that you demanded it to be. For more information, log on to nautique.com or

contact your local dealer.

©2015 Nautique Boat Company, Inc. • 1-800-346-2092

Find us on:

The exclusive power plant of Nautique.

The demand for a twenty-one foot boat that earns the G-Series badge has been delivered with the Super

Air Nautique G21. Wakeboarders, wakeskaters, and wakesurfers around the globe have found the G21 versatility

to be the answer for the perfect pull. Riders and surfers get the award winning G-Series wake and the ability to

adjust the size and shape to maximize every set and have the perfect endless wave.

With the most versatile and customizable wave on the market, the Nautique Surf System (NSS) with WaveplateTM

creates a world-class surf wave that allows surfers the ability to keep the boat evenly weighted and switch the

wave from side-to-side in seconds without the need to offload ballast and people.

The G21 lives up to everything that you demanded it to be. For more information, log on to nautique.com or

contact your local dealer.

©2015 Nautique Boat Company, Inc. • 1-800-346-2092

Find us on:

The exclusive power plant of Nautique.

4 DECEMBER 2014 | www.boardersmag.comPhoto: Mark Payne

“My Mendonesia surfboard gets me high” -Chris Wolter

MendonesiaSurf.com


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December 2014

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Namaste SUP Challenge

Let there be LightFeaturing Nocqua and Torch Paddles plus SUP Glow Destinations

Centurion Boats- Downfire Marine Audio System

Wake Surfing- Best of 2014Words/Photos by Mark Payne

@boardersmag

LET THEREBE LIGHT

On the Cover:Special thanks to David Swansonwith Torch Paddles for several great pictures including this shot of athlete Katie Marshin her hometown in Naples, Florida.

36 Mark Payne’sWake Surfing-Best of 2014


41December 2014

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Light-er Boards: Into the Shaping RoomWords: Tyler Marshall

Holiday Gift Guide

Candice ApplebyWords: Alex Brost

Oklahoma on Board with Eric Lair

World Wake Surfing ChampionshipPhotos by Tim Walker and Danny Braught

47

62“Finding My Sweet Spot”By Sean Cummings

Holiday Gift Guide

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My friend Buck Ashcraft texted me after the last issue and if you knew Buck then you knew a great boarder, pro kite to paddle, SUPATX to O’brien, or you might find him surfing with his dog Steve on Lake Austin, Texas. “Why so serious?” asked Buck. “If I write, I would like to write something funny.” “Glad to see people are reading,” I responded.

Well I guess I did not really have a funny story to tell at the time; my mind focused on business, ethics, working hard to get the story and remaining focused on each piece of work within brief moments of “me time” when I could step away from my computer and back onto the lake. I was going back to grad school basically, and once again exploring deeper into my thoughts . . . yet life was different. I was not studying the historical, the study of pathology or theology, but reality, the social and the cultural. Today I am proud to be living in a movement that has been making waves and making some of them . . . from funny stories to a lifestyle that speaks and a soul that longs surf.

So we started Boarders Magazine, a testament to the real story of “surfers,” or those who live within the present moment . . . on or near the water. We are boarders, or the 99 % of surfers and paddlers who are landlocked. While there are very few people who are athletic or privileged enough to be able to surf an ocean wave, there are more people who are now able to get on board, on a lake or river nearby where the present moment is fulfilled . . . by the glide, the float, the thrash, an air or a carve. Then we drive home, eat, sleep and go back to our Monday morning job and wait for the next weekend.

Where are we now? Where does it go? How big is it going to get? The exciting part is that we are still at the beginning. We are still within the moments where we greet another boarder on the lake. We are ordering our first custom boards and our nieces and nephews, sons and daughters are excited to get on the water. It is not just the board sports, it is the lifestyle. Billabong is sold at the local outlet store, our favorite restaurant overlooks the lake and we wear sandals up until the first signs of winter. 2014 we will remember you. 2015 we are ready for more. - Tyler Marshall

For advertising information:214.683.8317 or [email protected]

Boarders Magazine is a publication distributed to a targeted list of consumers, board shops and dealers throughout the United States.

Copies are also available upon request. Boarders Magazine is a trademark of Lokal Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved without

prior written permission of publisher. Copyright ©2014

Subscriptions to Boarders Magazine may be purchased online at www.boardersmag.com/subscribe.

Boarders Magazine Address 621 N Main Street, Suite 415, Grapevine, Texas 76051

Phone (214) 683-8317

Buck Ashcraft and dog, Steve

Publisher & Business DirectorChris Wielinski

Advertising DirectorDanny Braught

Editorial DirectorTyler Marshall

DesignJase Bloor

Contributing WritersAlex Brost

Sean CummingsJustin Hammond

Eric LairMark PayneSean Reavis

David Swanson

PhotographersWilliam GayleSuzanne Lair

Cody LawMarina Lopez

Tim MarekJosiah NessMark Payne

David SwansonChuck TunaTim Walker

Pepper Yandell


The Namaste SUP Challenge is a 30-day instability challenge where contestants can practice and post their yoga moves and a new move every day. Congrats to all of the challenge contestants and the final four winners including Natalie Morales, Jennifer Hill, Lindsey Bankston and Jessica Mahoney.

NAMASTE SUP30 day CHALLENGEWINNERS

Natalia Morales was born and raised in Medellin Colombia; she is a fashion designer, a yoga instructor in training, and Sup Lover and currently has a project that involves all three (sup-yoga-design). @supcolombia

“I think it’s hard to have three passions in the same dream, but with determination and perseverance you can do everything. Just love what you do and are.”

“I do my sup yoga practice in a little town called Guatape located in Antioquia Colombia; there is a dam and some little islands where you can change the view in any moment, the houses are colorful and decorated with traditional sockets.”

“I realized about the challenge on facebook days before and I started thinking about the place and I chose the dam. The challenge strengthened me in ways I did not think spiritually, physically and mentally. Yoga becomes a discipline that strengthens the love for yourself and compassion for your body. This challenge brought me strength, confidence and love for what I do.”


Jennifer Hill (below) is the owner and operator of Ohana Paddle Sports (www.ohanapaddlesports.org) in Surf City, NC. She has been in business for four years now and for the last three years she has offered Sup Yoga classes. She teaches in the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) behind Topsail Island in NC.

“I really enjoyed doing the Namaste Sup Challenge and it did challenge me. I teach often but not everyday so this was a great way to remind and motivate me to do yoga everyday. My life can get hectic, I am in the shop 7 days a week during the season with my two toddlers by my side, so the challenge helped me to make sure I set aside that time everyday. There were also a couple of asanas from the challenge that I was not very good at but the challenge forced me to focus on them and work on them. I was very glad that I had just ordered the Indo Yoga Board because it rained and thunder stormed almost everyday constantly for the first two weeks of August, but I was still able to do my asanas on my indo board. This challenge was also great because my three year old got really into doing yoga with me, so it was a great way for me to have some one on one time with her and have a special activity for just us. She was always excited to do our asanas for the day and kept wanting me to show her more and more!”

Lindsey Bankston (right), @maestralindsey, does SUP Yoga in Minnesota.

“This challenge encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone and try new lakes and new poses on my paddleboard. Because of this challenge, I found the most restorative lake where hardly anyone else goes. It is now my favorite place to go to get some R&R in the summer sun.”

“My name is Jess Mahoney (left) and I’m from Orlando, FL. I paddleboard and practice SUP yoga on various lakes around town, but primarily on Lake Mizell, which is a part of the Winter Park Chain of Lakes. I was inspired to participate in the Namaste Sup Challenge after attending yoga retreat in West Palm Beach over the summer with Amelia Travis (aka Stoked Yogi) where I first practiced yoga, SUP style. Needless to say it was love at first float! When I saw Lauren’s challenge offer I borrowed a friend’s paddleboard and just soaked up the SUP life all month! Yoga on a paddleboard unlocks so many new challenges; fundamental postures on land, like Trikonasana become a balancing act and true test of patience. Nothing compares to the bliss that comes from soaking up the sun while floating in Shavansana on the open water. Namaste and Paddle On!”


Photo: William Gayle


Location: Newport Rhode Island

“This past August, a friend and photographer

William Gayle tossed out an invite for me to

tag along on a moonlight paddle shoot. We

launched off Ocean Drive in Newport Rhode

Island and paddled along the beautiful rocky

coast, which was dripped in moonlight and

smothered in calm seas. A truly beautiful

experience.”

- Casi Rynkowski

M O O N L I G H T P A D D L E


Halloween- paddleboard Orlando

Halloween was right around the corner and Paddle Board Orlando (PBO) came out with a group in costume full force. This shoot was from a sunrise SUP costume party for a local news channel that we got in on. PBO has just opened the first SUP specific store on the beautiful, spring fed and alligator free Lake Killarney in the heart of historic Winter Park right outside Orlando.

www.boardersmag.com | DECEMBER 2014 19Photos: Cody Law


Raya Walker has been traveling the country since she was 5 years old competing in water sports. Over the past decade she has traveled coast-to-coast and border-to-border. “All my travels have given me a lifestyle I love to share with others“. Raya hopes to share her experiences through her own line of shirts, hats, and jewelry, properly named Raya Sun & Surf Co. Raya is also working with her sponsors to carry their products as well. It is inspiring to see Raya using her creative mind at only 17 to start down the path of being an entrepreneur.

Check everything out at her website www.RayaSunAndSurf.com


In April 2013, two time world champion and world record

holder for kneeboarding and hydrofoiling, Billy Rossini,

founded a new way to get on board after hours by launching

the Nocqua Adventure Gear line and its first product the

Nocqua 2000. Billy devised and perfected the world’s only

adjustable LED waterproof light system for both standup

paddle boards or kayaks and today over 4,000 Nocqua

systems have been put on the water worldwide. Paddling

at night with the water glowing at your feet is a fresh

approach to paddle sports because it is exciting, safe and

attractive to water life. Now paddling at night is safer too

because other boaters can see you better and you can

LET THERE BE LIGHTalso see what’s going on underneath your board. One of

the secrets to fishing at night is attracting fish with lights,

think about the advantage of using Nocqua high powered

LED lights.

For the booming SUP industry this meant the birth of “SUP

Glow” tours worldwide and today there are over 100 tour

operators who are extending their rental hours into the

evening. Finally a chance to get on board after hours and

more possibilities for paddle outfitters and customers from

on board fireworks shows to eco and wildlife tours.

Photo Courtesy of Nocqua


Ibis Bay Paddle Sports in Key West Florida takes a unique approach to paddling at night with their night eco and wildlife tours. Fifteen minutes after sunset is when the ocean floor comes alive with crabs and lobsters as the tour takes you through its crystal clear waters and mangrove island rookeries while the powerful Nocqua LED’s light the way.

EXPLORE THE NIGHT


Fireworks blast off each Friday night over Lake Grapevine between Memorial Day and Labor Day. With their Nocqua lights ready to go, the DFW Surf crew in North Texas takes tours out (some nights up to 30 boards glowing) to experience the priceless feeling of floating on the water under the bright strobes of fireworks. #GetOnBoard

Photos: Tim Marek


“I was paddling at night in a lake with a lit-up board and we

could see below us, it was amazing,” recalls Creighton Baird.

“But we had a hard time getting the light to shine where we

wanted it, and I was like ‘why aren’t their lights on the paddle

instead!’ And that’s where it started.”

The next year was spent developing carbon fiber LED

lighted paddles and testing out prototypes with friends and

strangers in every part of the country. The response has

been overwhelmingly positive and it has given the team

valuable reassurance that they are on the right track. Since

then the team has been selling their paddles as quickly as

they can get them manufactured. “It is one of those good

problems to have, the paddles are a bit more complex to a

manufacturer than a normal paddle so naturally they take

a little longer to produce,” explains David Swanson, Torch

Paddles co-founder and paddle designer.

Photos: David Swanson


Meanwhile the team has created a unique concept by

creating a Torch lighted adventure with treasure boxes

across the West Coast, in lakes and bays, with real US

gold coins hidden inside. They hope it will get more

people out paddling, exploring and gaining a new

excitement for the sport. They will continue to place

new treasure boxes all over the country with no end

in sight. “Paddling helps you find the thing that you

treasure, whether that’s personal fitness, social bonding

or bonding with nature. That’s the true message behind

Torch Treasure,” explains David.

Torch Paddles also plans on teaming up with their

friend DevinSuperTramp to make an epic new video

featuring the LED lighted paddles. Their kayak paddle,

coming out next year, will be featured as well as their

SUP and canoe paddles which are available now on

their website. “Getting out on the water after work,

when the sun is dipping and the atmosphere is perfect,

it’s mesmerizing how the water appears when it’s lit up

from below. Once you do it, you’re hooked.”


Boarders Adboardersmag.com/subscribe


Now there is more time to play on the water and

explore terrain in a new light with new board and

boat technologies like Nocqua Adventure Gear,

Torch Paddles, Wetsounds Speakers SUPGLO

lighting systems. Light your path beneath your

feet, immerse yourself underneath the stars,

sit back on your boat and set the mood. The

adventure has just begun.

WET SOUNDS REVOLUTION10 SERIES TOWER SPEAKERS

The Revolution Series is the pinnacle of tower speakers for any boat featuring REV TEC mid bass response technology with boosting volume and sound quality at a minimum of 80 feet. Comes in all stainless steel hardware and grilles and a reinforced composite enclosure with a LED lighting option.

IMPEDANCE: 4 OhmsPOWER (W): 300/600 (RMS/Peak)SENSITIVITY: 92 dB at 1W/MeterFREQ. RESPONSE: 20 hZ - 20 Khz

MSRP: $1149 for pair

TORCH PADDLE

Light up the night with a Torch Paddle, the world’s first 24 hour paddle featuring a tri-fecta lights system built into the blade of the paddle and an on/off button inside the handle that lets you turn your lights on or off at your convenience. The paddle itself is a strong and durable paddle that can be used anytime and a lightweight carbon fiber design.

Available in 72” and 78” fixed lengths

Retail: $250

THE FUTURE IS

BRIGHT


SUPGLO STANDUP PADDLEBOARDLIGHTING SYSTEM

The SUPGLO Standup Paddleboard Lighting System let’s you experience the unforgettable adventure of night paddling, quickly, easily and affordably. Utilizing a unique, strong hold suction cup mounting system and superbright LED’s, you will be on the water in minutes. SUPGLO lights float, and the suction cup mounts can also be used for GoPro cameras, making SUPGLO the most versatile, compact lighting system on the market. See SUPGLO in action at surfstow.com.

NOCQUA SPECTRUM - COLOR LED LIGHT SYSTEM

The latest development from Nocqua lets you glow in night with color featuring 7 colors and 3 modes and an in-line switch, which allows you to choose your color, either red, blue, green, orange, aqua, purple, low white and bright white and modes include a 5 second color hold, party mode and SOS strobe.

Retail: $399 plus shipping

Retail: 2 Pack for $199

Photo: David Swanson


The Centurion Downfire Marine Audio System is technologically advanced to have two separate zones, Rider zone & In-Boat zone. The “rider” zone has rear facing speakers and the “in-Boat” zone includes the interior speakers, subwoofer and downfiring speakers. This gives you the ability to turn the “In boat” speakers completely down while still blasting music to your rider, or turn the rear facing speakers off to be courteous to the neighbors or any combination in between. Also featuring a convenient master control dial allowing you to achieve the desired volume quickly without having to go to the dash or head unit.


The Rear facing Components utilized on the Down-fire tower speakers are a dedicated 8” mid driver paired with a 1” Horn Loaded TitaniumCompression Driver.

34 DECEMBER 2014 | www.boardersmag.com U T V . M A R I N E . P O W E R S P O R T S . S X S

REVOLUTION SERIES

ICON SERIES

SINISTER SERIES

HT SERIES

SYN SERIESXS SERIES with LED RING KITTOWER SPEAKERS

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Hydrous Wake Parks

Allen & Little Elm, Texas


The 2014 competitive wake surfing season wrapped up in Las Vegas at the World Wake Surfing Championships in late September. It was the exclamation point on what was a fantastic year of wake surfing behind various brands of boats cranking out killer waves at venues all across the United States and abroad.

As a hobbyist photographer I enjoyed shooting photos of the athletes, spectators and, at times, the landscape at the different venues. And although I would have loved to make it to all the events, my “day job” had other plans for me. Nevertheless, we attended a good number of competitions and thinking back through the year there were so many great memories and new friends from the wake surfing community.

Perusing my collection of shots that numbers in the thousands, I came across many photos of athletic excellence, rider camaraderie, cool boats, sweet boards and family and friends having a blast in our great world of surfing inland waves. Photographs of big air and technical tricks I have plenty of. For this wrap-up, I thought I would pull out a few photos that caught my attention for other reasons.

Parker, AZ. You’d be hard pressed to find a photographer that doesn’t like to shoot out West. There’s nothing like the golden hours in the desert!

While the photo above certainly won’t win any awards, it did jump out at me as a reminder of the diverse locations wake surfing takes us during the year. This picture is from early in the 2014 season at the Supreme Wake Surf Championship in

best of2014Wake SurfingArticle and Photos by:Mark Payne


The photo to the left I chose, again, not for its technical merit, but more for the story it tells. This is Allison Sos boosting at the 2014 WWS Shred Fest in Colorado – part of the Endless Wave Tour. I’m shooting from the opposite side of the wake and you can see that she’s way above the lip even with a knee brace on! Allison battled ACL/meniscus issues all year and just recently had surgery to repair it. She, along with several others, fought through injuries to compete throughout the season. It was great seeing the determination and commitment from all the riders - the progression this year was very impressive at all levels!

Here is another one from the WWS Shred Fest in Fort Collins, CO. And it’s Chase Hazen riding. It’s no secret that Chase is known for his huge air and traditional ocean surf style. I picked this picture because it doesn’t show Chase going big, but rather, going long. In the Long Board competition, that is. The

lighting was soft and indirect in this shot because of a big line of thunderstorms slipping over the tops of the mountains from the West. We got lucky with the weather and only had some wind and showers. In addition to Chase “Walking the Plank” in this shot, we saw a lot of long board skills that weekend in Colorado.


There is a lot more than just wake surfing going on at a wake surf contest. And this picture is just one example. Mike La Macchia proves in the photo on the left that he isn’t just a good wake surfer, he has some mad Frisbee skills too! This competition was the Lake Anna Wake Surf Open in Virginia.

Above is Angie Viland with a killer double grab at the Lake Anna Wake Surf Open. This venue had a great dark backdrop making the colors pop and subjects stand out in contrast.

For this picture we’ll bounce back across the country to the “left” coast. This is Raleigh Hager going really big during a pre-comp session for the NWWSA Wake Surf Open in Monroe, WA. This

shot caught my eye because of the perspective of being right behind her. Even from the opposite side of the wave, it’s obvious just how high Raleigh gets above the lip.


Here is another shot from the NWWSA Open in Washington. And it’s Parker Payne doing something that he rarely does – ride a skim board. He’s midway through a drifter and I really liked this picture because of the way the wave looks. For one, it is lit up like there are lights shining through it from the back side. And two, I love the way the nose of the board literally cut the wave. It looks like he’s carving it with a knife!

The picture left is Madi Horta going for the big double grab at the Nautique USA Wake Surf Nationals in Georgia. Two things caught my attention about this photo. One is the colorful and bright Soulcraft board against the white wash of the boat. The other reason I selected this picture is Madi’s story. It was just one year ago, at the 2013 World Wake Surf Championships, that Madi and her father Vic attended just as spectators. Madi loved what she saw, declared that she wanted to try wake surfing and talked her dad into buying a boat. Just one year later, she competed herself at Worlds! Madi had an incredibly successful season- congrats!

If you didn’t see some of my favorite shots from this fantastic event be sure to read the Boarders Magazine article. Calloway Gardens is a great place to shoot pictures and I highlight a few of my favorites in that article.

This picture was taken at Lake Las Vegas during the World Wake Surfing Championships. I’m sure everyone would agree that this event brought together the world’s best riders and they put on a show that included the best riding the sport has ever seen. It would be easy, and probably expected, to pull out a photo from Worlds showing a Big Spin or 540-Shuv. But I like this picture because of the unique arches over the lake and the gentleman in the shot, Tim Walker. Here, Tim is perched on this walkway above the lake to shoot photos of riders as they pass under him. He got some really unique shots from this vantage point. Tim volunteers his time, equipment and skills to get great shots during many of the wake surf events too. I have a great time shooting with him and love his work! Thanks, Tim, for giving so much of your time to the sport.

40 DECEMBER 2014 | www.boardersmag.comMade in AmericaMade by surfers


To go along with the lights theme in this issue I wanted to feature an article about a growing trend in the industry and amongst consumers, which is towards light-er boards. Shaper Brock Dumoit of Doomswell stands by his motto, “don’t surf a brick” and consumers too are convinced that lighter boards are better. Meanwhile shapers like Joe Bark believe in finding that sweet spot, or the right balance between weight and performance. The characteristic of lightness is far from being the most important part of a board and good shapers would agree that design is the most vital. Stronger and lighter has been a goal for manufacturers and shapers and materials like carbon fiber, kevlar and bamboo have emerged on the scene. So what are the advantages of lighter boards? Are they faster? Has durability been compromised? Stronger and lighter materials, does this mean more expensive boards? Why don’t we just hear forourselves . . .

by Tyler Marshall

Into theShapingRoom


Taylor Rambo:Riviera Paddlesurf“Lighter Boards give you a bit of an edge in performance whether you are racing or SUP Surfing. The most important factor in a performance SUP however is shape... If the design isn’t there, it isn’t going to matter how light your board is.”

“In SUP racing you can accelerate up to that race pace, after a buoy turn, or at the start a split second quicker... Whether it’s 1-3-4 strokes quicker, it could mean 1 board length or 100 yards at the end of a race.”

“The disadvantages of having a light board is they can become less durable the lighter they are. Finding that balance between performance and durability is what we strive for with every board in our line. Some boards we lean towards durable, and some boards we lean towards performance.”

Nick Wiersema: chaos surf CompanyWhy lighter? Is there a happy medium? Custom versus mass produced boards. Advantage of lighter boards?

“Lightness, what is it and is this board lighter than that board? Typically, people pick up a board off a rack and will comment wow that is light or wow that feels heavy. Here’s the thing though, the human interpretation of ‘light’ is not necessarily a good estimation of actual weight or mass. How we interpret whether a board feels light is really about the size of the board and the distribution of volume/mass. Two boards of identical weight might feel completely different in the hands of a rider due to the board’s overall size and mass distribution. Typically speaking a larger board with more volume will feel lighter than a smaller board, when they are of equal weight. For wakesurfing this is most evident if you pick up a 5 lb surf-style board and a 5 lb skim-style board. The skim-style board is going to feel heavier in your hands.

The 5 Pound Rule. Your average hi-performance surfboard and wakesurfer float around this 5 Pound Rule, plus or minus a few ounces to a pound. More plus than minus. Why is that? There are a lot of potential reasons, but in general, it is an artifact of size and materials. In the case of your typical competition surf-style wakesurfer the board is going to be in between 4’5” and 4’10” in length with a maximum width between 19.5 and 22”, and maximum thickness of 1.5 to 2.0.” This gives you volumes from around 20 liters to all the way up towards 28 liters. Shorter boards are generally for shorter riders and these boards also tend to be wider and possibly thicker (shorter riders do not necessarily weigh less than taller riders). Wakesurfers have

been trending thicker over the past 4-5 years as aerial surfing has progressed. Small additions to thickness and width have a greater effect on volume than small additions in length, all things considered equal. Volume will be the primary limiting factor in the finished weight of a board, again all things considered equal.

Are lighter boards better? Yes, no, maybe. A lightweight board will have a tendency to release better and stay under a surfer’s feet when above the lip of the wave. In my experience, most riders like a lighter board, but this is not necessarily due to weight, but potential other factors like flex and feel. The feel of a board is a combination of flex and the vibrations felt through the board from the wave. Many construction types dampen these vibrations and stiffen boards rendering them nothing more than dead planes, plowing through the water.”

“Wakesurfers have been trending thicker over the past 4-5 years as aerial surfing has progressed”


Mark RaaphorstSandwich island composites“The few pounds one has to propel forward the less effort a paddler needs to put into their stroke. This results in fatigue kicking in later and better sprinting ability. Saying this, what is often forgotten in this equation is the paddler’s own weight. If a paddler weight is 180 lbs. and the board is 20 lbs., simplistically speaking, the board is about 10 % of the total weight to be propelled forward. Hypothetically speaking, if the board is 10 lbs. heavier at 30 lbs., total weight to be propelled becomes 210 lbs. The difference between 200 and 210 lbs. is 5%.

“Light boards have less inertia. They get going easier, but also slow down faster.”

Going lighter with less volume is possible with a lighter core density, hollow construction or more high-end composites. The only downside is the cost of high-end composites like carbon, or plastic composites like Innegra, Kevlar and Spectra combined

with builder’s challenge of use of these products drive up prices. The required margins of brand owners, distributor, wholesalers and retailers all escalate and so the board that is $100 more expensive to build will often reach the customer at an increased price tag of $500. This is the nature of global manufacturing.

What my crew strives for is tight manufacturing on all levels and in every step. Every step in board construction increases the weight and there are about twenty steps to it, so saving a few ounces out of every step without scarfing strength is the key; a sloppy fin box route job, thick resin while laminating, thick hot coats, unnecessary volume distribution in the shape, un-sophisticated hardware design are just some of the enemies.”


Dominic Lagace

“My new pro model is even better, lighter, more responsive and I can go bigger”

Photo: Marina Lopez


TODD JOHNSON CUSTOMS“THERE IS NO BETTER THERE IS ONLY DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS! Just like all characteristics of a wake surf board, the boards weight depends on the surfers style and the conditions of the wind and wave. When I went to my first pro contest I was amazed that the best wake surfers in the world only ride one model no matter the conditions. Competing for the last three years, and seeing the different conditions behind different boats I am even more convinced that a wake surfer should have a quiver of boards.

Polyurethane is what most surfboards have been made from for decades. Poly is a little heavier than EPS but has really good flex, giving the board lots of drive, perfect for big power turns. Lets say I’m building a 4’3” for a young rider who is light but has, or wants to have, a powerful surfing style. I’m not worried about weight on such a small board and would choose poly for its flex and drive as well as durability. Now let’s say a 250 pound man wants to throw 360s and airs and rip it up with his kids. I want to make him a board that’ll float him and be durable but still be light and responsive. In this situation EPS is the better material because I can make him a shorter thinner board that still give the flotation he needs without sacrificing speed and maneuverability.”

Photo: Marina Lopez


IceMule CoolersThe IceMule Cooler is the world’s most portable high-

performance soft cooler. Only the IceMule’s patented

insulated dry-bag design gives you the portability of a

backpack with the performance of a hard cooler:

• Keeps ice intact up to 24 hours.

• Rolls up for easy storage.

• Waterproof: Welded seams and no zippers.

• It even floats!

GoPro HERO4Silver / SurfCapture your world in an all-new way with HERO4 Silver,

the first-ever GoPro to feature a built-in touch display.

Controlling the camera, framing shots and playing back

content is now ultra convenient—just view, tap and swipe

the screen. HERO4 Silver captures 1080p60 and 720p120

video with lifelike clarity, plus 12MP photos at a staggering

30 frames per second. New experience-enhancing features

include HiLight Tag, which lets you mark key moments for

easy playback, editing and sharing, and QuikCapture, which

allows you to power on the camera and start recording with

the press of a single button. Waterproof to 131’ (40m),

HERO4 Silver combines versatility and pro-quality capture

with the convenience of a touch display.

Retail: $399

See more at: GoPro.com


SlingShot Crossbreed

The 2015 Crossbreed is a true HIGH PERFORMANCE ALL

AROUND BOARD and is as stable and forgiving as they

come. This wide frame will give the wariest of paddler’s

full confidence in any condition. The pulled in displacement

style nose and a fuller, harder tucked rail is designed to

deliver excellent touring performance and all around user

friendliness. The Crossbreed also cuts through the chop,

makes turns easily and handles knee to waist high surf

due to the V spine bottom shape. The Crossbreed is the

ultimate crossover of an all-around and performance touring

board. Based on Slingshot’s Future Response Technology

the Crossbreed is built with Wood Veneer Sandwich

Construction (WVS). This proprietary construction controls

the durability and flex of the board and the result is a proven

lightweight, impact resistant board.

- MSRP: 11 foot = $1,399 / 12.6 foot = $1,699

SlingShot Switchblade The perfect paddle that you can share with friends and

family as it adjusts to almost any height, short or tall.

DIMENSIONS

Blade Length: 19.5”

Blade Width: 8.3”

Blade Area: 99.2 sq in

Angle of Blade: 10 degrees

Paddle Weight: 21.8 oz

- MSRP $239

UE Boom• Make Some Noise: UE BOOM is the 360-degree

wireless speaker that drops bold, rich resonant sound in

every direction with exceptional bass.

• Up for Anything: UE BOOM has a versatile, go

anywhere shape that is designed to be spontaneous

• Life-Resistant: Colorful acoustic skin with plasma

coating makes UE BOOM water and stain resistant

• Live Wirelessly: Switch songs, adjust volume and

take phone calls from up to 50 feet away. The rechargeable

battery has 15 hours of playback

• Double Up: Wirelessly connect two UE BOOMs

together in stereo via the free UE BOOM app to spread the

sound and pump up the volume

Retail: $199

UEBOOM.com

SHAFT

100% Carbon / Adjustable

Minimum Height 66”

Maximum Height 97”

BLADE

Fiberglass


O’Brien - Tokio SUP The Tokio was designed to be proportionally shorter and

wider than a typical SUP, with a high-volume 200 Liter

double concave hull and a 32” width. Full D shaped rails

help propel the board in a straight line, while defined edges

on the bottom rails help reduce drag and increase glide.

With this you get a ton of stability and speed in a shorter

package - At only 10’ long, the Tokio is lighter, easier to

maneuver and takes up a lot less room in the garage that

most SUPs.

MSRP $1200

LENGTH 304.8cm / 120”

WIDTH 81.28cm / 32”

VOLUME 200 Liters

www.Obrien.com

Jacket Rack-ItThe Jacket Rack-it is the easy way to store and dry your

wet life jackets! The rack attaches to your boat tower and

allows your wet jackets to hang outside the boat where

they drip into the water instead of your boat. As you drive

air flows past the jackets and dries them quickly so the

next time you put it on it will be dry! Fits all tubular towers.

$349

www.Jacketrackit.com


THUGGIEThe OG Thuggie

Launched in 2009, our signature garment the Thuggie is made of super soft custom milled

80% Cotton 20% polyester blend fabric. We avoided the cheap material that is rampant

in the lifestyle market and made a premium product. Thuggies offers unparalleled comfort

when on the boat and the ability to change in and out of that wetsuit without showing your

junk to everyone. Keep it on for those cold days on the water or winter training. For added

convenience, Thuggies included hidden side pockets and in some cases a full front zipper.

This is not your average tall sweatshirt; the build quality, colorways, and style is next to

none. Probably one of the coolest things is that every Thuggie color is a limited edition

because our designers never re-issue the same model.

-$85

Thuggie.com

Xsories - Xshine Combo Illuminate your films easily and meet our iconic U-Shot.

Two products we figured will really lift your content and

show you why you bought a compact camera in the first

place. Open up and extend your capture possibilities with

this awesome starter combo.

www.xsories.com

$79.99

SYCK TRIX BOARDThe Syck Trix board is made from maple wood skate decks.

We have designed a custom foot pad for the top of the

board. The custom bladder jacket combination gives the

board the pop you need. The Syck Trix Board Bladders

when positioned correctly, will not only improve your tricks

but help with core training. Another great advantage of

using a Syck Trix Board is the rehab for ankle, foot, knee

and hip injuries sustained from board sport accidents. Let

the fun began, Stick your tricks with Syck trix.

www.sycktrix.com

$95.99


2014 e v e n t s


CandiceAppleby

As a competitive sport emerges, it is usually not long

before an über-talented athlete dramatically separates

his or herself from the rest, a lead wolf. The rest of the

pack knows that, if they want to lead, their only option

is to merely follow and hope the lead wolf stumbles.

These athletes tend to leave a legacy behind - a

seemingly unbeatable list of accomplishments. Golf

has Tiger Woods. Swimming has Michael Phelps.

Snowboarding has Shaun White. Skateboarding has

Tony Hawk. Ocean surfing has Kelly Slater. And SUP

racing has Candice Appleby. Non-surfing pack leaders

tend to loose their top status after one stumble, while

their surfing counterparts tend to rebound and return

better than ever. What is it about a surfer that allows

them to rebound into greatness? We turn to Candice

Appleby to find answers.

Competitive SUP racing is in its infancy. Events and ranking

systems remain fragmented, leaving world rankings up to

a lot of interpretation and debate. However, there is Battle

of The Paddle - the world’s largest SUP race, seven years

running. BOP has become an unofficial World Championship

for SUP racing. It is the ultimate test for paddle boarders,

where all the biggest names in SUP compete on the most

technically demanding course in paddle boarding. Every

year, the event puts athletes through multiple laps on a

hell-on-water course that goes in and out of the surf zone

of Dana Point, California. BOP is a Mecca for paddler

boarders. Some make the pilgrimage to compete, many

more journey to BOP to experience the vibe of hundreds

of SUP brands and athletes on one beach, and everyone

stays to witness the carnage resulting from hundreds of

paddle boarders trying to make it through the surf-zone on

12’6” race SUPs.

by Alex Brost, Photos by Chuck Tuna

Photo: Onit Pro


Appleby, a San Clemente local, took multiple first place

wins when BOP was hosted in both Hawaii and California,

making her a crowd favorite and an unofficial female

champion in SUP racing. In 2011, Appleby suffered a

severe soft-tissue injury in her left index finger, which made

it difficult for her to grip her paddle and, despite cortisone

shots and pain medications, caused excruciating pain

any time the injured finger came in contact with anything.

Although she was injured, Appleby kept competing through

the pain. She was also going through some personal and

relationship struggles at the time, and she admits thinking

that she could prove her self-worth to herself in the contest

arena. As her results at major events declined in 2011, it

left her searching her soul for greater answers. However,

she continued to compete in physical and mental pain, not

realizing she was only hurting herself more on both fronts.

At the 2012 BOP, event organizers ran Men’s and Women’s

Elite groups on the same course, staggering the Women’s

start 20 minutes behind the men. They were not expecting

the females to catch up to the men, but as Appleby was

leading her race, she over-took several of the male athletes.

One of them, Michael Tavares, was not able to negotiate a

set wave, lost control of his board, and accidentally shot

it into Appleby. The two became tangled in the surf-zone,

and Annabel Anderson (AUS) capitalized on Appleby’s

misfortune, overtaking the champion and securing a win.

Appleby continued soul searching, and finally realized in

2013 that she needed time off to heal, both mentally and

physically. That year, she underwent two surgeries on

her finger, and decided to not compete at BOP. It was

in this time of physical healing that she also had a mental

breakthrough, “I learned how to love myself and that I am

good and worthy and that I don’t have to win a race to

find self worth.” Something had clicked in the mind of

the champion, “Winning races made me feel good about

myself, but finally, after sifting through the pain, the wins,

the losses, I realized that holding up a big check on top of a

podium doesn’t define me. At the end of our lives, people


aren’t really going to remember our win/loss records…

They’re going to remember how we made them feel, how

we touched their lives and gave part of ourselves to them

unselfishly.” Appleby found a greater meaning than winning

SUP events, though her drive had not diminished. She was

healed mentally, and she would spend 2014 mending her

self physically to make her ascent back to the top.

Appleby began her 2014 season with a second place

finishing at the Turtle Bay Women’s Pro SUP surf event

in Hawaii, a result that surprised her after a year off from

competition. She backed that finish with two 5th place

finishes in Brazil and Abu Dhabi. However, injury struck

again when she sprained her ankle in the Abu Dhabi wave

pool, leaving her with two injuries to rehab before BOP. She

SUP trained with Dave Boehne’s crew, The Infinity Speed

Freaks, coached by Brody Welte of Paddle Fit, and she

would prone paddle with Anthony Vela. Two weeks before

BOP, Appleby competed in her first World Series event of

2014, the Huntington Beach Pro Grand Slam. She won

convincingly, both the sprint and distance races, giving her

confidence going into BOP.

On October 4th, Appleby returned to BOP with great poise.

“I felt ready, but even more importantly I was a different

person than before. I was stronger mentally, and knew that

at the end of the day, I would not be defined by a win

or a loss... Ultimately, that was the game changer.” And

indeed it was. Appleby and Annabel Anderson separated

themselves from the pack almost immediately in the

Women’s Elite race. The two maintained close proximity

through the first laps of the final, but in the end, Appleby

took the lead and won her 5th BOP title, putting her back

on top at the prestigious event.

The future looks bright for the champion. “I’m really looking

forward to 2015… I finished 2014 in 3rd place overall for

the World Tour [SUP] Surf rankings, but my goal for 2015

will be to win the title. It’s something that I know I’m fully

capable of. With a new quiver on the way, healthy body,

and more determination than ever, I’m excited for what’s

going to happen on the World Tour this next year. I’m also

going to be competing on the World Series this year for the

full season, so I’m excited to see what that brings. I’m really

focused to improve my speed and strength.” Appleby will

also be focusing outwards to promote the future of the sport

alongside Anthony Vela through the Performance Paddling

Competition Team. They already scheduled the 3rd annual

Performance Paddling Junior Pro and Youth SUP Fiesta for

May, and Appleby states, “We’ve got a few new things up

our sleeve for the youth that we’ll be announcing in the next

months, and we’re really excited to see what happens for

our sports hard working young paddlers.”


The first person to participate in the Battle of Paddle from

Oklahoma is also the pioneer of Oklahoma paddleboarding via

his company SUP Oklahoma in Tulsa. From flatwater to the

epicenter of races in the paddle world at the Battle itself, Eric

tells us his story:

“My wife, Suzanne, and I started SUP Oklahoma in the Fall of

2012. This was following our first summer of paddling at our

family’s lake house on Grand Lake, a resort lake in NE Oklahoma.

Although we both had/ have careers (Suzanne’s a public school

administrator and I’m an attorney), our passion for our new found

sport was strong enough for us to take a risk on starting a new

From Tulsa to BOPwith Eric Lair

business venture. The catalyst was the fact that we had to travel

out of state to purchase our first paddleboard. At that time not

only could you not find a SUP for sale in Tulsa, OK, where we live,

there were none for sale in the entire state. Since we were starting

the first stand up paddle shop in all of Oklahoma, we aptly named

our new company “SUP Oklahoma.” From that decision forward

we have made it our mission to not be just the first SUP shop

in Oklahoma, but to be experts. We wanted to offer Oklahoma

the best the industry has to offer in terms of quality equipment,

instruction and knowledge of the sport, so we began to educate

ourselves. We traveled the country and got to know the leading

manufacturers as well as others on a similar path of starting a

OKLAHOMA ON BOARD

Photos by Suzanne Lair


new full service SUP shop in an emerging market. First, we knew

we needed to become better paddlers. Not only did we need to

learn the mechanics of proper stroke production, but we needed

to be able to teach it to others. That led us to Brody Welte and

the PaddleFit coaching/ instructor system. Suzanne and I are

now both certified Level 3 coaches. We attended our first to

Surf Expo in January 2013 and throughout the year traveled to

SUP races across the country, including the 2013 Battle of The

Paddle where we not only experienced the “Superbowl” of SUP,

but became the first Oklahomans to compete in that prestigious

event. During that first year we developed great relationships

with Riviera Paddlesurf, Boardworks, Suplove as well as

Quickblade paddles. We proudly carry boards and paddles

from these well respected industry leading companies as well

as a full line of FCS SUP accessories. During our first season

we taught hundreds of people how to stand up paddle on the

beautiful lakes and rivers that are plentiful in NE Oklahoma. The

theme that emerged from our first season came from a common

remark to those we taught - “I saw people do this while I was on

vacation, but never thought about doing it in Oklahoma.” Well,

now they do.

Fast forward to today, we have just completed our second full

season and decided, once again, to go out and battle. Last


year at Doheny I was very intimidated; not only was it my 3rd

SUP race, I had never handled a race board in surf conditions. I

“participated” and had a blast as one of only two Oklahomans to

have competed in and completed this race. My wife, Suzanne,

also competed in the BOP 2013. The fact that there are now

racers from Oklahoma competing in the BOP - regarded as

the Super Bowl of SUP - is, in and of itself, evidence of how

far SUP has come and its explosive growth to inland markets.

When I talked with other competitors and people in general, it

literally blew them away when I told them where I was from.

Most simply couldn’t comprehend the idea that someone from

Oklahoma could possible compete in the race, but a few got it

… a natural progression of a sport that is so inclusive.

This year I wanted to do more than “participate,” I wanted to

approach it as a “race.” I did not see myself as a contender

in my class (Stock 40-49), which is perhaps one of the most

competitive divisions in the Open Age group class, but I wanted

to compete against myself and see how well I could do against

the California/ West coast guys that get to paddle and train in

race conditions (we don’t get much surf in Oklahoma). However,

when I heard about the move from Doheny to Salt Creek I was,

again, intimidated. All of the social media chatter about the

potential size of the swell and technical nature of the Salt Creek

wave had me second guessing doing the race. Most of my surf

experience has been in Galveston’s small mushy waves. With

the announced move, the race dropped off my radar and I did

not really think about it again until late summer. I was exhausted

from a heavy schedule of teaching SUP lessons and leading

tours (all after hours and on weekends since I have a full time job

- I’m a lawyer). Although I hadn’t trained for the BOP, I decided

to make the trip to attend the SUP Industry Association (“SUP-

IA”) meetings that are held just prior to the race (SUP Oklahoma

is a Charter Member of SUP-IA). While I was in town Mike Baker

(Riviera Paddlesurf) provided me a race board to paddle in my

down time. During the week leading up to the race, I paddled

mostly out of Dana Point Harbor with friends, from around the

country, that I have met through SUP. I also paddled in La Jolla

shores with Tyler Callaway (FCS) and Brody Welte (PaddleFit)

as well as Kim Beaumont (Downunder Kayak), Brent Ackland

(Northern SUP) and Morgan Luker (SURFside Ocean Academy).

Just think about the geographical diversity of that group

paddling in the beautiful setting of La Jolla representing La Jolla,

CA, Cardiff, CA, Westport, CT, Barrie, ON, Turks & Caicos AND

Oklahoma. Yes, Oklahoma!

After the SUP-IA meetings were over, I decided to go ahead

and register for the race. I came to Dana Point to rub elbows,

share ideas and experiences about SUP with industry leaders

and to mix it up with the best in all facets of the emerging sport,

including competition. Then race organizers released information

about the overhead swell size conditions anticipated for race

day. New rules were announced - PFDs and leashes were now

mandatory - even for the Elite divisions - and marine helmets

were recommended. Doubt and a healthy dose of fear had me

once again second guessing whether I should race the event.

So, on Thursday I headed down to Salt Creek to get a first hand

look. The sets rolled through big … sometimes really big. I

watched the waves for over an hour. As I watched, I began to

realize that there seemed to be enough time between waves

that would allow a paddler to clear the impact zone before the

next wave broke. Clearly, timing and a little luck would mean

everything.

Race day arrived. I woke early (5AM) and looked at the surf

report - still big and expected to build throughout the day. My

race was scheduled for 12:30PM. I arrived at the event site

and burned some nervous energy walking around and visiting

with friends. I bumped in to Joe Cerdas (Galveston) and we

visited for a while. He was trying to get prepared on very little

time as his Wednesday flight connection was cancelled late and

he had to spend a restless night in the airport before arriving

late Thursday - not ideal for a racer of his caliber trying hard to

compete at the highest level on the sport’s biggest stage. We

wished each other well and I planted myself at the main event


stage and listened to the Hawaiian music being played on what

was a beautiful Southern California morning. Other racers were

arriving and proceeded through the “racer checkin” to receive

race bibs and body markings. For some reason, I find myself

no longer fearful or intimidated. I am nervous (healthy) but not

fearful (not healthy). I watch and take photos of the Men’s Elite

heats. Some are hammered in the surf and get tousled around

struggling through the impact zone. I even see Danny Ching’s

board snap in two as he paddled out for his second lap in Heat

# 1. This all actually has the effect of further calming me - the

exact opposite of what you might expect. I realize that even the

best paddlers in the world are struggling in the big waves and

that makes me more determined to compete in and complete

the race. I once again tell myself it is all about timing.

The gun sounded for my race and I hesitate only long enough to

know there is a lull - so I go! I make it though one breaking wave

and get knocked off when a competitor’s board hits me on my

left shoulder. I get back on my board just in time to barely make

it over the next wave before it breaks … the athletes just behind

me were not so fortunate. Thirty-eight minutes and thirty-five

seconds later I cross the finish line. Did I get tossed around

a bit? Yes. But I was happy to have completed what for me

was, perhaps, the most intimidating race I have ever competed

in. I finished 18th out of 29 in a very competitive division. The

competitor in me now had full control of my thoughts as I told

myself “I could have gone a lot harder during the relatively short

race … I should have trained for the event … I had nothing to

be intimidated about,” etc. Then I watched the start of the

Women’s Elite finals. Wow, the start was NOT timed during a

lull, but as a series of set waves broke making it a struggle for

many - no, most - of the competitors. There were equipment

failures, damaged boards, PFDs unintentionally deployed by the

massive surf and, surely some frustration amongst the athletes

and, unfortunately, even a few withdrawals from competitors that

simply could not paddle out through the turbulent whitewater.

After a few days to reflect on the experience as well as all of

the photos, videos and written accounts shared on social media

sites, I am stoked to not only have been at this year’s BOP

Salt Creek, but to have completed a race that draws the best

from around the world. It is an epic race and was held in epic

conditions. Certainly there will be varying opinions on whether

it is the right venue for the race and I will not weigh in on that

debate, but the event is first class. For that, I say thank you

Rainbow Sandals’ Battle of the Paddle.” -Eric Lair


U S O P E N

10/25/2014 Orlando, Florida

Danny Braught

John Mommer

Photo by Cody Law


John Mommer

John Mommer

John Mommer

John Mommer


The Ski Competition was just that. It went all the way down to the wire with a showdown finish between a couple of under-dogs. Zach had blown his knee out over two years ago when he overshot a snowboard kicker and his last professional win in Skiing was three years ago. He stood tied with friend and fellow competitor Jimmy Siemers at 204’ which is real-ly good, but usually not enough to podium with athletes like Ryan Dodd and Freddy “The Nightmare” Krueger still await-ing their pulls. A series of unfortunate mishaps with the other competitors saw the duo begin to raise through the ranks until you hear a spectator in the crowd yell “THIS JUST GOT REAL!”

Freddy had muffed his last jump and Zach and Jimmy were now staring at each other in amazement; they were to face off in a head to head tiebreaker. Jimmy had the option of jump-ing first or second due to the fact that he out jumped Zach in the preliminaries and he opted to go first. He flew off of the ramp with speed and diligence landing an amazing 197’ from the point of launch. This would become the distance to beat.

The tables were set and the stakes were high. Two jumps for the crown. One jump. On his first attempt Zach was only able to record 175.’ It all came down to this last jump. The crowd almost went silent as he pulled off for his final ap-proach. Then, as he closed in on the ramp, spectators ex-ploded with encouragements and other forms of positive profanities. Zach cut hard and exploded off the top of the ramp with a determined ferocity. His tips pointed high and arms extended out and he flew through the air with the per-fect posture of a little green army man. It only took the first number coming in for the crowd to cheer and Zach to fill with elation. The number “2” ticked into the distance box ev-eryone knew that he had done it. At 201’ Zach had climbed back to the podium, brought back a successful US Open for the first time in nine years and realized his father’s dreams.

In Memory of John Worden

by Justin Hammond

The Nautique US Open of Water Skiing on October 25 was a culmination of international athletes competing in three events to determine the Champion of Ski. This event on Lake Ivan-hoe was especially important to competitor Zach Worden whose father, the event Technical Controller responsible for setting up world-class courses on some of the most difficult lakes, passed away this year leaving Zach to finish the course. John Worden passed away after an unfortunate accident where he succumbed to injuries suffered from a dramatic fall. John would have been proud of the work his son Zach did in completing this course along with close friend Casey Mommer, the event director for the US Open. Without the hard work from Casey Mommer this widely talked about event would not have came to fruition. Also in attendance this year were some of the best wake surfers and videographers spreading the love of wa-tersports through the different watersport communities, as well as opening up the possibilities of an Overall Watersports Event. The surfers that WoW’d the Crowd ranged from 7 year old Mike Brewer, a rad lil grom shredding the wicked curl behind the Nautique, to fellow Erie Wake and World Wake Surf Champion Ashley Kidd who threw it down to inspire the future up-and-comers on the stand-by.

Zach Worden


wORLDWAKE SURFing CHAMPIONSHIP

Chris Banks

“Crowds gathered in any direction; all watching the competition on the nearest flat screen or on the gi-ant movie screen next to the dock. It was like a dream. Everyone was there. I found myself just cheer-ing on whoever was surfing, as we all shared the desire to just simply see the best tricks by skim or surf style riders and big names like Keenan Flegel and Ashley Kidd. The championship only reinforced the idea that this is a community of people who want the best from each other.”

-Sean Reavis

Brandon Tollie

Photos by Tim Walker / Danny Braught

Jordan Wolfe


Jordan Wolfe

The desert in Las Vegas was nothing less than scorching hot for the 2014 World Wake Surf Championship. The event was held

at the beautiful Hilton Lake Las Vegas. Every wake surfer from amateur to pro came in from around the globe to try and claim

a spot on the prestigious podium and with the winds kicking up it added a whole new challenge to locking down a spot as the

best wake surfer in the world!

Two specific surfers came into the event with perfect records from the competitive season, Ashley Kidd and Keenan Flegel.

Both athletes had a flawless year on tour and hoped to complete their seasons on top of the podium at World’s. Keenan was

the reigning surf style champion and kept a perfect season in both skim and surf by taking the top spot in both disciplines.

Meanwhile Ashley has been focused on her goal to win her first ever world championship, and she did just that, with her huge

air 180’s and clean shuvs.

It was a dramatic comeback for veteran skimmer Sean Cummings and veteran surfer Jimmi Sparling after a long awaited return

to the podium. Both athletes surpassed their younger competitors to achieve standings in the rankings with flawless runs. The

award ceremony was both harmonious and exuberant as all the athletes and sponsors took to fashion to ring in the announce-

ments. From sparkling dresses and high heels to tuxedos and flip flops, it was the best of the best at their best celebrating

the best. Speical thanks to Todd Gaughan for another great World’s event and the highlight of the yea and congrats to all the

competitors for another great season. See you again at this time next year, -Danny Braught.

2014 Results: Pro Men Surf 1. Keenan Flegel 2. Jimmi Sparling 3. James Walker

Pro Men Skim 1. Keenan Flegel 2. Noah Flegel 3. Sean Cummings

Pro Women Surf 1. Ashley Kidd 2. Raleigh Hager 3. Emily Agate

Pro Women Skim 1. Bri Chmel 2. Caroline Villeneuve 3. Jodi Grassman

68 DECEMBER 2014 | www.boardersmag.comKeenan Flegel


Jimmi Sparling

Ashley Kidd Zane Montgomery

Danny Braught and Sean Cummings

Congratulations to the man behind World’s who

is recognized this year as Wake Surfing’s Person of the Year.

Since day one Todd Gaughan (right) has done more to grow

the sport of wake surfing than he would admit. It all started

with his passion for the sport in Texas nearly a decade ago.

With all of the athletes being awarded it is nice to have indus-

try leaders like Todd Gaughan in the spotlight. There would

be no World Championship on Lake Las Vegas without this

man. He has pushed the sport to unbelievable heights and

we look forward to a bright future guided by his passion.

70 DECEMBER 2014 | www.boardersmag.comRaleigh Hager

Leland Watkins

www.boardersmag.com | DECEMBER 2014 71Noah Flegel

72 DECEMBER 2014 | www.boardersmag.comPhoto: Pepper Yandell


- Fulfilling a goal with

the run of your life to

podium at Worlds

It was one of the best

experiences of my life. I had

so much fun throughout

the entire event and it

was the icing on the cake.

Wakesurfing is such a cool

thing to be a part of right

now as the sport grows.

- Being married to Mrs.

World

Every day is like Christmas

morning when you wake

up next to someone like

Kaley. She is one of the

most genuine and caring

people I have ever met and

that’s why she is always so

successful.

- To regularly wake surf

and river surf endless

waves in Idaho

A huge gift from mother

nature. There is so much

to do here and I love

having waves right out my

front door.

- Landing a new trick

Finally taking a breath

of fresh air after being

underwater.

- Catching the biggest

air of your life

The perfect storm.

Everything comes together

and you can feel when you

get that extra pop!

- Riding my SoulCraft

pro model

Being at home. My board

has been tweaked and

adjusted for the last 3-4

years and it is so dialed

in. I can feel everything

below my feet. Soulcraft

truly makes the most high

performance boards on

the planet.

- Surfing behind my

Centurion Enzo

You are on top of the world.

It’s great riding behind a

boat and knowing that the

wave is the best out there.

- Passing on my passion

for extreme sports to

my kids

Nothing else. My kids

changed everything for the

better and I’m just living to

make sure they end up with

passion and excitement for

whatever comes their way.

What it feels like -

Jimmi Sparling


“Finding my Sweet Spot” By Sean Cummings

lightingthe way

Inland Surfer since day one, new Centurion team

manager and recently featured in the iPhone 6

commercial, Sean Cummings, aka Dolla Dolla Bill, has

lead the way in the past decade amongst wakesurfing

athletes. Through promotion of the sport, his travels,

private lessons and clinics he has not stopped being

and living the inland surfer lifestyle and in 2014 he has

hit the sweet spot by taking third place at World’s in

the sport’s most competitive lineup since it started.


“Back in 2004 wake surfing came about in my life in a very abrupt way. I used to wakeboard a ton and one day broke

my ribs. It just happened to be the beginning of the lake season and in the first boat I ever purchased so I was really

bummed out. All I wanted to do was be in the water. Then one day while just sitting on the boat I saw these guys doing

something behind a boat going by and I jumped and wanted to know what it was. My friend said “that’s wake surfing.”

“I was hooked and I have never looked back” -Sean


My background came from ocean surfing and skim boarding

and when I saw this boat go by that’s when it all started.

Knowing I had two broken ribs at the time, it was almost

impossible to do anything, let alone swim in the water, yet

I was determined to try. I knew if I could surpass the pain

of holding a rope to get up that I could do it without a

problem. So I did. I was hooked and I have never looked back.

At my first contest at Lake Tulloch in California I met Jeff

Page and his Inland Surfer crew. They were awesome

people. They saw how addicted I was and I was eager to

learn more from them. I didn’t do very well in the contest,

but it didn’t stop me from wanting more. Jeff Page and

I connected and I got my first Inland Surfer 4Skim board

right after that event. My riding skills were now progressing

but being self taught was hard, so I started looking for any

contest I could knowing I could meet better riders and

learn more.

Photos: Tim Walker


In 2007 I attended Boardstock and met James Lovett. We

ended up hanging out and riding a ton together. He blew

my mind at the time and I wanted nothing more than to do

everything he could. Once again my luck wasn’t so good

and I didn’t compete well. I didn’t let it get to me. It made

me strive for more. I knew that every time my feet touched

that board behind a boat, my mind was clear and I was in

my own world having fun.

In 2009 I started Wake Shredder clothing in order to help

each contest support the riders. I saw that pros were getting

winnings but not the amateurs. So I started sponsoring the

amateur divisions because without them the sport would

not have growth. It was a way for me to give back to the

sport I loved.

Photo: Tim Walker


Sitting here now as a 3rd place World Champion in Skim, I

look back at all the contests that I have been to in ten years

and feel blessed for every experience that I have had. So

many people to thank, so many that have inspired me on

and off the water that I could write this article forever, so

I’m sorry if I didn’t get to plug you. You all know who you

are. But I at least have to say thank you to Jeff Page of

Inland Surfer for being one of the main people to get me

into the sport; to Todd Gaughan who I met at my first pro

event at Worlds in Merced CA who came up and asked for

my picture. Apparently I was already notorious for a pose

called the “Gun Show” (or the Sean Cummings) throughout

the industry I was flattered. Our relationship grew as our

passion for the sport did.

This year I do have to say thank you to a lot of people.

First of all, my girlfriend Missy, for helping push myself

above and beyond and always being there and who I’m so

proud of for her passion for wakesurfing. And my mom,

of course, for helping support me and always telling me

to keep doing what makes me happy. Centurion Boats,

Inland Surfer, Liquid Image, X1 Audio, Rockwell Watches,

thank you all for the support this season. Here’s to many

more amazing years of wakesurfing!”

Photos: Pepper Yandell


jameswalker

Photo: Tim Walker

Picture Perfect:Capturing the Moment.

Lake Las Vegas – World Wake Surfing Championship

James Walker with a surf style front shuv at the 2014 World Wake Surfing Championship. James has amazing style when throwing his shuvs and has been a force in progressing new tricks achievable now on wake surf boards like his signature Flyboy models. Meanwhile Tim Walker is there at the right moment and the right time to get up close and personal.


Boiseriverwave

Boise River ParkBoise, Idaho

The Boise River Park is a river surfing, kayaking and SUP destination you do not want to miss. The park features in-river drops, chutes, and one of the most technologically advanced river waves to date via the patented WaveShaper technology built by McLaughlin White Water Design. Here you can see Ryan Ricardo with his laptop out adjusting the shape of the wave as local pro surfer Christopher Peterson airs out over the green wave lip.

Photo: Josiah Ness

Josiah Ness


Flashback to a lights out session with Carbon team rider Nick Nguyen at the Wavehouse in San Diego. Nick here is doing his signature drop knee air 360 on his N3 carbon bodyboard during one of Carbon’s night wave shows featuring lasers, smoke, strobes and black lights.

Nick Nguyencarbondream


Nick Nguyen


UNTIL THE LAST LIGHT

Danny Braught and myself headed out on an epic road trip to Florida where we met up with several athletes like Keenan Flegel, Boarders Magazine supporters like Waters Edge SUP and industry videographers like Cody Law. Being the Region 12 champ I went out to race in the WPA Champion-ships at St. Pete Beach while Danny helped run and market the US Open in Orlando. Following the 8 mile distance race on Sun-day I drove back to Orlando and met up with Danny here following his photo shoot with the Erie Wake team. The day was complete when, just before sunset, we de-cided to drive around the lake where we discovered this sacred spot. It was Sun-day, God’s day, and we had found this per-fect place, so we whipped out the boards, took some pictures and enjoyed the glide. A moment to reflect, until the last light.

-TM

www.boardersmag.com | DECEMBER 2014 C

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December 2014: No. 6

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