When was wakeskating invented?

Sandbox · Ollie Joined: 28 Aug 2009 Posts: 90 City: Kalamazoo

mufinman98, it would be like surfboardbehindaboatriding. maybe.

mufinman98 · Posted: Oct 30, 2009 3:16 pm Post subject:

Sandbox, skurfing?
ahaha Rolling Eyes

electricsnow · cassette Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 10751 City: Jefferton

YaBro · Backside 180 Joined: 22 Dec 2008 Posts: 624

It started with a journey in a Galaxy far, far away....

nick · Posted: Oct 30, 2009 8:30 pm Post subject:

It was called Skurfing wayyyyy before Tony Finn invented the color pink...

Lovettlover · Faceplant Joined: 12 Aug 2009 Posts: 5

nick · Posted: Oct 31, 2009 9:09 am Post subject:

Lovettlover, I know... People were talking about riding surfboards behind the boat (skurfing) and as soon as someone said it, Tony Finn came up. Whether it was sarcastic or not, I was just trying to separate the two and add a little humor myself. 50rry.

And something fun doesn't have to be promoted to be real.

mojo · Posted: Oct 31, 2009 11:16 am Post subject:

i doubt anyone will ever know the answer to this, but IMO i think it was invented when someone purposefully did an ollie, and/or said, "this wakeskate thing is awesome" it seems like wakeskating should have been before wakeboarding. given that back in the day there were crappy bindings, tiny wakes, and stretchy ropes.

electricsnow · cassette Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 10751 City: Jefferton

I don't know...originally there was some history spun with tony finn. When I first started wakeboarding, a whole lot of wakeboarding history stories kind of mentioned surfing, but the story generally began with tony finn doing his thing in mission bay (or wherever, maybe the carlsbad lagoon). Honestly, growing up I thought tony finn invented wakeboarding, and I distinctly remember having that impression after the 1996 x games. I thought I was going to have some quotes to use, but I have too many tapes and cannot find the ones I want. So without risking a misquote, I will just say that I think tony did take a lot of credit in terms of "inventing wakeboarding." And it got to the point where people were trying to at least show that there's another story, be it with mutiny's old ad, or a small blurb in a launch magazine where they showed an image of a guy riding a smaller, hand shaped board behind a boat that dated back to a surfer magazine from ~1979.

And of course there is a story there that starts well before the skurfer, but that's part of what helped me appreciate the pioneering of people like tony or jason, or jake burton carpenter and tom sims, etc. It's like these people start with something small and know there's so much more there. And wakeskating is more established, but there's still a lot of pioneering going on and history being written.

Does anyone know why people say carlsbad lagoon is the birthplace of wakeboarding?

Anyway, I made that joke above about tony because years ago that idea was used by liquid force and their wakeskate line, and everyone pretty much laughed.

Also nick, you're right that something fun doesn't have to be promoted to be real. But that promotion is what's gotten any boardsport where it is. Some people do it because they see an opportuntiy to make money, others have something special that they want to share with more people. Growth is why a small number of people can make money and live off of wakeskating's dollar. Growth is how integrity can become something "sustainable." And people talk about Nike 6.0 and how much they've done for wakeskating, but the only reason they care is because wakeskating is finally something. But that's generally how it works.

electricsnow · cassette Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 10751 City: Jefferton

mojo, the term wakeskate didn't even exist until the later middle 90s. Laughing

Straight up, when people were first experimenting with wakeskating, it did not have a name. I don't think a name officially makes wakeskating, but I guess it does serve to shape perception. It's like skiboarding changing to wakeboarding.

[sarcasm]As far as wakeskating's place goes...I think you need to learn that it's all about catching air!!!! Laughing

[/sarcasm]

mojo · Posted: Oct 31, 2009 12:42 pm Post subject:

i've been on a wakeboard since about 97' and around then, maybe 98' some older friends gave us a flight 69 that has astrodeck all over the top and it was called a wakeskate then for sure. granted we used it to do rayleys and front lips(referred to as butter slides). it's still in the storage room actually.

Lovettlover · Faceplant Joined: 12 Aug 2009 Posts: 5

Remember when Colin Wright wanted to call it "Waterboarding?" I was watching a show on torture on The History Channel and found that "waterboarding" is a form of torture where they strap you to a board blindfolded and pour water down your throat to give you the perception of drowning. Fun stuff.

electricsnow · cassette Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 10751 City: Jefferton

mojo, I'm referring to more like 95, 96. I would expect it was named by 97, for sure 98 because wakeskates were in the wakeboarding magazine gear guide.

Lovettlover, haha, yeah. At the time I wanted to support colin because he as a big deal to me in the double up days, but I think that was a horrible idea. Laughing

And not just because it's a form of torture. I actually really like the name wakeskate, some may not.

mufinman98 · Posted: Nov 01, 2009 6:58 pm Post subject:

electricsnow, wakeskating sounds better than waterboarding it just sounds funner. the only problem is when u say wakeskating peopple go huh? cuz they dont even get wat a wake is half the time and then u say waterskateboarding and then they look even more funny at you because they think your trying to ride a skateboard on water.
but thats half the fun Razz

electricsnow · cassette Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 10751 City: Jefferton

it's just because it's unknown. It was the same thing years ago when I'd tell people about wakeboarding.

Sandbox · Ollie Joined: 28 Aug 2009 Posts: 90 City: Kalamazoo

What if it was invented long ago when skaters were riding their skateboards through puddles?

electricsnow · cassette Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 10751 City: Jefferton

isn't that just skateboarding through a puddle?

Wakeskating isn't "skateboarding through a puddle." give it more credit than that. Wink

Sandbox · Ollie Joined: 28 Aug 2009 Posts: 90 City: Kalamazoo

yea it is.

yookyle · Backside 180 Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 1002 City: Reno

if you were to assume a lake is just a monster puddle