Big Moments

GnarShredd · Backside 180 Joined: 24 Jan 2009 Posts: 1529 City: Seattle

What's everyone's best memories/biggest moments that wakeskating has given them? (Like, your best memories from the sport, not necessarily in relation to the rest of your life)

For me it has to be the first shuv I landed. Being as uncoordinated as I am, it was a major deal for me. It was kind of 'back in the day' as far as wakeskating goes too, so it felt like an even bigger deal than if I were to have learned it now.

Another HUGE thing for me was the day I got my Cassette Bi-Level. I worked at a shop that was bringing in the new line and we received my skate and one flat deck in the first shipment. I used my break time to put my new deck together instead of eating lunch, it was AWESOME.

416 · Backside 180 Joined: 25 Jul 2008 Posts: 836 City: Toronto

for me, there are 2 and i cant decide which is the best of the best.
first is when i went to wakestock and was going up to the oakley pool jam and i saw hampson walking up to it and i was like hey danny can i get an autograph! apperently i was the only one who asked him. but yeah he chilled with us at the side for a bit and it was amazing ahha.

Second would be this pdub set i took. best set of my life by far.(kinda wishing i could have a set like that again) my friend took me out and i landed on a few i/o kickys! but never rode away but that was alright and i learned 3 shuvs that day too. so funnn

There are so many times that have been memorable forsure tho

mergeleft3 · Backside 180 Joined: 31 Aug 2004 Posts: 673 City: Orlando

For me it was the day I landed my first shuv also. I remember I had been wakeskating for about a month. I was out on the lake for about 2 hours trying and we were on the other side of the lake and it was getting dark so I told my buddy driving the ski to head make to the dock and I would just try a few more until we made it over there. I fell on the first two and then about 30 yards from the dock, it was dark I could hardly even see my board. BOOM, I landed one. Man that was a great feeling.

Then the next moment was this past weekend. I have been riding off and on for about 4 years due to getting hurt and then just not having people to ride with because they moved away. Anyways, almost 2 years ago I landed my first 360 shuv. I was just starting to get them locked in when I did the splits and tore my knee. Ever since them something in my mind has been keeping me from landing this trick. All I could think about was getting hurt. Then this past weekend I landed one again, first one in two years. Now I am excited about riding again, its all I have been able to think about. I feel like I did when I first started riding.

Evan71 · Posted: Jun 24, 2010 3:16 pm Post subject:

the chicks that flock the shoreline when i ride. everytime.

mojo · Posted: Jun 24, 2010 3:30 pm Post subject:

for me it would be getting to have a casual conversation with byerly and thomas at the pro rail slam at gravity research in georgia. for those who don't know what that was, it was a multi day camping event on the great Wes Bearden's land. growing up wakeboarding and falling into wakeskating i had looked up to both guys, especially byerly since i was around 14. that's the great thing about our sport. the people we admire are still accessible. as for riding it would have to be landing my first shuv as well. it's on camera, very sloppy, but i still remember every moment of that feeling. i'm also extremely uncoordinated and it takes alot for me to improve so that's my story.

jcoffey · Backside 180 Joined: 24 May 2008 Posts: 1339

first trip i went on with my friends i ride with (all wakeboarders) and we had brought a foam top hyperlite flat deck and i got up on it after like 10 tries and rode 30 feet.

this week i figured out (i/o) nose grab 180, toeside i/o 180, and finally passing the handle after a bs 180 Smash

Brett Leadley · Posted: Jun 24, 2010 4:01 pm Post subject:

The day I got to hang out and ride with Thomas. Nothing will ever compare to that, ever ever Cool

electricsnow · cassette Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 10756 City: Jefferton

mojo, I think that was the first event where he rode the bi-level also. I could be wrong, but that whole thing stands out to me becuase he won best trick and most of us were clamoring for any image we could get of a bi-level. Lotsa hype...fun time. Cool

I shall revisit this thread...after the office! I had to break it to my mom and dad that they rank just below the office, but they're in good company...

mojo · Posted: Jun 24, 2010 4:44 pm Post subject:

ya that was in 04 or 05 right when folks were getting the bi's. i remember ODB had one. thomas was on the playlist all night keeping funky. i need to upload my footage. i haven't even watched it in 5 years.

electricsnow · cassette Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 10756 City: Jefferton

If we're talking about the same event, it would have been later in 04. (august ish maybe? it's been too long.) You should definitely upload that footage. I'm learning more about editing and I have tapes from the toe jam finals in 07 and a few of the nationals events...maybe it's not a big deal to some people but there's definitely a few good runs tucked away on those tapes.

loganhursh · Frontside 180 Joined: 08 Jan 2010 Posts: 401 City: Orlando

This is the coolest thing that has ever happened to me

THE WINNER IS…………………………
LOGAN HURSH… Congrats to Logan on winning our first skate ever. We had over 12000 emails that were all really amazing. We appreciate all the support from everyone. We love you all.

-Remote Team

mojo · Posted: Jun 24, 2010 6:23 pm Post subject:

i'll try to dig out the tapes soon. it was sept. 04. it was so wild that the city banned the event from happening again even though it was private property. if i remember wakeskating was not an event, but thomas, byerly, BT, and a few others were there.

RC · Backside 180 Joined: 11 Jul 2006 Posts: 1033

loganhursh, i still wonder from time to time what you told them...

electricsnow · cassette Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 10756 City: Jefferton

wakeskating was an event. here's a link to the release, and a photo of thomas I'd saved from a long time ago: http://www.wakeboarder.com/display.phtml?a=841

Why did the city say that event couldn't happen again? It looked pretty bad ass!

mojo · Posted: Jun 24, 2010 7:31 pm Post subject:

oh cool. i was slightly intoxicated the whole time. just because so much was going on between music, riding 50's till the early light, all the drinking, etc. i remember indulging w/ someone and right next to us was a police officer. he was cool and didn't bother us, but i could tell they were fed up. he has had collegiate events since, but no huge pro events anymore. i miss going to GRC. wes is a great guy and the grounds are awesome. i remember a few pro's brought a trailer with a kicker and tranny that attached to it which i thought was cool. it was crazy. pro's burning boards, everyone there having a blast, nude bikini contest, and epic riding. i remember leaving and it being the most fun i'd ever had. at the time the gap for the wakeboards was HUGE. i also saw PB barefoot late late at night and hit a ramp barefoot which was interesting since nobody was sober.

mojo · Posted: Jun 24, 2010 8:25 pm Post subject:

sorry to hijack the thread. looking forward to more stories

ADKskater · Faceplant Joined: 23 Jun 2010 Posts: 12 City: Clearwater

Just started wakeskating like two weeks ago, and just landed my first shuv today...im officially hooked. so thats probably my biggest moment.

RUSSIAN · Posted: Jun 24, 2010 10:10 pm Post subject:

One of my fondest memories is when I got my flat deck in 01, I picked it up from the shop(thanks K-dub!) the day before a long houseboat trip at Lake Berryessa, we had such a blast finally having a real wakeskate. most of my memories from that whole trip revolve around that deck and riding it Very Happy

electricsnow · cassette Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 10756 City: Jefferton

I too am guilty of the hijack and have lost many a moment's sleep due to guilt. My sincerest apologies...

to give a decent contribution, there are a lot of things i remember about my past in wakeskating and it's all important to me...attending previous demos like having brian grubb ride in fremont in 2002...being completely sold on wakeskating after seeing linear perspective (that video still heightens any dampened mood I may have)...I can remember my first body varial, my first shuv, blah blah blah...but I guess one of the most fun days ever was actually going out and riding with other wakeskaters. It was the first time I rode behind a pwc and while I hated the fact that I fell a bunch, it also didn't seem as bad because that pwc wizzed right around and picked me up, and there were people on there who got it. Plus, I also got to ride a 4-trac for the first time and that's still the best feeling board I've ever had under my feet...and I landed my first shuv front lip and went home with a sun burn because we were on the lake for most of the day. so it was a good day. Cool

but I like reading russian's post too, because I can think back to when I was choosing my first real board, and it was between the cassette 41 and 45, and figuring out what kind of style I wanted to have, and thinking about how dudes like thomas could rock with the 41 or slay the wake with the 45. In the end, my first board was that yellow 41 and I know that it was missing the cassette analog that was supposed to be inside of it.

Raven · Posted: Jun 25, 2010 10:35 am Post subject:

good threadGnarShredd,

i love the stories about meeting pros like danny and scott....facinating. brett u got to ride with thomas.............PM me the details now.

so many tricks so many good feelings.

the thing that seems to stand out the most ......is me looking at the top view of the 02 projector on the top rack of the wakeboard wall at the wake shop back in 2003.

i never had a mutual attraction to an object quite like it before or since.....the curiosity, the foreshadow, the desire......we merged.....little did i know it would change the way i look at water forever.

god bless u Thomas..........u have given me a guitar that i am finally able to play.