Blast Wakeskate Site Launched, Print Magazine Announced Author: Wakeskating.com Staff
Date: 03-20-2009
www.BlastWakeskateMag.com
After enduring months of anticipation, wakeskaters were finally able to view the new Blast Wakeskate website that recently went live. The Blast crew, led by Jimmy Walker, are working towards their goal of publishing an all wakeskate magazine in the near future. “This is something we are taking our time with to ensure that it's not only successful, but it is something that every wakeskater will be overly stoked on,” says Walker.
It was just announced that Blast Wakeskate Magazine's first published issue is scheduled for a June 15 release.
Walker and his staff at Blast have a clear goal with their new outlet: to promote wakeskating while allowing the community to contribute and expose their own talents in the process. Richie Getter, Blast's marketing director says, "There are so many underrated contributors to wakeskating in every nook and cranny of the world that we are only experiencing a fraction of what's out there. Let the riding, art and lifestyle speak for itself."
The staff of Blast Wakeskate Magazine are also working hard to support brands in the industry that have riders developing the products. The idea is that by encouraging those brands, more people with wakeskating experience can help influence the direction of wakeskating and its gear. “We feel very strong about supporting companies and products that are developed by people who actually ride. By doing that, we can become part of the circle that influences how things are done and thought of in our sport, and hopefully help push it in the right direction,” says Getter.
Jimmie Walker is a long-time wakeskater, and one of the hardest working people behind the scenes, having promoted wakeskating through various outlets for quite some time. Many will recognize Walker's name from wakeskating's amateur events that were held under the Blast moniker. Others will recognize him as a major force behind FL Wake, the publication that was essentially the precursor to Blast Wakeskate Magazine. But Walker admits that Blast has been in the works for quite some time, even before he was honing his skills in wake media via FL Wake. “Blast is something that I have been talking about and planning for years. FL Wake just had to run its course, and now I can focus on the specific side of WAKE that inspires me the most: wakeskating. I honestly think that it was inevitable that I would end up starting an all wakeskate magazine,” says Walker.
However, before he went ahead with the creation of an all wakeskate magazine, he recognized that industry support was crucial in ensuring the magazine's success. Walker discussed the magazine with many of the industry's smaller, wakeskate specific companies, making sure they could help support a wakeskate specific publication. He says that so far, the responses have been amazing. “Talking to a few of the owners from some of the board companies was pretty much the first step in taking on this project. I knew that if I wasn't going to get the support from any of the rider owned companies that Blast would either fail, or suck really bad. But everyone has been overly supportive, and that is what gives me the confidence to move forward with such a demanding project like starting a new publication,” says Walker.
As Blast continues to take shape, Walker is quick to recognize that you can't make a project like this happen alone. It starts with the other members of Blast's staff: Richie Getter, Mitch Cobb and Terrence Scoville. Other contributors to Blast include Jason Rumel, Chad Thompson, Ryan Hall, and Ryan Light. “We are getting support and contributions from all over the nation. I couldn't be more excited about the interest that so many people have shown. It's one of the things that is going to set us apart from most of the other media outlets,” says Walker.
He encourages other riders out there to contribute material to the magazine. Not only does it help people get involved, but it also helps diversify the magazine's content, and the staff is always willing to recognize new riders that are coming up. “You aren't always going to see the same 6 riders. If we hear about some new rider that rips, he will get coverage. I believe that we as a form of media, should always be looking for the next kid that changes the way we think about riding. Being able to show progression and diversity in wakeskating is what gets me the most excited about this publication,” says Walker.
Walker would like to thank the following people (in no particular order) for all of their support: “All the guys from Blast, Meilan, Keith and Dave from Scene One, everyone on Wakeskating.com, Brooke, Kevin Michael, Josh Kirby, Stu, Nick T, Mike D, Reax Music Magazine, Mikey T and Oak, Oury, Cody, Jake, James, Jeff Miller, John Daly, Punk Rock Jason, Nick L, 360wakeboard.com, all the wakeskate companies, photographers, contributors, South Austin Marine, Jamie, and Everyone who has supported me in my endeavors.”
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