Jonathan Tollefson

History has been made in the wakeboard industry.  7 year old Zahra Kell threw down her first invert and has taken the crown for the youngest girl to ever do a invert on a wakeboard.  Unreal.  Check out the video.

Wakeboard Inverts and Holding on Tight

So what I think is more unreal than the little girl landing the flip is how she landed it.

To All Wakeboarders, this is where you need to listen!

I believe there is one major reason that Zahra landed this trick.  Yeah she probably had some really good coaching, her parents probably own a boat, and she obviously has the guts to throw herself upside down.  Oh yeah, she is young and can take a beating also.  All these are not the reasons I think she landed that trick.

I think the major reason she landed this invert is because she had the guts to hang on.  She fought all the way through this trick.  If you watched the video above you will see that Zahra butt checks and fights to stand up after she throws the trick.  I believe this fighting point is where most people give up and let go.  Not Zahra though.  She didn’t get scared, she didn’t let go, and if she keeps this up there is a good chance you will see her at the top.

As for yourself, I think you need to take this little 7 year old’s courage and hang onto it for the rest of the summer.  If there is a trick that you have tried over and over, give it one more attempt and hang on until the brutal end.  You will be amazed at how many more tricks you will learn and at how many more you will actually land.

I have personally seen this situation over and over.  My friends do it all of the time, and I believe hanging on through the whole trick is one of the hardest things to do when you are first learning a trick.  But let me tell you, you have to do it.  It is rare that you will land a new trick clean.  I can’t think of any tricks that I didn’t fight through.  To be honest, I still end up fighting through tricks.  If I didn’t have to fight, I don’t think I would be improving.

So what are you going to do? Are you going to hang on like Zahra? Are you going to land that new trick you have always wanted to land?  Hang on tight and you will be a lot happier Boarding the Midwest All Day, Everyday.  There is no doubt.

Read a couple of books, listen to a few podcasts, take some action and BAM!!

My first Board shirt

Boarding the Midwest by JonT

In the good old Midwest the snow is gone, and you can bet we are still snowboarding.  It’s unreal, but it’s real.  Some might say it is fake, but you better believe  it.  I believe we will snowboard all summer long after a couple more test days like Day #2.  Check out our test scene.

Drop-in Test Day #2

Day two of testing actually happened a few weeks ago when we still had a couple piles of snow as you can see in the pic.  Either way this is what went down.

The sketchy ramp started 10ft in the air.  It was only 2 feet wide.  NOT wide enough, but it did get the job done.

With some Powderpak, some tire shine, and a couple of nerves the test was a success.

The goal was to be able to drop-in at 10 feet and hit a 12 foot flat rail.  I think I could have hit a 25-30 foot rail with the speed I was carrying.

All in all, we had a great night.  Andrew was the only one who fell off the ladder, so we will opt out of that design.  Have to thank him for being the crash test dummy on that one, and I am glad he is still alive so he can Board the Midwest All day Everyday.

Keep your eyes open for more test days to come, and if you would like to be a dummy like Andrew, let me know!!

Within the month I hope we jump back into these drysuits and hit the water.  The wakeboard season is here and I can’t wait to see what comes in 2011.  I have some slider plans that I need to be put into action.  What are your wakeboard plans for 2011?

O’Neill Drysuit

If you are looking for a good drysuit be sure to check out O’Neill suits.  They have not let me down yet and they also help me Board the Midwest All day, Everyday!

What are you doing to get out on the water in early spring?

After a continuous seven days of working straight and five more to go, I could sure use another snowboard vacation in Vermont.  Check out the cabin we rented a couple of months ago.  I could go back to this place in a second.

Vermont Cabin

Nothing is better than being out in the woods in the middle of Vermont.  If you have never been out east to snowboard, I suggest you go to Vermont and get it done.  Find a cabin from Craigslist, snowboard, and relax!  It’s what living is all about.