The 2011 wakeboard season is officially on in the Midwest.  The weather has kept us indoors for way to long and we didn’t know when it was going to break.  Well, it’s broke, so enjoy a few pics from last week.  Goods times on a wakeboard, and better camera work to come!

Andrew throwing down a Switch Front Side 180 and a Heal Side 180 making mirror images (almost).

Do you really want to know what this post has helped me figure out? It has helped me figure out that I need to take a lot more pictures, that I need a better camera, and more camera angles.  The Kodak Zi8 is a killer camera, but not the best for shots from the boat.

Either way, the wakeboard season has started, and wakeboarding is one way we will be Boarding the Midwest All Day, Every Day.

Are you going to be behind a boat soon?  If so, PROVE IT, and post pictures up on my Facebook Fan Page!!

Last year I wanted a boat, the year before that I wanted a boat, the year before that I wanted a boat, and….

Now I need a boat.

For the past few years the wakeboard seasons started off great.  We wakeboarded so much that it felt like it was taking over life (which is the ultimate goal).  This usually lasts for a couple of months.

After the couple of months drop off so does our time on the water.  This is when I need a boat.  I can’t stand this.  It happens for many different reasons.  I am very grateful for the people who invite me to come out and ride, and I hate when I can’t get out because I do not have a boat.

The dwindle period usually happens when I am in my prime and ready to stomp new, old, and tricks that you have never seen before.  My muscles feel good, I could ride for hours, and all of the sudden I don’t have a boat to ride behind.  How can a person improve?

Check the summary of my wakeboard life in 2010.

March – Put in Lift

April – Wakeboarded 7 times

May – Wakeboarded 11 times

June -  Wakeboarded 12 times

July – Wakeboarded 3 times

August thru. September – I probably wakeboarded a hand full of times

Do you know how it feels when you are in your prime (June)  and then can’t participate in your sport for weeks on end?  It Sucks!!

This is the reason I need a boat.  I don’t know what is possible if I can wakeboard consistently week in and week out for a whole year.  No I do not have to board everyday, but I can’t wakeboard for two months straight and then stop.  It just doesn’t work.

Overall… I feel like it is my responsibility and I know what I am going to do about it.  It might take delivering pizzas, baby sitting may be an option, and I know I will be at the cable park a lot more this year!

If you want it bad enough, you to can Board the Midwest All Day, Everyday. All it takes is the addition of a boat in your life.  How are you going to get yours??

The snow is gone and the lakes need to melt so we can get out on the water and wakesurf.  The only problem…  I have a slight feeling that we will not wakesurf very much in 2011.

Wakesurfing in 2011

I hate to be negative, but at this point I just don’t see it.  For the past two years the number of times wakesurfing wasn’t a pain in the neck was zero.  For whatever reason it always seems to be an issue.  It takes to long to set the boat up.  The boards take up to much room.  Wakeboarding is more fun.

To solve the problem… there are a couple things you can do to make sure you will wakesurf more in 2011.  You can buy a 2011 Centerion, Supreme, Nautique, or Mastercraft.  Buy an old inboard boat (probably my best option and what Dave would suggest) and load it with water.  Or you can just get out there and spread the word of wakesurfing to everyone you know.

For many in the Midwest, I don’t think the stoke has hit us quite yet.  The sport is making its way here, and I hope more people start to realize what wakesurfing is all about.

I will do my best to spread the word.  I will bring my fat sacs, my boards, and a rope if it is needed.  I love the sport and hate to think that it could die out.  Yeah sometimes it is a pain, but surfing an endless wave is worth every painful second.

LOOK what our friends at Wake9.com are doing to push the sport. On May 20th the Supreme West Coast Wakesurf Open is starting and is sure to be a weekend of good times.  From what I have seen them do in past years, you might want get to this event if you can.

I am positive that good things are going to happen this summer, and I hope that being on a wakesurf board more is one of them.  We will see what happens, and I will keep you posted.  If you don’t wakesurf, what other ways do you find to Board the Midwest All Day, Everyday?

I have never highlighted my wakeboard skills on this blog, and I think that it is time to put myself out there and let my readers to see what I can lay down.  Here you go!  I took this video part out of a longer video I put together from a trip to Lake Cumberland.  I put my part at the end of the video, and I figure some of you did not see it. So here I am to give you a chance to critique what I can do on a wakeboard.

Best of Jon on a Wakeboard

Like it, hate it, think I am a poser, whatever you think doesn’t really matter if it is negative.  I need to learn new tricks, I need to get more air, and progression is always on my mind.  What matters the most to me is that I am out on a boat with friends chilling, boarding, learning, teaching, and talking about the good old days.  Add a cold one to the picture, and there’s really nothing better than getting out on the water, taking a few sets, and figuring out how we can all Board the Midwest All Day, Everyday!

As you grow your wakeboard trick list there is something you can do to make that list grow faster.  All you have to learn is how to hold on to the rope no matter what.

Hang on to the Rope Wakeboarding

I see people not landing tricks because they get scared half way through their trick and let go of the rope.  It happens all of the time.  I know it can be scary, but hanging on is going to improve your game 100%.  In the video below, you will see how I power through the landing on a switch backroll.  It would have been super easy for me to let go of the rope in this situation, but I gave up that letting go stuff a long time ago.  You should do the same!

Click here if you cannot view the video of me hanging on Tight!

With a sport like wakesurfing that is blowing up as we speak, there are many different people trying to capitalize on this industry.  Why wouldn’t they?  Take a sport that allows people to surf on inland waters with an endless wave, and one that doesn’t beat you up unless the board comes back and hits you in the head when you fall.  Now only a small fraction of people ever experience the board hitting them in the head, however a large fraction of  people are starting to pay attention to up and coming communities such as the slayshTank.

From the time I was first introduced to the slayshTank, they have always been about the riders and the people that surround the surf, wake, skate, and music industries.  This community is growing fast and has a big impact on these sports.  You can be a part of this group if you want to.  Go to slayshTank.com, sign in with your facebook account information, and start interacting!  The slayshTank is always updating their site with new videos, music, and industry specific news.  It might also be safe to say that they have the best riders from around the world backing them.  I don’t think I have to mention names Chase Hazen, Rebecca Ort, Dominic Lagace, and Bri Chmel.  Go there check it out, and then get yourself out on a boat!

One hot summer day out on the water wakeboarding and wakesurfing I decided I needed to apply sunscreen to my skin.  While applying a nice layer of sunscreen, one of my buddies made a BS comment about me using it. 

Here is my response: 

“The more I use sunscreen, the longer I can prevent skin cancer.  Which extends my life on a boat.”

Enough Said!  What can you do to prolong your life and time on a boat?

In the Midwest the wakeboard season seems to come and go like it never happened.  Some seasons we wakeboard for three months and other seasons we can fit in five or more months of riding.  Does it piss you off when the snowboarding season ends in early March and you can’t get out on the water until May or June because the water temperatures are still in the 40′s or low 50′s?  Well it does to me, and I have an answer for you!  That answer comes with a little bit of neoprene, a little bit of money, and a lot of heart to get in the freezing cold water.  What I am talking about is getting yourself a dry suit or a wet suit.

With a suit of this nature (wet or dry) you will be able to get out on the water at least a month earlier and stay out a month later than you could without one.  These suits will also help prevent you from getting hypothermia.  Actually, with the right dry suit you can pretty much wakeboard all season long unless the water has turned to ice.  I don’t suggest wakeboarding in December or January unless you are nuts, have booties, gloves, and a hood to go along with that suit.  These suits will also help keep your body temperature normal, and will prevent you from freezing critical parts of your body.  I will get into the difference between a dry suit and a wet suit in a later post, but for now you need to be looking into this option so you can close the gap between summer and winter and enjoy board sports for more months of the year.  Believe me, the girl in the picture above would not have been in the water for another month or two if it wasn’t for a dry suit.  If extending your season is something that appeals to you; get yourself a dry suit or wet suit, and I promise it will be worth your investment.