SBC Wakeboard Blog: with Adam Levitt

Hello there. I'm glad you all could make it. Today I decided that I would take time out of busy schedule to recognize the work of somebody besides myself; and that person just so happens to be Adam Levitt. Andy Levitt is a blogger such as myself, but unlike me, he actually gets to hang out with and film some of the best pro wakeboarders on a day to day basis. This is what makes his blog stand out to me. While reading up on wakeboard events and riders and whatnot is interesting and informative, sometimes it's nice to just weed out all the bullpucky and see some insane pictures. While Adam's blog posts used to consist of a decent amount of writing with a generous amount of shots, as of late he has begun replacing many words with pictures. He even says in one of his most recent blogs, " I'm scrapping all of those words that just get in the way. From this point on, this will be a photo blog with a few extended captions to explain what's going on.

Adam has had a lot of interesting blog posts regarding his experiences on different trips he has taken with pro riders, but his last few blog posts have pretty much focused on the the annual Surf Expo and his annual trip to Orlando where he captures some amazing shots of some of the best in the buiz. He usually breaks up his larger blog posts into seperate parts which I find very convenient (I have ADD, can't read for toooo long without taking a break to do something else, anything else).

Anyway, I know if you had it your way you would only come to my blog... but head on over to http://sbcwakeboard.com/adams_blog?start=0 is you want to check out another great blog with a little more photographic touch. 

Bob and Philip Do Hollywood

They have brought you guidos, pregnant teens, teen moms, more teen moms for some reason, zombies, werewolves, teen wolves, fat people who got skinny, skinny people that got who got fat, unmade people who got MADE, true lives, buttheads and beavises. Now, amongst all of the crap, MTV is finally going to bring you something worth watching: the Soven brothers. That's right. Philip and Bob Soven are taking the reality tv world by storm as they play the roles of themselves in MTV's new upcoming reality show "Wake Brothers".

I don't know how they did it, but it is about time. As much as wakeboarding has exploded over the past decade, the sport could still really use the exposure. And who would be better for the job than two of the top riders in the world who just so happened to be siblings? Who I ask?!? Actually, if you have an answer to that let me know; Shane, Parks, Rusty, you, anybody? Anyway, I am not really sure when the show is supposed to begin, but I'm assuming it's sometime around the time MTV starts its new cycle of shows... just a guess. Look for it to be coming soon though.

The show is sure to be the most successful of the six new shows being added to MTV's line up ("Catfish", "Hoods", "Underemployed", "Wait Til Next Year", "Zack Stone is Gonna Be Famous", and , of course, "Wake Brothers"). This is huge considering MTV destroyed the charts with its show line up this summer, capturing six out of the top 20 original show spots for viewers between the ages of 12 and 34; that's more than any other network!  

For more on the show, go to http://www.deadline.com/tag/wake-brothers/

Hallowaake

Alright I know it's not Halloween yet, but where I'm from it's getting a little too cold to be boarding much longer. With that in mind, get out on the board and take what may very well be the last set of the year (with the exception Florida, California, Texas, Arizona, Louisiana, etc.). It is actually supposed to be fairly nice this weekend in Il, and my boat is coming out soon; that means boarding is on the menu fa da weekend. And what better way to break in your new costume than to showcase it during your last session of the year. Unless of course you are not a very strong swimmer, and your costume consists of really baggy clothing. In that case, you better just stick to a vest.

If you just so happen to be traveling through the Carlsbad area this weekend you can showcase your costume at the Carlsbad Lagoon during its annual Halloween Shred. It takes place tomorrow, October 15 from 11am to 5pm. Not only will you be able to ride, but the West Side Riders will be there to put on a demo that should be pretty insane. Participators can also benefit from wakeboard tips from the West Side Riders. The cost to participate is only $25, but forget that! Head on down to the Wakesports ship Orange, buy a costume, and ride for free! Why not even stop by and see some caverns or something while your'e there? Might as well. 

Wakeboarders' World

Now I know you are all disappointed with the availability of wakeboard information on the web these days. I know I am. Well have no fear. Wakeboarders' World is here. If you are reading this you are obviously aware of the fact that my Wakeboarders' World blog exists. However, there is a whole other world of wakeboarding information and insight that is waiting to be explored. I am talking of course about wakeboardersworld.webs.com and wakeboardersworld2.webs.com, my websites.

My website is intended to go beyond the insight that I can present to you in my usual blog posts, if thats even possible. Wakeboarders' World will act as a vessel between the readers and my brain, bringing you every snippet of wakeboarding information that I can possibly squeeze out of it. It will also provide followers with the best wakeboard videos and pictures that the internet has to offer as well as a few from my own personal collection.

I will periodically post articles on my site that will provide readers with quality information regarding recent developments in the wakeboarding world, historic elements of wakeboarding, current wakeboard products on the market, other blogs and websites promoting the sport, solutions to common problems facing a majority of riders, and more.

Current articles on wakeboardersworld.webs.com include a "how to" for adding style to your trick arsenal ("Got Style?"), "problem solver" that provides solutions to some of the most common issues that riders face (Problem? Problem Solved!), and a "historic" article discussing the evolution of the greatest, most explosive sport in the world (Evolution: A Wakeboarding Story). 

Centurion World Wake Surfing Championship

The final results from the 2011 Centurion Boats World Wake Surfing Championships are in. The event that took place Friday, September 23 and Saturday, September 24 at the BlueWater Casino and Resort in Parker, Arizona was one for the record books. The event that was presented by ToWanZa Wakesurfing and PCM Marine Engines absolutely hosted a weekend of firsts. Spectators bared witness as Jake McGuire land the first ever Superman in competition, Keenan Flegel threw the first ever shuv-it 540 in a competition, and Drew Danielo threw the first ever Frontside Gumby shuv in a competition.

The competition at the event was fierce as 90 of the world's finest wake surfers battled for cash and prizes in the amount of $35,000. The divisions for the event included Pro Surf Women, Pro Surf Men, Masters Women, Masters Men, Amateur Skim Women, Pro Skim Women, Pro Skim Men, Amateur Skim Men, Amateur Surf Women, and Amateur Surf Men. The event took place over the course of two days, with the second day bringing together the 6 best riders from each division to participate in the spectacle that was the finals. The entire event was towed by 2012 Centurion Enzo models 244 & 240+.

The finals began with the Pro Women division. Title defender Rebecca Ort was able to fend off Ashley Kidd and Korina Smyrek to reclaim the top spot at the competition. Centurion Boats Team rider and 4-time World Champion Bri Chmel was able to outperform veteran Caroline Villeneuve and new rider Meredith Kurysh to claim the Pro Skim Women division title. 

The Pro Surf Men division witnessed the three best surf-style riders in the world duke it out for the title. When it was all said and done, Chase Hazen beat Centurion Boats Team rider Chris Kinsey and dethroned the reigning champion James Walker to become the Pro Surf Men Champion. While the competition was intense, it is no surprise that Centurion Boats team rider Drew Danielo threw down the most explosive run of the day to earn his title as 6-Time World Wake Surfing Champion.

Final results can be found at http://www.wakesurfchampionships.com/index?phpMyAdmin=YWr2IfEQmVAc1tlFUz0kZxguNsd

 

Orlando Watersports Complex Annual Slider Spectacular

The OWC has set the dates for its 9th annual Slider Spectacular. And I say dates because the event will take place on three separate days with three and two weeks in between each. The qualifying rounds will take place on Saturday, October 15, the semi-finals and last chance qualifier rounds will take place on Saturday, November 5, and the finals will take place on Saturday, November 19. The three stage event setup is due to the tremendous turnout from last years event. 


The great thing about the event is that it allows virtually everybody to compete thanks to it its 10 different divisions: beginner, intermediate, advanced & pro wakeboard, begin/int. & pro wakeskate, open kneeboard, begin/int. & adv./pro women's and open wakeski. Every rider is also guaranteed at least two pulls over the course of the event. Finalists will be the only riders that get three pulls.


The event will be scored as follows: 
beginner wakeboard, begin/int. women's & begin/int. wakeskate; 40% kickers, 40% rails, 10% surface tricks & 10% composition. Intermediate wakeboard, advanced wakeboard (air tricks) & adv./pro women's; 35% kickers, 35% rails, 20% surface tricks/air tricks & 10% composition. Pro wakeskate & pro wakeboard; 30% kickers, 30% rails, 30% surface tricks/air tricks & 10% composition. The open kneeboard & wakeski divisions are 100% overall run subjective. There are trick restrictions for all except the pro and open divisions. Check out the restrictions for each division at http://www.wakeworld.com/news/latestinwake/9th-annual-slider-spectacular.html


Every rider will be allowed two 1.5 lap runs for the qualifying rounds. Last chance qualifier riders will only be allowed one 1.5 lap run to fight their way back into the competition. Riders in the semi-finals and finals will be allowed two 1.5 lap runs with the addition of a wildcard trick at the end of their second run.


Registration:
-Cost: $40 for one event, $60 for two events, and $60 for pro events
-Register at the OWC sales office, or fill out an online form and email it to the OWC office (online forms can be found at http://www.wakeworld.com/news/latestinwake/9th-annual-slider-spectacular.html)

Hyperlite Marek Nova Wakeboard

I have gone through at least five boards, and my Hyperlite Marek Nova has performed the best by far. I originally purchased a new 2009 Hyperlite Marek, and I purchased my 2010 Hyperlite Marek this year after my 2009 Marek cracked. I have not yet ridden the 2011 or 2012 Mareks, but the 2012 is the only one with a different shape.


The Marek is easily the fastest and lightest board I have ever ridden. I've used 132cm boards that are heavier. It is also ridiculously responsive. The board initiates an edge on command, and the step-down rail spanning the full length of the board locks the edge all the way through the wake; not a bobble!


For being so light, the board is surprisingly extremely durable. My first one did crack, but that was only due to the jumping ramp incident (check out my previous blogpost if you don't know what happened; http://wakeboardersworld.blogspot.com/2011/09/2011-collegiate-midwest-wakeboard.html ). In really should have snapped in half as far as I'm concerned. The one that I have now was used multiple times before I bought it, and it's been used multiple times by myself; still snappy and responsive as my old one was until it passed on unexpectedly... RIP. 


The abrupt continuous rocker makes surface riding very smooth and the pop off the wake even smoother. The landings on the Marek are also really soft considering the air you can get on it. I'm sure it's got something to do with the diamond-shaped molded landing feature on the bottom of the board.


I did not have the Strata Track Mounting System on my 2009 Marek, but every model since has come standard with it. The system uses sliding mount pieces to give the rider increased flexibility in their binding positioning. However, I have experienced at least one problem with the system. I got a little sand in the track, and I needed to use a screwdriver to pry the sliders out of the position they were in. Not a huge setback, but definitely obnoxious. 


I would absolutely recommend the 2009 and 2010 Hyperlite Mareks to any intermediate to advanced riders. I'm sure the 2011 Marek is virtually the exact same. However, it is probably not the best board for beginners. My first Marek definitely had an immediate positive impact on my riding, and I'm sure it couldn't hurt yours.


Places to pick up a Marek of your own:
2011: http://www.amazon.com/Hyperlite-Marek-2011-Nova-Wakeboard/dp/B0047XN42W/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1318472364&sr=8-2-fkmr1
2012: http://www.wakeaction.com/products.php?product=Hyperlite-Marek-Nova-2012

The Ultimate Wakeboard Boat

The 2011 SurfExpo introduced a revolutionary product that many think will rapidly change the sport of wakeboarding in the near future. The event gave MasterCraft the chance to give the patiently waiting world a first look at its brand new 2012 X-Star. This fully redesigned super-boat has been 15 years in the making since MasterCraft delivered the world's first, true wakeboard boat in 1996.

The new MasterCraft sports the pickle-fork bow that the company made famous back in 2003. It weighs in dry at a wapping 5100 lbs, contains stock ballasts of 1500 lbs, and allows for an extra 1000 lbs when the Plug N Play Ballast is added. Im sure that the increase in stock ballast of 500 lbs and the increase in dry boat weight of 850 lbs has something to do with the wake being, as Harley Clifford put it, "seriously a foot bigger than my 2011 X-Star; it's insane." I also have an inkling that the extra two feet from tip to tail over the 2011 model, making the 2012 model a total length of 24 ft., may have something to do with it. However, the added length serves a much more important purpose. The extra two feet in combination with its extensive wraparound seating and huge-mongou-normous open bow give the 2012 MasterCraft X-Star the most interior room than any other wakeboard boat on the market. This means more friends, more family, more sacks, and in the end, MORE WEIGHT and MORE WAKE. Worried that you have too many friends, family, and sacks and that such weight cannot possibly be gotten up to speed before the end of the earth? Worry no more! The 2012 MasterCraft X-Star rocks a 540 hp (I REPEAT, 540 horsepower) engine that should make easy work of any weight you can throw at it/in it. Oh ya... and did I mention that the new look is ridiculous! (Ridiculously good that is)