Articles
   
       
Pics/Video
       
Wake 101
   
       
       
Shop
Search
 
 
 
 
 
Home   Articles   Pics/Video   Gear   Wake 101   Events   Community   Forums   Classifieds   Contests   Shop   Search
WakeWorld Home
Email Password
Go Back   WakeWorld > Girls Who Ride

Share 
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old     (littewend)      Join Date: Jul 2008       07-05-2008, 9:42 AM Reply   
So I'm VERY new to the sport - my board comes in next week and I've never tried wakeboarding before. I'm 5'1'', 105 and I got a LF Diva 128 with LF element bindings. I've snow boarded a decent amount and I've knee-boarded. I've read some good advice about getting up, anyone have good advice for a first timer? What are some realistic goals for my first few times out? Oh yeah, i'll be pulled by a waverunner, which i know isn't ideal, but it's what we've got access to. It's big and powerful, and my friend is really good at giving a smooth, consistent pull. Thanks!
Old    wakejjboard12            07-06-2008, 4:28 PM Reply   
wendy you should hook up with the guys around lake guntersville and smith lake... they are having a clinic soon and are awesome guys to learn from...


July 25th at Duncan Bridge Marina/Skier's Marine North

from 9-12 then a 1 hour lunch and back riding from 1-4


$100 per person............... includes lunch, gas, instruction and riding.



Pro Riders Matt Sims and Rob Corum
Old     (littewend)      Join Date: Jul 2008       07-07-2008, 6:34 PM Reply   
Sounds awesome, not sure I can get off work. I got my board in today... just waiting for the bindings.
Old     (knelems)      Join Date: May 2002       07-13-2008, 5:48 AM Reply   
Hi Wendy,
Matt Sims gives private lessons if you can't make a clinic.He will be driving and helping Cathy Williams in my upcoming July 21st & 22nd clinics with her.He has traveled for some of my customers to their lakes also.
Old     (littewend)      Join Date: Jul 2008       07-13-2008, 2:21 PM Reply   
Thanks! We're still trying to get out on the water for our first try, but things haven't been working out...grrrr.
Old    59yroldkid            07-13-2008, 5:26 PM Reply   
From a fellow beginner who, unlike you, is also a slow learner, here are a few tips. To get up, keep your body tucked up as tightly as you can, with your arms extended. Stay completely tucked up until the board is planing on top of the water. During this time you need to keep your eyes on the wakeboard tower. Hang on with all your strength. For the first few attempts, it may almost require a burst of adrenaline to avoid letting go of the rope.

It is okay if the board goes underwater momentarily, as long as your toe edge remains inclined upwards. As long as you remain tightly tucked up, the board will do what it is supposed to do.

Once the board is out of the water, you should count to five while staying fully tucked up. The reason I say this is that most beginners try to stand up too soon and right away, they either catch the toe edge of the board and fall face first, or they get the board vertical in the water and cannot hang on because they are plowing water.

After you have counted to five, you only have to do two more things, and it does not matter too much which one you do first. After you have gotten up successfully a few times, you will probably subconsciously do both in one fluid motion. You will want to shift the handle from directly in front of you toward the right or left end of the board. This will orient the board in line with the rope. Most people are more comfortable riding with their left leg forward, although a substantial minority, like myself, are goofy, and ride with their right foot forward.

The other thing that you will need to do is to cautiously stand up. Once you are standing up, you will want to assume a posture that will keep you on your feet. This means different things to different people, but essentially, you will have your knees bent, your lead hip forward, your shoulders back, your back straight, the handle of the rope right at and no higher than your lead hip, and your eyes up, either on the tower, or on the horizon.

Your body will tend to lean in the direction that you are looking, so if you look down, you will tend to lean over and you will catch the edge of your board and do a face plant.

Keep most of your weight on your lead foot; if you place too much weight on your trailing foot, the board will be skidding out from under you. On the other hand, if you put too much weight on your lead foot, you will catch the lead edge and face plant.

When it comes time to start crossing the wake, you will need to edge into it, instead of approaching the wake with your board flat. If you are crossing it heelside, your heels need to be down; if you are crossing the wake toeside, your toes need to be down. If the board is flat, you will either bounce back away from the wake, or you will catch an edge and face plant.

With respect to realistic goals for the first few times, your goal should be to have a good time. Some beginners get up on their first try. On the other hand, I once saw a guy who never got up on the first day. A few cross the wake the first time they are up. A few get some pop off the wake on the first day. Others start riding switch on the first day. In my case, it took a lot of tries before I successfully got up. Then it took several days before I could cross the wake. That was because my posture was, and still often is, incorrect.

This should give you enough to work on for the first day, or two, at least. In the mean time, just get out there and enjoy yourself.
Old     (littewend)      Join Date: Jul 2008       07-28-2008, 5:01 PM Reply   
So after snow plowing the water directly up into my sinuses a few times, I did get up a few times. I was tending to keep my heel edge down so I'd veer off to the left over the wake. My bindings however either need to stretch a little or go. They fit well enough everywhere except over the ball of the foot they were pretty tight - got that achy feeling I remember from snow board bindings pretty quick. Hopefully next time will involve a lot more boarding and a little less falling.

Reply
Share 

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 12:13 PM.

Home   Articles   Pics/Video   Gear   Wake 101   Events   Community   Forums   Classifieds   Contests   Shop   Search
Wake World Home

 

© 2019 eWake, Inc.    
Advertise    |    Contact    |    Terms of Use    |    Privacy Policy    |    Report Abuse    |    Conduct    |    About Us