"Dont' be Dylan"

Its hard to rag on a dude I never met who rides with sick style, but he is setting a really bad example for young riders.

As a pro, kids will look up to him and imitate his style including his habit of wearing no vest and no helmet. Have we forgotten about Corey Kraut already?

If Dylan wants to ride without a vest and helmet, then I'm sorry for his family if he ever disappears under the water for a few days or if he hits his head a becomes a vegetable that needs people to feed him, take him potty, etc.

I would like some responsible intervention to prevent impressionable young riders from seeing him risk his life cuz he's too cool for vests and helmets, but I won't hold my breath.

If you know any young riders who think its cool to ride without a helmet or vest. Just say:

"Don't be Dylan"

Miller?

Are you talking cable riding?

Riding wihtout a vest is pretty dumb, but honestly people ride in comp vests all the time that won't float them if they get knocked out and have the air knocked from them. THe helmet thing makes since cable wise, boat it's just preference.

ya I'm pretty sure he's talking about Miller.

Dylan is a great guy, representing Saskatchewan, Canada. Placed 2nd in Canadian nationals last year.

Funny thing is I was just about to post a link to his newest vid put together by Adam Burwell.
Audio NSFW.

from Burwell Productions on Vimeo.

I got to sit down with him and chat out the risk/reward of the handrail/boathouse shot and he said the there was one take where it could have gone real bad, really quick. He knows the risks.

I honestly hope that Dylan will slap on a vest in the future for the kids coming up through the ranks. Chad Sharpe did a great job discussing it not too long ago after a bad experience on
what for him is a "routine" trick, a back 540.

At the same time it isn't Dylans job to parent your kids coming through the ranks. Just because I
see or hear of someone out there doing something unsafe doesn't mean I have to lay down
and act as if it's a good thing in front of my kids. Parents take these opportunities like this to discuss it with your kids.

Yeah, I meant Dylan MILLER

I agree that Chad Sharpe did a great job talking about the risks of wearing no vest. There are always gonna be sick riders who choose not to wear helmets and vests, and their vids will end up online.

Kids just need to know that "it's not cool".

It's kind of a jerk move to put your friends in that position where they might have to save you or call 911. Rarely happens, but if it does, you would wish it didn't.

Dwight-

Great Post. I love the "at the same time it isnt Dylans job to parent your kids....." SO TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!

As a sponsored rider, I get the PRIVELEDGE of having lots of photos and videos taken of me. I cannot tell you how many times the photogs will say, he this looks really good we are getting good shots here, how about you ditch the helmet and hit it some more. Or "why not rock just a tee-shirt for the next set.....you get the point. There is a lot of pressure when filming and taking photos to make them look as good as possible. A lot has to come together to get the "Shot." NOW i know I am opening a can of worms (insert can-o-worms pic any time), with all that said, rarley do I ride without a Life Jacket but I have been quilty of this from time to time. I could go on and on about how its a "controlled environment," there are tons of people around to make it safer, but nothign is as fool proof. Honestly I feel safer and more in the zone with one on, as for a Helmet I really cannot think of any pro's who wear a helmet 24/7 when riding.

Dylan is a great guy and a great rep for O'brien, I have mad respect for his talents.

Might as well say, Dont be a Rathy, Dont Be a Parks, Do be a "insert most any wakeskater"...............................................

Thanks for the input Andy!

I'm surprised that photographers would be pushing riders to go without a vest or helmet. I can understand that they want the best "shot", but its not fair for riders to be pressured to take more risks for money and fame. Redbull pays athletes to take incredible risks, but at least they take care to have helmets and vests.

I too have been guilty of riding without a vest in the past. Once I was kicked out of a winch jam cuz I refused to wear a vest in 2 feet of water, but that's another story.

For what its worth, and I maybe alone in this but..... wakeboarding in a t-shirt is soooooo uncomfortable and looks stupid as hell.

Honestly I can see not wearing a vest if they were as terrible as old style buckle ones/orange ones/etc etc.... but new modern vests are AMAZING! I personally feel naked without mine. I've been riding without them, and just don't like it, I'm completely conditioned to need it.... like the seat belt in my car, even if I drive like .5 mile I throw it on.

Although the inconvience of a life jacket is present, it makes up for the 1 in 1,000,000 chance I knock myself out riding.

Just doesn't seem to be worth the "cool" factor or the slight uncomfort of a vest.

You don't need a vest when you have super, sick "thug life" tatoo to rely on.

Mmmm, popcorn!

Dylan kills it... loved the edit... keep grindin brochacho and brush off that hate

People will always Hate!!! But your steeze Dylan Yeaaah BOYYY

The video would have looked alot better had he been wearing a vest, the t-shirt looks stupid.

I mean honestly, who wheres a T-shirt wakeboarding?

looks like a non built rusty malinoski

im pretty Sure you can see a vest under the shirt just look boys

^^^ preposterous

Under that t-shirt, Dylan is sportin' the new prototype vest from Helium. Here's a close up pic of it:

Originally Posted by andy_nintzel

Dwight-
I cannot tell you how many times the photogs will say, he this looks really good we are getting good shots here, how about you ditch the helmet and hit it some more. Or "why not rock just a tee-shirt for the next set"...............................................

Andy, you may have a problem when they start asking you to take off your pants

I agree that maybe he should wear a vest, but in states where the law doesnt require it, who are we, or anyone really, to say that he should wear one. Sure it would set a good example, but as said before, his job isnt to be a role model. Just as you dont attack every baseball player who chews tobacco, or every hockey player who fights, or every celebrity who smokes, you should let him make his own choice. Not a great aspect of the sport, but it still happens. The best thing for it is to enforce a vest rule on your boat, always wear one yourself, or bring your kids up wearing them. Start with the next generation and breed it out.

And as a side note, I wear a t shirt while riding, keeps the wind off my arms, and I really dont find it that uncomfortable.

Touching on Andy's point(s). Just because someone doesnt wear a vest in a video or photo shoot doesnt mean they dont wear one on the regular. It just means they opted to go without in this instance...which is very similar to pro's wearing the non-uscg vests (some are so thin they are basically a rash guard) in a competition. IMHO wearing a non-uscg vest is just as dangerous (and arguably worse) than no vest at all. The non-uscg vest implies safety but offers very little...while when you are vest-less you know exactly what you are getting. I was amazed last summer when I tried on 6-8 different non-uscg vests, blew all the air out of my lungs and dropped into the water (boardless) from the swim platform.

Sooooo.... In an essence a lot of people are likely riding "vestless" with some of these non-uscg vests.

As always, within 4 hours of a video of Dylan Miller riding a wakeboard posting on the Internet, a wakeworld.com forum pops up. One day when all of you wakeworlders are on the Internet hating on everything that’s different from riding behind the boat, try checking out some different sports other than wakeboarding. Come to think of it, maybe it’s time for the whole wakeboard industry look outside of its own little bubble. In the real world of action sports there is diversity, something that wakeboarding lacks, has always lacked (exception Parks and Byerly) and will always for its entire existence, lack without people like Dylan Miller.

Wakeboarding is basically the high school jock. He’s a meat head who only hangs out with other meat heads and if your not part of his crew then your nothing. If you step up to him, you get beaten, everyone talks about it for a week and then you vanish into thin air. Once this “meat head” leaves high school he is no longer a big shot and ends up living in a trailer park for the rest of his life(wakeboarding). This type of mentality, along with the high price a boat, has kept wakeboarding as the redheaded stepchild in the action sports family. There is no ugly duckling story here; wakeboarding is not just going to blossom into something beautiful or meaningful in the whole scheme of action sports unless we make changes.

Changes start with the riders. Changes start with breaking the boundaries of the sport. Changes are made most of all by people who have a vision of the sport and what it should be, not the way it is right now. I’m not saying that riding without a vest or helmet is the thing to do, but at least Dylan has taken the initiative to break the mold and go against the grain unlike pretty much every pro wakeboard out there. Look at Shredtown, they may not be the stereotypical boat riders, but they’re pushing the sport in a whole new direction. They are helping to open up this closed industry to potentially new riders and most of all helping companies like Ridiculous Winches find a huge place in the market.

I am still dumbfounded by the fact that most pro wakeboarders think its acceptable to grab tindy, but what is more outrageous is that magazines continue to publish photos of these wakeboards doing these tricks. I know that action sports are supposed to be an expression of yourself and allow people to do what they want and by all means that’s what I love about wakeboarding and other extreme sports. Some where along the way we need to start realizing that other board sports have it right and that we can to learn from what they have done already. Hopefully one day we will have a prosperous sport that can support more wakeboards and grow to something that is the size of skateboarding or snowboarding. Until that time, I’m sure you can expect more people who go against the norms of wakeboarding to pop up and to cultivate an ever-rotting sport.
As they always say, there’s no such thing as bad publicity!

Dude, show me one mag from 2005-current that shows anybody grabbing tindy, aside from Indmar ads. the problem with looking at wakeboarding by checking out forums is that every kook that buys a go-pro puts a 6-minute video of heelside wake jumps up, and that's the image that gets painted. Go hang out for a day at OWC. Wait for guys like Brian Reeder, Clay Fletcher, Shane B, Julian Cohen or Nick Whitt to show up. Then you'll see what legit wakeboarding is today. And none of these guys are hating on anyone's style like you claim.

I guarantee if I hung out at any little snowboard hill or skatepark I could video a bunch of kooks flailing all over the place and try to claim that is the state of the sport, but these aren't the guys that anyone looks up to or tries to emulate when they ride.

And please don't try to say that not wearing a vest is pushing the sport in a new direction or breaking boundaries. That was a fad that died out right around the time bindings with laces started showing up.

I think it's totally up to the parents to teach the kids to identify the good and bad decisions that athletes in the spotlight make, whatever thay may be. Like the immature, irresponsible, selfish act of wakeboarding without a vest.

Up to the parents? i may be alone on this but my Mom or Dad let me grow up and make my own choices, At one point you have to let your kids grow up

Originally Posted by diversity

Changes start with the riders. Changes start with breaking the boundaries of the sport. Changes are made most of all by people who have a vision of the sport and what it should be, not the way it is right now....... at least Dylan has taken the initiative to break the mold and go against the grain unlike pretty much every pro wakeboard out there.

I am still dumbfounded by the fact that most pro wakeboarders think its acceptable to grab tindy, but what is more outrageous is that magazines continue to publish photos of these wakeboards doing these tricks.

As they always say, there’s no such thing as bad publicity!

These ideas seem radically counter productive to me... let's be different and original and start changing the norm.... but let's make sure we don't step on the toes of where exactly you are supposed to grab the board during a trick???

And to argue that wakeboarding has only one vision and no diversity is a little short sighted I'd say... Just off the top of my head here some of the top riders in our sport today... compare and contrast them and tell me they are all cut out of the same mold:

P. Soven
N. Davies
D. Grant
N. Perry
R. Malinowski
K. Suyderhoud
B. Greenwood
R. Derome
J. Webb
A. Adams
D. Miller
R. Harris
K. Lyman
H. Clifford

I mean... to me that list has contest specialists, rail riders, winchers, cable riders, all with incredibly contrasting styles on and off the water. I like the "call to arms" for us to push the sport... but to say we aren't diverse is a little ignorant considering the facts.

Diversity, your realize that's a pete rose? making that a slob grab. you might wanna learn what tricks are before you start hating on them.

Personally I wear a vest always when I ride and I make people do it as well when they are on the boat with me. However this being said everyone can choose to ride the way THEY WANT TOO. This is wakeboarding everyone here does it for fun... stop hating on each other over one rider who absolutly kills it...

To add to this... When I was growing up I never watched videos and was like "oh well shoot he's not wearing a vest I better not as well."

Let people ride how they want to ride.... vest or not it's his choice.

I can assure you that he doesn't ride without a vest always... However I'm sure that shirt floats almost as good as everyone's NCGA vests...

Originally Posted by luke_j

diversity, your realize that's a pete rose? Making that a slob grab. You might wanna learn what tricks are before you start hating on them.

snap!

It's kind of a jerk move to put your friends in that position where they might have to save you or call 911.

To me that's the biggest reason to wear a vest even if you're still so young that you think you're invincible. It's just downright rude to put the people in the boat in that position. If you're not doing it for yourself or your family, you should at least have the courtesy to do it for your crew.

That being said, I'm not calling Dylan a "jerk" because I don't know the circumstances of the riding he's doing. When you're making a video you do certain things that you wouldn't do on a casual ride with friends. Maybe he had paramedics and Search and Rescue in a tow boat, which would probably put him in a safer position than Joe Blow on the weekend wearing a USCGA vest. I don't know. I just have to agree that the hate is lame. This guy is trying to make a living doing what he loves and he's adult enough to assess the risks of his own video shoot and evaluate whether or not it's a smart thing to do. I'm sure his crew was fully onboard with the added risk of towing a rider with no vest or helmet. Nobody here knows the circumstances of any of those shoots, so to just assume there were no extra precautions taken is silly.

I'd personally like to see riders wear vests and helmets (when hitting obstacles) because it sets a good example for kids watching. However, I also enjoy Dylan's videos very much and I'm not about to tell him how he should be doing it. In fact, I've never seen a rider get so much buzz out of not wearing a vest before. Although his videos are great, would we be talking about him as much if he was wearing a vest and helmet? No. He's found a way to raise his name recognition and perhaps that's a risk he's willing to take in order to make it in wakeboarding. More power to him!!

"I am still dumbfounded by the fact that most pro wakeboarders think its acceptable to grab tindy"

You and 5 other people in the world. Fact is with some tricks it looks better than a "legit" grab that is forced and unatural looking for that particular trick.

You kind of had me until you posted that. I thought you were going to make a good point, but instead you ended up being another one of those guys that is hell bent on gaining acceptance from other action sports.

I am still dumbfounded by the fact that most pro wakeboarders think its acceptable to grab tindy

Originally Posted by jarrod

You and 5 other people in the world.

The will go down with "Holy Tige whore. Nice muffin top" as one of the best quotes in the history of WakeWorld! Nice work Jarrod!!

We're not hating on Dylan because he’s trying to push the sport.. we're hating on him because the guy is riding without a vest like a moron. Also, I don’t think people outside of wakeboarding really look at us as a bunch of meathead jocks. Wakeboarding will always have a limited crowd because boats cost about 80 grand plus all the equipment, gas, and the friends you need to ride. Although snowboarding is pretty pricey, a 1000 dollar set up and a 500 dollar seasons pass are a lot cheaper than all of wakeboarding's expenses. (not to mention the cheapness of skateboarding (50 bucks a deck) which is pretty much why everyone and their brother does it) If you take a look at some "old" videos from 2005, 2006 or even 2007 itd be pretty safe to say wakeboarding has blossomed beautifully and keeps continuing to do so.

Originally Posted by jarrod

You and 5 other people in the world.

Guess I'm 1 of the 5 then. Anybody else?

insane riding in the video by the way.. that rooftop rail is unreal

I'm not hating on any one, because I have actually ridden without a vest. I have forgotten a couple of times when riding with more layers in cooler weather. But, I DO think it's lame to create a new screen name with no details about who you are to make "your" (aka anonymous) opinion known. If you don't have enough conviction to put your name to an argument, you have zero credibility. Just my opinion...

great video and great riding, nice work.

Guess I'm 1 of the 5 then. Anybody else?

Not me. I grab tindy all the time because it's fun and I don't ride for other people that are looking at me and judging whether or not my riding looks "legit." Strangely, I ride for me!

Originally Posted by wakeworld

" Strangely, I ride for me!

And strangely, I ride for free! So I wear a vest 100% of the time as well, because there's way more upside to a vest for my situation.

That said, when you're trying to scrape out a piece of an already small pie, if you and your filmer(s) deem that that's the direction you want to take your video, and feel it'll get more recognition, well then there you go. Look at all the people who have now seen this video and his name. Grown men can make grown decisions regarding their health and welfare. I believe Nintzel has had to make a long post about this at least 4 to 5 different times since I've been a member of this forum. I consider myself an experienced rider, however, I'm definitely not in a position where I'll make any money from this sport, ever. So to get insight into this from somebody who is fortunate enough to be in the position to do so and weigh in here, I find that opinion extremely valuable.

WARNING
I'm about to mention another board sport... all those who may be scarred or emotionally traumatized by this... brace yourselves or get your children away from the screen.

I don't see outcry from the snowboard community about riders who take 50 or 60+ foot backcountry drops off a cliff. Kids are definitely watching that video saying THAT WAS AWESOME! Guilty party right here. That CLEARLY is dangerous and could go wrong in oh so many ways. I UNDERSTAND SNOWBOARDING IS NOT WAKEBOARDING AND VICE VERSA. However, I feel that this draws in interesting correlation to ALL action sports in that inherent acts of danger are often taken by individuals who in that span of time deem it "worth it" to accomplish whatever goal they've set in their current set of circumstances.

My view in summation:

Dylan not wearing a vest: Do what you gotta do man. Killer riding, keep pushing. I hope that he's never put in a situation where he wishes he'd have had one.

The kids: Big boys can make big boy decisions. If young kids look up to them for "style points", well it's up to the adults/ parents they ride with to inform them of the dangers of choosing not to wear a vest.

Bottom line: Accountability. Just remember your accountable for the choices you make and the resulting effects. I feel like often this is sorely lacking in society.

this kid is so busted.

hehe

Dylan is def. A sick rider. However, I've had the privilege of riding with guys like jd, Zane, hutton, etc and you will never catch them without a vest. It really is just dumb considering how thin and flexy vests are today. That said, if someone 18+ wants to go without one it's their choice. This is America. Please put a disclaimer at the beginning of vest less videos though. T shirts fit over vests btw.

At the end of the day people are going to make they're own decisions, you want diversity, people are going to do that not some very talented and very arrogant/ignorant wakeboarder. There are plenty of injuries in any sport and I personally don't understand why anyone wouldn't wanna protect their neck so they could continue to do something they love for a long time. For those people that believe Dylan should be wearing a vest, step up to the plate and do something to encourage other people to make an educated decision for themselves,friends, and family. You can't rag on something if your not willing to be a leader and do something about it. Anyone who wants to impact this sport is going to do so by investing in the people in it, not by what their trick list is or they're contest score. Shaun Murray is one the most respected wakeboarders out there and he didn't get it by ****ting on people. His talent,good nature towards others, and modest, lead by example attitude got him where he is. You want to be recognized in this sport by others? be good to them,do everything you can to progress your riding, and make a positive impact on the people new to wakeboarding because the Dylans will come and go but theres always someone new whos going to find out how great it is to carve through the water on a board.

Originally Posted by mojo

Dylan is def. A sick rider. However, I've had the privilege of riding with guys like jd, Zane, hutton, etc and you will never catch them without a vest. It really is just dumb considering how thin and flexy vests are today. That said, if someone 18+ wants to go without one it's their choice. This is America. Please put a disclaimer at the beginning of vest less videos though. T shirts fit over vests btw.

+1

Originally Posted by hmmm

WOW. whose the dork dad to start this thread.. haha.

dylan kills it, keep it up. do you thing.

Grow some stones...

No one said the guy didn't have sick skills, I guess helmets and vests won't be the "Steeze" till Cable parks have to start upping their pricing to cover increased liabilty insurance from a lawsuit, when somebody's kid cracks his egg open or drowns in the river because his favorite rider set a bad example, maybe they'll pass a law or make restrictions, guess then no one will have a choice. Go catch an edge maybe your brain'll start workin again....

its opinion vs. opinion, not fact vs. opinion,
Dylan doesn't "have" to wear a vest, its a choice and his opinion, and some agree, some disagree, there is no right or wrong.

i feel that Dylan can make up his own mind,
and he shreds with some killer style. thanks Dylan for
progressing wakeboarding in a good way. with or without a vest.

"Dylan doesn't "have" to wear a vest"
In our state your required to wear a vest, what state has a no vest rule?

^TN is one. You have to have to have a USCG-approved vest for each person on board, but legally your rider does not have to have wear one.

same with nc and va. need to have vests in the boat for them but if you have a spotter a vest isnt required

TX laws are similar ^

is that thug life tattoo real? if it is this guy must hang out with Lon

It's sad that I'm not understanding everything has been said in this thread because I speak french but some interactions caught my attention.
First, Dylan is a awesome rider with killer style and this vid is awesome. I don't care about what he's doing in is life but it should be sad if something bad happens! The story of Chad was enough scary for me to never think about ridin without a vest. Anyway, my lake is around 300 feets deep so just jumping in the middle without a vest is scary! One of my father's friend sunk during swiming in the middle of the lake with his childs and never been found after... they never knew what he had! Anyway, my vest is so comfortable and thin that I never thought about not wearing it!
Second, WTF about tindy or whatever the grab it is? I thought grabs was about grabbing your board! Where is the book of how we should grab a board because I want it! This is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. I'll continu to grab whatever I want or I can (because I'm not flexy as a gymnast) to grab because I do think like I'm feelling it... it's the nature of creating you own style...
Whatever! I don't ride for anybody else than for myself so I don't give a sht! : )

Originally Posted by mojo

is that thug life tattoo real? if it is this guy must hang out with Lon

Naw... they all got those on the "Canadians in the Philippines" trip... henna or something.

This thread is STUPID.....

Whoa. It's been almost 11 years since we lost Cordell. Guess most people here don't know who I'm talking about.

If you don't know, now you know...

It' sad but you know the next 'Cordell' is waiting in the wings with young guys that think they're un breakable. It's also sad that anyone would argue it's an individuals choice. The selfish choice the person who dies makes is only suffered by the family and friends still living. It's one thing when someone dies doing something they love and are using all the safety equipment available. It'a something else all together when someone's death so easily could have been prevented.

after watching the embedded video, it's obvious he's only received a limited amount of shirts by his sponsor, Oneill, and is forced to wear the teal shirt for the majority of the time. This seems to be the best or only option in marketing/promoting his sponsor, Oneill, as it portrays their brand and product in a much better light than wearing one of their branded and logo'd PFD's. Maybe they could offer him a vest rather than a couple t shirts with that type of riding, and I'm sure he could use a wetsuit in these colder months.

and, WOW, he smacked his face good on the concrete!

Originally Posted by behindtheboat

after watching the embedded video, it's obvious he's only received a limited amount of shirts by his sponsor, Oneill, and is forced to wear the teal shirt for the majority of the time.

Yes, totally obvious, brilliant deduction. But that is the sad reality of these tough economic times. I heard Dylan only got that one shirt for his O'Neill sponsorship and he's forced to wear it everyday of the week except on Tuesday mornings when it's in the wash. Poor kid has to endure Canadian winters in a lone teal blue O'Neill t-shirt. Maybe with all this publicity, O'Neill might give him another shirt.

I can't tell if A-dubs comment is sarcasm or not... but I could bet a bazillion dollars O'Neill had absolutely nothing to do with the production and or the riding in this video. Dude is probably just catchin a little free product flow from them and wanted to rep it a bit... No offense to Dylan or his riding cause he kills it... but O'Neill is a huge company that frankly isn't that worried about an edit Dylan Miller puts out. If it was his part in an O'Neill sponsored full length they'd probably have a few suggestions... but I seriously doubt they had anything to do with this.

5 hottest riders of all time, Dylon, dylon, Dylon, dylon, and dylon.

vest or no vest..this is fact!

how many of you are dads on this thread?

lol this is gonna get interesting..

In diversity's post, "wakeboarding is":

1. a high school jock
2. a meat head
3. life
4. a red headed step child

and "wakeboarding" is not:

1. an ugly duckling
2. a flower? "going to blossom"

So this is how Dylan is progressing the sport, huh?! Giving everyone something to dump on each other for......If it wasn't for him shooting for the extra buzz by not wearing a vest I probably would have appreciated how TIGHT his riding is. Wish I never would have saw this thread

Wow... this thread has really digressed.

hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe

Honestly, unless u use an alias on here I've never heard of u, or seen a clip, or a mag shot. So...

In simple terms, if you drown while wake boarding or wake skating without a vest I will simply not care. also, be a responsible boat owner and don't allow people to ride if they don't want to wear a vest. Like i said, t shirts fit over vests.

Wow, guys. Thanks for taking this thread is a completely useless direction. I suggest many of you follow the link below and familiarize yourself with the rules of this discussion board. Thread is closed!

http://www.wakeworld.com/help_tos.php