There you are, standing at the edge of a dock. • You're by yourself, enjoying a summer evening on a Florida lake. • And wouldn't you know it, a speedboat comes by at a slower than normal pace, dragging behind a guy or girl sliding back and forth more than a hockey goalie. • It's yet another wakeboarder — an all too common sight nowadays. • They're out there, doing tricks, perhaps, which makes you wonder, even ponder, "Can I do that? Am I capable of that?" • Well, contemplate no more. Now, with these easy steps taught by local wakeboarder Ryan Kneapler, you too can be an aquatic acrobat, a wingding in the wake.
Step 1: Man overboard
Kneapler, a 27-year-old who has been wakeboarding for more than 15 years, can start wakeboarding off the dock, while jumping off when the boat takes off. We don't recommend that until you get in lots of practice, which is what Kneapler recommends as well. "I'd say keep trying and trying," Kneapler said. "It seems a lot of people get up a few times and they can't stay up and then they give up." When starting off — in the water — it's a tad tricky, but you have to get situated with the wakeboard while keeping the rope handy. Kneapler says, unlike regular waterskiing, a wakeboard needs to be very snug on the feet and ankles because there is just a lot more twisting and movement than on a waterski.
Step 2: Like a tugboat
Once the boat takes off, it won't be going all that fast anyway. "It's real easy to fall one way or the other or backward, so you have to learn when to bend your knees or when to bend forward with the speed of the boat," Kneapler said. So when pulling yourself up, it's coming out of a position where you're on your back. Then it's balancing yourself by bending the knees. Don't pull the rope all the way to your chest — that will ensure you fall down. Keeping your arms bent and tight will bring you up the quickest and then straightening out the wakeboard to your foot of preference will be your best bet.
Step 3: Movin' out
"You learn to bend your knees a little bit, you learn to go with the speed the boat and then it gets easier and easier every time," Kneapler said. "It's a lot like being on a balance beam once you get up." Once you get the hang of keeping yourself up on the water, moving back and forth is nearly a cinch. The board is designed to move either way with either foot smoothly, as though just gliding on the water. Then, going over a wake, either slowly or fast, is basically just an easy pull of the rope to your left or right.
Step 4: Showing off
Sooner or later, if you get the hang of it, you can start working on advanced techniques. Kneapler says that "some people pick up wakeboarding faster than they do waterskiing." He's right because with skiing, some movement is limited, while in wakeboarding it's easier to turn and to go over wakes. Once you get the handle of jumping wakes, you can pull yourself to the rope more, lean to your left or right, which produces a spray. Not only does it look cool, it also helps gain speed to jump and do tricks. From there, you can try flips, maybe even become a professional. Just don't land on your head.
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