Video by Bradlee Rutledge

The post Pros Learn a New Trick – Mizuki Takahashi & Tony Carroll appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

To get a clearer picture of Clear Lake’s colorful past, we spoke with some of the pros who currently call it home, as well as a few other experts. Current residents include Erik Ruck, Shane Bonifay, Jimmy ­LaRiche, Jeff Langley, Marc ­Rossiter and Collin Harrington (who ­recently moved out in January after living there for 14 years), and experts like former editor of WBM ­Kevin ­Michael, wakeskater Aaron Reed, and photographer Joey Meddock have spent countless hours on its water. The stories are hilarious, but the sentiment remains the same across the board: Living on Clear Lake has a certain vibe unlike any other lake in Orlando, or any other lake in the world, for that matter.

Jeff Langley

THE RESIDENTS

What makes living on Clear Lake particularly unique is the neighborhood built around it and the sense of community that neighborhood gives the riders who call it home. Much of the lake’s residential area is comprised of a series of canals that connect to the lake. From above, the canals look just like streets of water, giving residents backyard access to the main body. By boat or by land, if you live on Clear Lake, your neighbors are literally around the corner. For nearly 20 years a lot of riders have called those canals home — so many, in fact, that naming them all is probably impossible. But when you get a directory as long as Clear Lake’s past and present pros, it’s bound to have a significant impact on the sports.

Erik Ruck

ERIK RUCK:

“I’ve lived on Clear Lake for over 15 years now, and I think one of the coolest things about it is that it’s always been a worldwide refugee camp for wakeboarding and wakeskating misfits. A lot of dues have been paid, and a lot of guys have worked really hard to push themselves and the sport. It’s been really cool for me to watch; I’ve gone from a young rider pushing things myself, to a lake regulator trying to make sure guys are following the rules and staying in their lanes, to an elder statesman enjoying the show. The best part, though, is that everybody living here in the ’hood has always had each other’s backs, and we’ve had a lot of fun along the way.”

Jimmy LaRiche

JIMMY LARICHE:

“It’s pretty crazy to see how generations have come and gone over the years. Even Adam Errington has moved out now and on to other things. Younger guys are starting to move in too. When I first moved to Clear Lake, I was intimidated about doing it because of the pros who’d been living there before me. I was looking at buying one of Daniel Watkins’ old houses, but before I bought it, I called Ruck to basically ask if it was cool if I moved onto the lake. He was the leader of Clear Lake at the time, and I didn’t want to piss him off by being the new kid in town poaching his turf. It was definitely funny going from living in Rusty Malinoski’s pool house in the country to living on Clear Lake. That’s how I learned about wakesurfing and lake parties!”

SHANE BONIFAY:

“I think I’ve lived here 13 years. … Sometimes I lose track — I spent a few in Clermont with Parks — but Clear Lake is part of who I am. The friends I’ve made and the sense of community that is here can’t be replaced or duplicated. Everybody is friends, and wakeboarding is only a phone call away. Or you do what I do and just drive your Jet Ski out to Jimmy’s G23 and make him pull you whenever you see his boat out on the lake.”

Marc Rossiter

THE ‘HOOD

One of the defining characteristics of Clear Lake has more to do with where it’s located rather than who lives there. Just south of downtown Orlando, the main residential area of Clear Lake is less than 1 mile from the Orange County Jail, and much of the surrounding neighborhood is affectionately called “the ’hood.” While we’ve never heard stories of riders feeling totally unsafe or sketched out, let’s just say you wouldn’t want to get lost finding your way to Clear Lake at late hours of the night.

COLLIN HARRINGTON:

“Your view of Clear Lake all depends on which way you come into the Isle of Catalina where most of the houses are on the canals. You either come in the main entrance off the main road, and everything seems fine, or you come in off a side street and you pass some really sketchy gas stations and shops, and you feel like you’re in the middle of the ghetto.”

JIMMY LARICHE:

“If you ever have any industry people over to Clear Lake for the first time, like at Surf Expo or anything, they can get pretty wigged out. It’s funny, ’cause on one side you’ve got the ghetto, and on the other, just a few minutes away, is one of the nicest malls in Orlando with a bunch of great restaurants. The worst part is that Carl (Jimmy’s yellow Lab) howls at police sirens, and we hear those a lot …”

Tony Carroll

THE LIFE

Because of the structure of Clear Lake’s neighborhood on the canals, life there for the riders is tight-knit and fun-loving. There are always guys to hang out with, and there is always something to do. But beyond hanging out and neighborhood vibes, Clear Lake is famous (and infamous) for some of its extracurricular activities. Much of the shenanigans in recent years have been documented via social media but, truth be told, the parties of today don’t hold a candle to those of yesteryear.

KEVIN MICHAEL:

“Clear Lake is notorious for its parties, more so than any of the other Orlando lakes with multiple riders living on them. Shane Bonifay has had at least 40 birthday parties on Clear Lake. He’s not even 40, but he’s had at least 40 parties.”

SHANE BONIFAY:

“My birthday has always been the kickoff party of the season, of sorts. And it’s somehow become legendary. I don’t even invite or ask people to come anymore, it just happens every April 4. It’s my ­favorite things all combined in one day: Clear Lake, ­wakeboarding, friends, sun and partying.”

ERIK RUCK:

“The early days of Clear Lake are lucky there wasn’t social media to document the shit show. I’m glad that we can just keep those as memories. But there have been some epic get-togethers out here. Feet on Fire was an annual barefoot contest Dan-O used to host when he lived with me. He and Watkins would get athletes from the wake, water-ski and show-ski worlds to come out, compete and have fun. Everybody looked forward to them, and it created a cool sense of community. And the after parties — and during parties — were pretty all-time.”

JIMMY LARICHE:

“My favorite party ever anywhere was the goodbye party we threw for Daniel Watkins when he and his family were moving back to Australia full-time. He was a legend in wakeboarding, obviously, but also a huge part of the Clear Lake community. We wanted to surprise him, so I had 50 or 60 people come hang out at my house while a couple guys took him out on a pontoon boat for ‘one last hangout cruise.’ Of course, the pontoon broke down while they were on the lake, and he arrived at my house two hours later than planned, so everybody there was already in full party mode, but when he came in, he was so surprised and started crying. We had a hell of a celebration that night. I’ll never forget it.”

THE RIDING

What it always comes back to for our sports, though, is the riding, and Clear Lake has seen more than most. In fact, it could easily be argued that Clear Lake has more media coverage than any other body of water. From covers of magazines to video sections to dumb ­Instagram posts of bass fishing by riders not riding, Clear Lake has been part of everything. In fact, Clear Lake has played a more important role than most casual fans probably realize.

AARON REED:

“Thomas Horrell was the first rider to move onto Clear Lake, and that was right as Cassette was getting started and growing in the early 2000s. We spent a lot of time out there. The majority of ­Sfumato was filmed on Clear Lake, and a lot of firsts went down there, so there is a lot of wakeskating history there. Danny Hampson did the first frontside flip, Thomas did the first frontside big spin, I did the first backside big spin — all the lines in the video, all on Clear Lake. What was funny looking back is that was right when all the Pointless guys were in their heyday too. They’d all come out onto the lake to party and wakesurf and send rollers everywhere. Thomas would get so fired up, and in typical Thomas fashion, it was pretty comical.”

SHANE BONIFAY:

“A lot has gone down on Clear Lake over the years. All the rails, all the photo shoots; there’s too much to list. But two things that stand out to me are Parks’ Double or Nothing and filming for Box of Fun. Double or Nothing was right at a time when guys were really charging off double-ups and doing cool stuff. That contest was fun and really progressive. And Box of Fun was just like it sounds. Making that video with all the Clear Lake crew was a blast.”

There are a lot of factors that come together to make Clear Lake the special, weird, iconic, fun-loving, ghettoish place it is. From its location and construction, to the riders who have ridden on it for the past 20 years, Clear Lake has seen a lot and provided even more for the progression and fun of wakeboarding and wakeskating. While generations of superstars and grind-it-out riders come and go, one thing will never change, and that is the lake itself and the sense of opportunity it provides for those looking to chase a dream in the Mecca of wakeboarding.

ERIK RUCK:

“Clear Lake can do two things for your career: It can either catapult it quickly, or it can trap you in the downtown scene. From there, you have a choice about what you want to do. Some guys have chosen wisely. Others, not so much.”

The post Clear Lake appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

The post PWT 2017: Contender – Tony Carroll appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

TONY, WOULD YOU RATHER…

Consistently land one trick that nobody else can do, or be able to pick five tricks from five different riders and do those tricks just like them?
Tony: One trick that nobody else can do.

Be really good at snowboarding or surfing?
Tony: Surfing. Not a big fan of the cold.

Be given one million dollars all at once, or, starting with a penny, double your money every day for six months?
Tony: Let the penny snowball for six months.

Land a 1260 with no grab or land a 1080 with a poked grab?
Tony: Slow roasted grab 1080, all the way.

Live on the road for a month during the summer, riding when you can, or live at home and be able to ride every day?
Tony: On the road. It’s always fun meeting and riding with new people.

Listen to the same song for 24 hours straight, or listen only to the first 10 seconds of a song before it skips to the next one for 24 hours?
Tony: Same song for 24 hours.

Ride in crazy rollers or in heavy wind?
Tony: Heavy wind. I’m down to hunt for a good shore line.

Hype you up on the dock before your contest run: Dean Smith or Massi?
Tony: Not a fair question. I’d take either of them over most. Both make wakeboarding look fun and unique.

Have to trailer your boat half an hour from your house every time you want to ride, knowing it will be butter, or be able to ride instantly, but more often than not it’s windy?
Tony: Trailer. Did that every day growing up. Always worth the butta.

Go to the party and be remembered as they guy who was dancing just a little bit too hard, or be the quiet guy in the corner that nobody remembers was there?
Tony: The guy dancing too hard. I may very well be that guy, but I don’t know because I’m in the zone.

The post Would You Rather w/ Tony Carroll appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

I love my A24, and I’ve worked hard to get it — 14 years, to be exact. In my opinion, there is not another boat on the market I would want. It has ­plenty of space, looks phenomenal, and has more than enough accessories and a wake that can compete with any other. The A24 has the bare necessities for anyone looking to have a great time on the water.

The A24 will hold up to 17 people. I love this ­because I like riding with as many friends as possible. It’s a lot more fun when you have a crowd and you’re all pushing each other to try new things and have fun. In a normal week, we have anywhere from 16- to 40-year-old riders out. That’s what this sport is all about — having fun.

The boat is beautiful — the lines when it’s on the water are unlike any other boat on the market. I’m a big fan of the minimalist windshield design. With all sorts of skill levels in the boat, it makes giving trick tips much easier than standing up to talk over the glass. The deep seats make the interior feel extremely spacious and keep the ­tower speakers away from heads.

When it comes to options, the A24 is no slouch. I’ve got an awesome light bar for night surfing. There are also docking lights that make navigating the canal I live on much easier at night. My favorite part of the boat is probably the new helm for 2017. It has made operating the boat even easier than before. With Surf Gate, the wedge and Surf Band, I could brag about this boat all day.

How I Ride It

Speed: 23.0 mph
Rope length: 75.5 feet
Custom settings: Wedge or not, I keep the same speed and rope. I ride with the Wedge down for tech tricks. The steeper wake allows for more line tension. For big, floaty tricks I’ll leave the Wedge up.
Ballast: Internal ballast is always full. In the back I’ll add two 800-pound Eight.3 Plug ‘n’ Play bags in the back, a 500-pound bag in the bow, and then spread 1,500 pounds of Lead Wake bags around the boat.

How I Surf It

Speed: 10.8 mph
Custom settings: Nothing crazy, just let Surf Gate do its thing. With the wedge up, the wave is long and mellow. With the wedge down, it has more push, with a little curl at the top.
Ballast: With the A24, I use the same weight setup as I do when I wakeboard and let Surf Gate work its magic.

How I Hang Out

Living on Clear Lake, it’s always fun to meet up with the other riders and friends who call it home. The biggest get-together on the water is usually Shane Bonifay’s birthday, which is always a blast. The A24 makes hanging out easy with its spaciousness, comfort and stereo. Riding or not, we’re always having a good time on the water.

The post That’s My Boat w/ Tony Carroll appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

The post Morning Dew – Jeff Langley appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

The post 2015 Malibu Open Houston – Drone Footage appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

The post Monday Mishap 11/17 appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

The post WWA Cancun Pro Recap appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

To see all the submissions and results, go to: http://mywake.tige.com/

Best Double Up

This is a fun one. Double ups are one of the most exciting aspects of boat riding and frankly, we love watching a good double up come together. So, in this case, we’re going to give you more than you bargained for by throwing all of our favorite submissions at you all at once. Double flips, 1080’s, they’re all in there. Enjoy!

Aaron Rathy

Harley Clifford

Cory Teunissen

Rusty Malinoski

Darin Shapiro

Dean Smith

Click the link below to see some of the other categories!

Click here for BEST 3 TRICK LINE——>

Best 3 Trick Line

We’ve shown you Harley’s 3 trick line in the past, but it’s worth watching again, especially when it’s followed by Tony’s and Dean’s submission. Enjoy!

Harley Clifford

Tony Carroll

Dean Smith

Click the link below to see some of the other categories!

Click here for BEST CABLE TRICK——>

Best Cable Trick

Wow. It’s impressive just how much the cable scene has improved in the last few years. These guys don’t mess around. A solidly grabbed 1080, mobe 7, and a grabbed double flip mobe awaits you. Check them out!

Aaron Gunn

Tom Fooshee

Cody Hess

The post Videos: Tigé MyWake Global Challenge appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.