ALEX, WOULD YOU RATHER…

Take a wake trip with a crew through Europe or Asia?
Alex: Europe, for sure! I just love the European culture, the small towns and the food, plus it’s way easier to travel in Europe than in Asia. Everyone who has experienced traveling in Asia knows what I am talking about.

Compete or free ride and shoot?
Alex: Free ride and shoot! I prefer riding with people than riding against them!

Shred pristine park-built features or janky backyard setups?
Alex: Janky backyard setups are pretty thrilling! Even simple tricks can be damn hard and sketchy!

Hit mega ramps or traditional wake park kickers?
Alex: Mega Ramps!!! You can hit them all day without getting sore knees. I don’t get why wakeboarders are still hitting kickers without landing ramps… Do you think snowboarders or FMX riders would hit a kicker without a landing ramp? I don’t think so.

Be a professional snowboarder or skateboarder, if you couldn’t be a professional wakeboarder?
Alex: I can imagine being a snowboard pro way better than being a skater. I just can’t get it in my head how they’re doing some tricks. It’s insane. I choose pro skater!

Be able to travel with all your friends in a private jet, anywhere for free or be able to teleport, just yourself and your luggage instantly?
Alex: I think teleporting. I’ve lost too many bags this year and I don’t know how it is on private jets. I just don’t want to lose any more bags… Sorry friends.

Winch new spots or ride new parks with new features?
Alex: Winch new spots. It’s just so different. More work but more rewarding.

Chase the endless summer around the world or be able to have an off season to yourself?
Alex: If I do the same over and over again I get bored and lose motivation. I need my days off to charge my batteries and keep the fire burning, you know? So yeah, I definitely need an off season! Shouldn’t be too long though. I freak out after a month without riding!

Do more double flips or spin to win?
Alex: Double flips! Spin to win looks boring and it just doesn’t impress me. Who cares if you can spin like a hurricane?

Get a cover or become Rail Rider of the Year?
Alex: Puh, this one is tough… but I think Rail Rider of the Year. It takes more to stand out through the whole season than getting one good shot which makes it on a cover.

The post Would You Rather w/ Alex Aulbach appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

When was your first published photo and whom/what was it of?
My first photo was actually a photo of Joey Meddock back in 2002 when he was on the Delta with some guys doing a trip and story for Wakeboarding.

What does it mean to you to be the three-time reigning Photographer of the Year from the Wake Awards?
Man, it feels weird to even say that. (laughs) Somebody told me that the only person who’s done that is Josh Letchworth, which is totally unreal to me. I’m pretty blown away by the recognition from my peers and everybody in the sport.

How have you managed to stay local to the Delta but still be in the mix with so much of the wake industry?
Being on the West Coast is difficult because of the seasons. But one thing that’s helped me a lot is contest photography. It isn’t glamorous, but it’s kept me plugged into the industry and relevant. Doing that for so long, I was able to interact with riders and people in the sport and develop relationships and friendships. Those are really important and have done a lot for me. I’ve also been shooting for Hyperlite for 10 years, and that has been a massive help with my career.

What is the key to a successful wake shoot?
A good attitude is the most important. A little preplanning helps a lot too. It’s good to be on the same page. Then you have to have a willingness to keep trying. Don’t let a failure prevent you from trying again. There are lots of photos that took multiple tries and days or even weeks to get. It doesn’t always happen on the first try.

What’s one of your favorite photo-shoot-related stories?
That’s hard because I almost always have a really good time wherever I go. Every next trip is the best trip for me, which is awesome. I think when that stops happening is probably when it’s time to hang it up.

Describe being Rodrigo Donoso the photographer for the past 15 years in a few words.
Travel bags, living check to check (laughs), and seeing the light. That would be it.

The post The Dream w/ Rodrigo Donoso appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

The tie that binds all wakeboarders together is the joy of being on the water and the rush of doing something new. Whether it’s your first wake jump, first invert or a backside 7, when you get on your board and land something for the first time, the feeling is indescribable. That feeling is what motivates us, young and old, rookie and veteran.

Even a legendary pro like Shaun Murray is motivated by it, and it continues to push him to do new things on his board. It is that motivation, and that love for continuing to see what’s possible, that had Murray in pursuit of the shot you see on the cover of this issue. It was years in the making, full of what-ifs and doubt, but Murray never gave up on it, and ultimately, that passion-fueled pursuit paid off.

We figured the best way to tell the story of this cover was to get it straight from the guys who made it happen: Shaun and photographer Rodrigo Donoso. We sat down with them and got a lesson in motivation, fun, and pushing yourself even when you have nothing else to prove.

Shaun Murray:

“The quest for this photo started back at Moomba Masters in 2013. That contest is held in downtown ­Melbourne [Australia], not on an open lake, and you have to go under a bridge to get into the course area, and the boat goes really close to the bridge pilings. As I’m getting pulled to start my pass, the wake hit the cement wall and formed this sort of water quarter pipe like I’ve never seen before. I saw it, and my mind was supposed to be on the contest, but I couldn’t get it out of my head and knew I had to try to hit it sometime. We tried after the contest, but it didn’t line up.

“Fast forward to later that year, and the Hyperlite team was in Texas shooting and there was a bridge over the water. I took Rodrigo, who was shooting, and drove a boat real close, just like at Moomba, and showed him what the wake did.”

Rodrigo Donoso:

“That was the first time I’d ever seen that. I’d seen wakes crawl up walls or the sides of big ships before, but never to the point where I’d thought somebody would try to ride it. You have to get the boat really close to make it happen, so it’s not something you’d typically see or that’s easy to do. Leave it to Murray to bring out that kind of surprise though. (laughs) ­Unfortunately, the bridge proved to be harder to get the shot than we anticipated. We got something, but not what either of us had envisioned. We knew looking at the photos that there was potential for something great though.”

Shaun Murray:

“Later on that year, I was out in ­Alabama with Wake Guntersville doing some demos and lessons. It’s a wake shop that’s part of a pool and patio shop, run by an incredible family. As we were headed out onto the lake, which is part of the Tennessee River, we were going by these giant barges, and I asked them, ‘How often are these things there and how close can you get to them?’ They said all the time and as close as you want.

“So I immediately had them drive the boat by to show them the wall of water. As soon as it formed up, I said, ‘See that? I’m gonna come back here and ride that.’ But that ended up not happening for a while. It took three years for me and Rodrigo to line up our schedules and put all the pieces in place to get back to Lake Guntersville and give it a shot.

“It came together immediately after Surf Expo 2016. I rented a van and loaded it up with myself; Shawn Perry, former editor of the mag; Jake Pelot, young ripper who lives on my lake who I trusted to drive the boat; Jake Snider, rad filmmaker; and Rodrigo. So we had two Shauns, two Jakes, and a Rodrigo. We hit the road from Orlando and headed to Alabama.”

Rodrigo Donoso:

“Yeah, no second Rodrigo, which is weird …” (laughs)

Shaun Murray:

“That was a comical road trip, to say the least. When we got there, there was just enough time in the day to check it out, but when we got out there and did the first drive-by, the wave wasn’t forming on the wall. I started freaking out and was thinking maybe we need more weight in the boat, or maybe we need to be even ­closer Rodrigo started tossing out ideas, and we didn’t really have a solution, so I actually got on the water and started riding, just thinking that maybe I would see something I wasn’t seeing from in the boat. But as we drove by, there was nothing there, no wall of water to hit.”

Rodrigo Donoso:

“At that time, the barges were really high out of the water because they weren’t weighed down with cargo. So we started to realize that if there wasn’t much boat below the surface of the water, the wake from the tow boat wouldn’t have anything to hit to rise up against the wall. So the wake was literally going underneath the barges. Somebody suggested going over to one of the loaded barges to see if we could make it work.”

Shaun Murray:

“So the wall of the barge is either 15 feet high when it’s empty or like 5 or 6 feet when loaded. It’s so much lower that the wave would literally spill over onto the deck, which was almost impossible to hit — and way ­gnarlier, because imagine if you edged up too hard and ended up falling down into the barge. Bad news. We called it for the day, and I was seriously freaking out. I had trouble sleeping that night.”

Rodrigo Donoso:

“In all my years of knowing Shaun and doing shoots with him, I’ve never seen him that anxious. He was stressing.”

Shaun Murray:

“I was just feeling bad that I got all these people together to help me pull this off — and I’d been waiting years with Rodrigo to try — and I was potentially wasting all their time for nothing. We got back on the water first thing in the morning and tried all the way to 10 a.m. to make this wave happen, and we couldn’t get it to work, so we said screw it, let’s just go ride.”

Rodrigo Donoso:

“That was a good call because the conditions were epic, and it got our minds off hitting the barge. We got some killer action photos. That’s where Jake’s cover shot from the June issue came from, which wasn’t planned at all but totally awesome in how it worked out.”

Shaun Murray:

“Yeah, we were feeling a lot better after riding and getting some solid photos, and as we were heading back in, we saw one of the barges that was half-loaded. So it was super tall in the back and super low in the front. It was the middle of the day though, so we came back at 5 p.m. hoping to have some good evening light for the best photos and video.

“When we got back though, the wave still wasn’t forming up how I’d seen it before, and I started feeling the anxiety again. But I knew I needed to try it. The turning point for me was right then. I ask people all the time, who are you riding for and why are you riding? Are you riding for other people and some kind of high-five or check or reward? Or are you riding because it’s fun and you like the challenge and the feeling? I reminded myself that I was trying to go for a feeling. Forget everybody else. Even if it doesn’t work, I just had a fun trip with my friends, some great photos, and that’s awesome. So I let all the pressure and anxiety go and just went for it. On that first try, the water formed up, and I spotted it and I ripped into it, rode up it and connected with the wall, and it was awesome. Everybody was excited, like ‘It’s really happening!’

“We got the rope, speed and distance more dialed in, but the sun was setting fast, and Rod was shooting straight into it, so he had to pull out some flashes, and it was getting too dark for video. I got a couple of solid hits there where I got up on it, and it felt like hitting coping. It felt awesome because you’re going up so high, hitting metal, and then riding down water. You can’t get that feeling anywhere else.”

Rodrigo Donoso:

“What was funny was leading up to it and sort of getting everything dialed and wondering if it would work or not — at one point, I just look at Murray and go, ‘Dude, you’re just gonna have to go for it.’ And that first hit he gets up there and you hear his board grinding the metal, and I think to myself, ‘Sometimes all they need is a little shove!’ (laughs) I knew we were out of light though, and that to truly do it right — and to get good video — we’d have to come back in the morning. We knew the sun would come up and hit the barge perfectly, which would give us the best opportunity to get the shot we’d been envisioning for years.”

Shaun Murray:

“Yeah, so we got out there the next morning before sunrise and it was perfect. Bluebird day, and just after the sun came up over the mountains, I hopped in the water and Jake pulled me next to the barge. The water quarter pipe formed up perfectly, I rode up it, hit the barge and rode away. Rodrigo was giving his signature cheers, so I knew it was good. We stop the boat, and Rodrigo’s telling me that we got it, we got it. My heart was racing, I was so excited. It had been so much time and thought and energy going into it. But I look at him and go, ‘That’s way too fun to not do again.’ (laughs) So we went back for another crack. I got another really good one where I felt like I had really good contact with the barge and snapped back down into the water quarter pipe. It was the best feeling. It’s a feeling – in all my years being on the water – I’ve never felt on a wakeboard, and I don’t know if I could ever truly describe it. I whipped back into the boat, Rodrigo’s ­grinning from ear to ear, showing me the photo and saying we got it. I couldn’t believe it. It had been such a journey, but it was so worth it. Rod tackled me into the water, and everybody’s laughing at what we were just able to finally pull off.

“It was definitely worth the wait and all the ­anxiety. In all my years of riding, it was one of the ­cooler things to pull off and be a part of. I can’t thank everybody enough from the area and from Wake Guntersville that helped make it happen, not to mention the team of Shawn, two Jakes and Rod.”

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FERREIRA DO ZEZERE, Portugal (June 12, 2016) – Great weather greeted the athletes for the final day of the Nautique European Pro Am presented by Rockstar Energy. After an intense day of competition, it was Cory Teunissen (AUS) who took home the Men’s Pro win at the third round of the Nautique Wake Series in front of the energetic crowd on Portugal’s Castelo do Bode. Nautique team rider Mike Dowdy (USA) grabbed second, while Tony Iaconni (AUS) collected third place.

Being towed behind the Super Air Nautique’s G23, Teunissen unleashed a memorable run on Sunday, which included a Mute Mobe Five to the flat to outduel his competition. His score of 92.00 beat out Dowdy’s 89.33 who gave everything he had on his run. An 83.67 from Iaconni was good enough for third-place in the Men’s Pro Finals.

“With all the talent that showed up, I’m really pumped that I was able to put together such a solid run to put me on top,” said Teunissen. “I left it all out there and I’m so happy to take the win. Thank you for another great Wake Series event at such a beautiful location.”

In the Women’s Pro Final, Meagan Ethell (USA) couldn’t be caught as she maintained her momentum throughout the weekend to claim the win with an 84.67. Joining her on the Women’s Pro podium was Nautique teammate Raimi Merritt (USA) and Taylor McCullough (USA), who finished second and third respectively.

“It’s definitely a treat to come out here to one of Portugal’s best spots to ride and put together a winning run,” said Elite Nautique Rider Meagan Ethell. “I’m really looking forward to the next Nautique Wake Series stop. No matter where we are, all of the riders are at their best behind the G23.”

The Pro Wakeskate final produced some epic tricks with Reed Hansen (USA) showcasing a handful of technical variations to emerge victorious over Brian Grubb (USA) in second. The Jr. Pro Men’s final didn’t disappoint either, as it was a close battle for the win with Elliot Digney (AUS) scoring an 88.33 to earn his first-career Jr. Pro victory and the only rider in his division to uncork a double flip. Cobe France (AUS) applied the pressure but was forced to settle for second.

In addition to the Pro events, Sascha Gattiker (SUI) won the Men’s II (25-29) final, and Samuel Lutz (SUI) in the Master’s (30-39) final. The Jr. Men (14-18) winner Lorenzo Montes de Oca (ITA) celebrated his victory, while the Girl’s (10-13) final winner Alize Piana (ITA) and Boy’s (10-13) final winner Igor Colombo (ITA) capped off a strong showing for the Italians by featuring their young talent for the crowd.

The Nautique European Pro Am welcomed the world’s best amateur and professional wakeboarders for three days of extreme competition on Portugal’s Castelo do Bode. The Super Air Nautique G23 provides the pull for every Nautique Wake Series event, giving riders the platform to perform at the highest level pushing the sport to new heights each season.

Dedicated to progressing the sport from the ground up, the Nautique Wake Series puts riders first, developing the stars of tomorrow and showcasing the top athletes of today. The addition of the WWA Wakeboard World Championships provides athletes the perfect platform throughout the entire season with every major event held behind the Super Air Nautique G23.

For more information on the Nautique Wake Series please Click Here.

As the organizer and sanctioning body of the 2016 Nautique European ProAm presented by Rockstar Energy, the World Wakeboard Association would like to thank all of its partners for their support in making the event possible, including Nautique Boat Company and Rockstar Energy Drink.

For more information on the 2016 Wakeboard World Series CLICK HERE.

RESULTS

Nautique European Pro Am Presented by Rockstar Energy
Castelo do Bode – Ferreira do Zezere, Portugal

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Men’s Pro – Finals: Heat 01
1. Cory Teunissen (AUS) – 92.00
2. Mike Dowdy (USA) – 89.33
3. Tony Iaconni (AUS) – 83.67
—
4. Nic Rapa (AUS) – 79.67
5. Shota Tezuka (JPN) – 70.67
6. Damien Adam (MRI) – 63.33
7. Tony Carroll (USA) – 57.00
8. Dean Smith (AUS) – 42.67

Women’s Pro – Finals: Heat 01
1. Meagan Ethell (USA) – 84.67
2. Raimi Merritt (USA) – 78.33
3. Taylor McCullough (USA) – 61.00
—
4. Tarah Mikacich (USA) – 56.67
5. Nicola Butler (USA) – 52.00
6. Alice Virag (ITA) – 43.33

Pro Wakeskate – Finals: Heat 01
1. Reed Hansen (USA) – 81.67
2. Brian Grubb (USA) – 76.67
3. Coco Mendez (USA) – 55.00
—
4. Daniel Braga (PRT) – 20.00

Jr. Pro Men (14-18) – Finals: Heat 01
1. Elliot Digney (AUS) – 88.33
2. Cobe France (AUS) – 73.33
3. Tyler Higham (USA) – 67.33
—
4. Lewy Watt (AUS) – 59.33
5. Callan Starr (AUS) – 48.33
6. Luca Kidd (GBR) – 15.00

Jr. Men (14-18) – Finals: Heat 01
1. Lorenzo Montes de Oca (ITA) – 71.67
2. Jorge Alberto Perez Gordillo (MEX) – 61.67
3. Bryce Grey (AUS) – 55.00
—
4. Mattia Gregorio (ITA) – 46.67

Men’s II (25-29) – Finals: Heat 01
1. Sascha Gattiker (SUI) – 63.33
2. Jimmy Perridet (SUI) – 33.33

Master’s (30-39) – Finals: Heat 01
1. Samuel Lutz (SUI) – 65.00
2. Francisco Lopes (PRT) – 64.00
3. Richard Phillips (GBR) – 33.33
—
4. Roberts Linavskis (LAT) – 20.00

Boy’s (10-13) Finals: Heat 01
1. Igor Colombo (ITA) – 73.33
2. Janis Zalpeteris (LAT) – 56.67
3. Louis Overmeer (GBR) – 50.00
—
4. Joseph Humphries (GBR) – 45.00

Girl’s (10-13) – Finals: Heat 01
1. Alize Piana (ITA) – 66.67
2. Anna Maria Kushkovskaya (RUS) – 46.67
3. Sofia Mendez (USA) – 36.67

Men’s Pro – Semifinals: Heat 01
1. Cory Teunissen (AUS) – 76.67
2. Tony Iaconni (AUS) – 74.33
—
3. Austin Hair (USA) – 61.67
4. Shawn Watson (USA) – 32.67

Men’s Pro – Semifinals: Heat 02
1. Tony Carroll (USA) – 61.00
2. Dean Smith (AUS) – 51.67
—
3. Massi Piffaretti (ITA) – 43.33
4. Rusty Malinoski (CAN) – 16.67

Men’s Pro – Semifinals: Heat 03
1. Nic Rapa (AUS) – 82.00
2. Damien Adam (MRI) – 63.67
—
3. Jeff Langley (USA) – 45.00
4. JD Webb (USA) – 43.33

Women’s Pro – Semifinals: Heat 01
1. Meagan Ethell (USA) – 77.33
2. Alice Virag (ITA) – 61.33
—
3. Corrie Wilson (USA) – 46.00

Women’s Pro – Semifinals: Heat 02
1. Nicola Butler (USA) – 71.00
2. Taylor McCullough (USA) – 60.33
—
3. Chloe Mills (AUS) – 56.67

Women’s Pro – Semifinals: Heat 03
1. Tarah Mikacich (USA) – 74.00
2. Raimi Merritt (USA) – 66.67
—
3. Giorgia Gregoria (ITA) – 59.33

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Learn more about the WWA Wakeboard World Series >>

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What is the highest amount of miles Parks Bonifay has flown in a year?
C: I would say he’s done 125,000.
R: I’m gonna go with 300,000.
121,459! Corrie almost nails it on the head and takes the early lead.

How tall is Oli Derome?
C: I think he’s probably 5’3″.
R: Oli Derome is 5’1″.
5’2″. A point to each for being the same distance away.

As the crow flies, how many miles is it from Birmingham to San Francisco?
C: OK, dear lord. 1,800 miles.
R: I would say 2,100 miles.
2,011 miles. Rod evens it up!

Convert 20 miles per hour to kilometers per hour.
C: Uh, oh gosh. 30?
R: That is roughly 16 kph. I hope I did that the right direction.
32.19 kph. Corrie takes the lead.

Where is Drake from?
C: He’s from Toronto.
R: Canada, dog! Uh, I’ll just say Toronto.
Toronto, Canada. Points to both.

How tall is the tallest waterslide?
C: Um, how about 135 feet?
R: I’ve been on one that’s 180, so I’ll imagine 250.
168 feet at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City. Corrie ahead by 2!

Who was the first woman to land a heel 9 off a kicker?
C: Meagan Ethell or… Ange Schriber. It’s Ange.
R: It would be Amber Wing.
Corrie again, dropping her women’s riding knowledge.

How many hours per day does the average American spend on their phone?
C: 5 hours.
R: Oh, OK. People sleep for 8, are awake for 16, so I’ll say at least 4.
4.7 hours. She’s running away with it.

How much money has the new Star Wars made worldwide so far?
C: $350 million
R: I know it’s supposed to be massive. A billion dollars.
$1.871 billion! Rod steals one!

How much are the most expensive pair of jeans you can buy?
C: How about $7,000?
R: OK, so if Drake bought jeans in Toronto, that would run him… $7,000.
Wow! Matching $7K guesses?! Well, it’s actually $10,000, and they have real crystals embedded in them!

Total score: Corrie (8) | Rodrigo (5)

And the winner is: Corrie!

The post Face-Off: Corrie Dyer VS. Rodrigo Donoso appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

Derek Cook

Jacob Valdez

Kaesen Suyderhoud

Trever Maur

Josh Twelker

Danny Harf

Trever Maur

Josh Twelker

Josh Twelker

Trever Maur

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