Travis Moye

What’s your philosophy at The Boarding School?

I want to give people the experience they want. Not everybody is going to come and learn everything they want, but they can have the experience they want and still leave with a ton of stuff to work on and a ton of great memories. Our goal is to have people be able to leave with a new understanding of their riding so they can continue to progress after they leave. No matter what level you are, we want you to keep having fun because once you stop having fun, you’re going to stop riding.

What’s it like having three private lakes at your disposal every day?

It’s a lifelong dream come true. The first day we were there and riding, I honestly could have cried. It felt like I’d officially made it. I’ve been working in coaching for a long time. I’ve had a lot of coaches help me over the years and influence the way I do things. I love doing it and really feel like I’m living a dream.

I had a guy a couple weeks ago that was a total beginner with a ton of bad habits. We spent the entire week trying to fix his fundamentals just so he could jump the wake properly. On the last set of his last day he wanted to go for a full wake jump, and he made it. I was probably more excited than he was. It was awesome. I live for that feeling.

It doesn’t matter what level a rider is, it’s awesome helping people learn new things and grow.

What kind of riders and riding do you cater to at TBS?

I’d say 70 percent of what we do is on the beginner or intermediate level, but we get advanced riders too. There is a kid from ­Israel right now — Guy Firer — who’s staying for three months. He’s really good at the park but hasn’t ridden a boat much. It’s going to be really fun working with him. And you’d be surprised how many 40-year-old-plus rippers there are that are coming to learn a 7 or their first mobe. It’s awesome.

TBS is now located at what used to be the Projects, which has a ton of history for wake. Rumor has it you’re bringing some of the old rails back?

Yeah, we have two that are up and running now. We’ve got some of the other old rails stripped down and ready to be rebuilt. It’s really fun for us to bring them back to life. People come to camp and recognize them from old photos or videos and ask to have their picture taken with them. The ­Projects was one of the most ­important places for the progression of ­wakeboarding and wakeskating. It’s cool to pay ­homage by rebuilding some of that history.

Your history and relation to the sports give you a unique perspective. Where do you see them going in the future?

I think there is a lot of room for growth still. I think we’re going to see more things where companies and groups are offering experiences to people — different types of demo days or camps, etc. The level of riding is so crazy right now, it can be hard to relate to, but the fun of being on the water cuts across all lines. I think we will continue to see people coming into the sport that way with those kinds of experiences and then falling in love and becoming bigger and bigger fans.

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Here are a few things that I employ every day here at The Boarding School:

I like to use the Auto Launch, surf tabs, plate, whatever your boat manufacturer calls it, to make the wake more manageable for kids and beginners at slower speeds. Sure, we all spend most of our time trying to make the wake as big as possible, but for these cases, it makes much more sense to have these devices do just the opposite. In my XStar I have a profile set up named “Surface,” where I have the speed set at 14 mph and the center tab deployed 100 percent. This pushes the nose of the boat way down, thus flattening and widening out the wake a lot. It comes in really handy when you have a little kid or beginner behind the boat. Instead of having a giant, intimidating, mushy wake, you have something much more user-friendly, and you can take quite a few miles per hour off the speed. It’s a win-win in increasing someone’s comfort level quickly. I will also do this when first teaching people how to do surface spins or riding switch. Of course you need to experiment with which settings work best on your boat, but it’s worth a little time on the front end to make things a ton easier for people you are teaching.

Another driving hack I use is making quick, abrupt bursts with the throttle just past idle in both forward and reverse. You can make some pretty big changes in the boat position in a really small area. For ­instance, if I need to swing the nose of the boat far right, I first turn the steering wheel all the way right, then give a quick burst of the throttle a bit past the idle point, then let off quickly. It really pushes the nose around. This also works in reverse. By doing this I can make an inboard or V-drive back any way I want it to, not just right or left like it normally does. I highly recommend honing this skill in open water first, so you don’t make a mistake figuring it out around the dock or trailer.

3 QUICK TIPS

I hang a Sharpie marker from my bimini top to be able to mark water bottles and drinks. This way you don’t have 10 water bottles lying around your boat with one sip out of them that no one wants to touch. This tip alone will allow me to retire a full two years sooner. Otherwise I’d spend double on water for students each year.

I have an old watch zip-tied to my steering wheel, and I start the stopwatch the second each rider slips into the water. We keep sets between 15 to 25 minutes. Honestly, if you are riding much longer than this, you are more than likely doing yourself a disservice. Most people will be physically and/or mentally fatigued after 25 minutes, and will either take hard falls or create bad habits because of it. You’re much better off taking two shorter sets than one long one.

I have two 50-pound weights that I can move around in the boat to balance it out. So whether you are the only person in the boat or you have 10 people, it is much easier and quicker most times to move the weights around instead of people or ballast. There are a few manufacturers of lead made specifically for this, but a couple of rubber-coated dumbbells work just as well.

I hope these few tips make your life in the boat easier and more fun!

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To be a good driver, the first thing you have to do is try to be a good driver. The most important thing is to pull someone like you want to be pulled. I think a lot of people take liberties in a boat they never would take in a car. Because most people spend a lot less time driving a boat, the focus should be greater, not less. Here are a few boat driving tips you can focus on to make sure you at least look like you know what you’re doing behind the wheel. — Travis Moye, MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour driver

Get Set

Before you leave the dock, make sure your cockpit is set up so you don’t have to think about anything other than your rider and other boats while you’re driving. Adjust the seat and mirror, connect your iPod and make sure a water bottle is within easy reach.

Drive With Confidence

The worst thing you can do is be timid behind the wheel. Think about your actions and own them.

Be Hyper-aware

Driving a boat is a huge responsibility. Not only are you responsible for everyone in the boat, but those behind and all around it as well. If things are happening that you don’t like, shut it down.

Ready Your Rider

Make sure your rider is taken care of before he hops in the water. Ask for speed, rope length, ballast and double-up preferences. That way you don’t spend the first few minutes of his ride figuring things out.

Never Get Complacent

No matter how good a driver you think you are, there is always room for improvement. You are directly responsible for people’s safety, fun and progression. One thing I pride myself on is my rider never has to worry about anything other than riding. If you can provide that, you’ve won the battle.

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The Boarding School is located on 88 acres of private land which consists of three man-made lakes. They also have a cove with a Sesitec System 2.0, perfect for hitting rails, booting off kickers or learning your first Air Raley.  The lakes are completely private and highly protected by trees. There is never another boat operating on the lakes and you are guaranteed incredible conditions no matter the weather. The consistency of the conditions are truly unbelievable. Check out their Facebook or Instagram for daily photos. The Club House is located at the end of lake one, so you are just foot steps away from the greatest wakeboarding playground ever created!  And, for 2014 The Boarding School has been focusing on making your time off the water, just as incredible as your time on the water…creating new hang out areas that you can either paddle board or bike to. They provide spots to enjoy the property and relax while you are here on vacation.

Address: 19454 East Colonial Drive

Orlando, Fl 32820

Phone: 407-484-5525

Fax: 407-273-5920

Web: www.theboardingschool.com

Instruction Available: Wakeboarding, Wakeskating, sliders, wakesurfing, waterskiing

Rails: Yes

Level: Beginner, intermediate, and advanced

Top Instructor(s): Travis Moye, Scott Stewart, Clay Fletcher, Jake Pelot, and Brooks Wilson

Accom: 3 bedroom, 2 bath clubhouse with a very spacious living area and a private apartment.

Boats Used: 2015 MasterCraft X-Star, 2015 MasterCraft ProStar

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Words: Travis Moye Photos: Bill Doster

It seems like every time I’m out on a public lake there’s some guy whipping huge turns under full power to double back and pick up a fallen rider — seriously, every time, without fail. The problem with power turns is that they send rollers all the way down the lake, generally transforming a nice day on the water into a huge churning mess. Power turners also bounce everyone around in the boat, surround fallen riders with a ton of huge rollers and waste a bunch of gas unnecessarily. Long story short, drivers who power turn are jerks — no different than the telemarketer who calls your house at 7 a.m. on a Saturday. In this wakeboard how to, follow these steps for perfect pickups. You’ll not only keep the entire lake much calmer, but you’ll also actually pick up your rider faster than you would with a power turn.

Neutralize As soon as the rider falls, chop the throttle to neutral. As you do this, turn the steering wheel either right or left to set up a little pre-turn just like you would if the boat were under power. I like turning left because my boat makes a tighter circle in idle to the right.

Turn around Once the boat comes off plane, put it in idle and turn the wheel completely to the right. You will have to go over very little rollers.

Head back Idle back in a straight line to your rider. Make sure to drive about 20 feet away so that when you circle around your rider the rope will catch him but he won’t have the entire length of the rope drag down his body as you tighten up.

Pick up and go Once the rider gets the rope, tap the boat in and out of gear. When you can tell the handle is 10 to 15 feet away from his hands, take it out of gear and coast so you don’t yank the rider abruptly. Once the rider has the handle and is ready, drop the hammer.

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Winter’s closing in, but there’s still time to learn how to wakeboard better in 2011. To make things easier on you, we’ve assembled The Boarding School‘s top 10 wakeboard how tos of 2011. On the following pages, Shaun Murray, Travis Moye and Kyle Rattray will show you how to improve everything from your fundamentals and style to your driving.

1. 5 Ways To Fix Your Foundation

Teaching students how to get more out of their riding by doing less is the technique Shaun Murray and the crew at The Boarding School use most. In this wakeboarding how to, Murray shows you five fundamentals of a first-rate wake jump that you should employ on every trick you try. Read the full wakeboard how to.

2. 3 Simple Secrets To Better Style

Style is one of the most subjective and debated topics in any board sport, but for the most part it comes down to control. In this wakeboard how to, Shaun Murray gives you some ingredients to cook up your own style. Read the full wakeboard how to.

3. How To Fix Your Toeside Riding

Put the effort into your toeside riding and you can totally change the sport for yourself. Not only will it make you a more balanced rider, but it’ll expand your bag of tricks as well. In this wakeboard how to, Shaun Murray shows you the proper toeside body position as well as a one-wake drill that will have you riding toeside like a pro in no time. Read the full wakeboard how to.

4. How To Dial In Your Perfect Rope Length

Deciding on how long a rope to ride is a tricky thing. While a shorter rope reduces the distance you have to jump, it also creates an abbreviated approach into the wake, and having time to properly set up will drastically affect your wake jumps. In this wakeboard how to, The Boarding School’s Kyle Rattray shows you how to find the perfect rope length for your riding. Read the full wakeboard how to.

5. Wrapped Wakeboard Tricks Made Easy

There are tons of reasons to learn wrapped tricks. Doing something wrapped is a great way to ease your way into learning how to spin with a handle pass; it also allows you to hold grabs longer when you eliminate a handle pass. In this wakeboard how to, Kyle Rattray shows you how to make wrapped wakeboard tricks easy. Read the full wakeboard how to.

6. 8 Simple Secrets To Perfect Powerslides

The powerslide is a simple but fun trick that’s often ignored because riders are afraid of catching their heelside edge. Like a lot of moves, it requires minimal body movement, but you need to find the keys to make your powerslide look smooth and effortless. Read the full wakeboard how to.

7. Travis Moye’s Top 5 Driving Tips

To be a good driver, the first thing you have to do is try to be a good driver. The most important thing is to pull someone like you want to be pulled. In this wakeboard how to, Pro Wakeboard Tour driver Travis Moye gives you a few boat driving tips you can focus on to make sure you at least look like you know what you’re doing behind the wheel. Read the full wakeboard how to.

8. 4 Ways To Have More Fun On The Water

Not to say wakeboarding ever gets boring, but sometimes when you’ve had a lot of time on the water your riding routine can become a bit repetitive. In this wakeboard how to, Shaun Murray and The Boarding School crew show you four ways to have more fun on the water this summer. Read the full wakeboard how to.

9. How To Ride Away Every Time

Stomped is a pretty popular term in wakeboarding. Usually, it refers to a rider cleanly landing a trick — you know, something along the lines of: “You stomped that one, buddy!” The truth is, you should never literally stomp your landings. In this wakeboard how to, The Boarding School’s Kyle Rattray shows you six keys to smooth consistent landings. Read the full wakeboard how to.

10. How To Wrangle Your Rope

You can avoid dealing with knots as you get ready to ride with some simple wrangling. In this wakeboard how to, Shaun Murray shows you the right way to wrangle your rope to avoid knots. Read the full wakeboard how to.

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My livelihood depends on my boat running, so it is extremely important for me to make sure it is maintained all the time. Although your livelihood may not depend on your boat, the amount of fun you have is directly tied to it. Nothing is worse than heading to the lake to ride and being shut down by your boat. There are a few basic boat maintenance tips you can use to make sure your wakeboard boat is always running in top condition as well as a few things to have on board just in case it’s not. — MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour driver Travis Moye

Never overlook the oil

The most important boat maintenance tip is to make sure you consistently check and change your oil and filter. I recommend checking your oil every time you go out. It takes less than a minute, and it can save you a world of trouble. Also, change the oil every 50 hours or every four months, whichever comes first. I always carry 2 or 3 quarts of oil as well as a small funnel or nozzle. This can save you from being stuck in the middle of the lake with a buzzer going off or from limping back to the dock.

Take care of the tranny

Equally important as checking the oil, you need to check your transmission fluid. I feel like most people overlook this, but if your transmission is ruined, it could keep you out of the water for a while and cost a ton of money. A wakeboard boat’s transmission always works hard — tons of starting and stopping and handling heavy loads. I typically check my transmission fluid every couple of weeks and change it at about 250 hours or once a season.

Clean the filter

Another easy check is the inline water filter. Most are simple to see and clean. If you ride in a lake with a lot of grass or muck or have to travel through shallow water around boat ramps or canals, you may be taking up some trash through your intake. Luckily, the water filter will catch all of that for you. Make sure this is always cleaned out so you get plenty of water flow to keep the engine running cool.

Keep it flowing

You should look at the impellers every 250 hours or once a season as well. There is an impeller on your water pump and on each of your ballast pumps. If the impellers are in bad shape, it will end up taking a toll on your engine or your pumps simply from lack of water flow. It is really easy to take off the lid and make sure all of the blades are intact. If not, just pop it out and replace it.

Wipe it down

Last but not least, make sure to give your boat a good wipe down after every session, inside and out. Just taking five or 10 minutes can really help keep your boat looking perfect. Not to mention, you may discover little issues you would never have known about that are easy to fix now but could be major if let go for too long.

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There were 10 total disciplines of sport throughout the day that included: Golf, Football, Basketball, Barefooting, Bocce Ball, Horse Shoes, Corn Hole, Donkey Balls, Poleish, and Rusty riding his wife’s bike over the corn hole ramp to jump the donkey balls high bar. After the 10 on 10 football game, teams of two battled it out in each respective discipline to crown the overall winner of the day. Unfortunately, a crown was never given out due to the sun going down, mosquito’s, the general lack of everyone’s attention span, and Bud Light.

Check out the photo gallery from Kyle Rattray’s 2010 Marriage Awareness Day, and stay tuned for some of the edited video footage this week!

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