Kicking it in FL

Opening day of INT US Championships had me not competing. So after dropping by the venue, we headed to J.D. Webb and Kyle Alberts' house so we could connect with Kyle for some fun on the water. Ben Bazis and a friend (both recent FL transplants from NE) and Derek Grassman joined us for a set at wakeboard legend Zane Schwenk's house in Winterhaven. Zane's boat is a tricked out Mastercraft X-Star with a supercharged engine and let's just say that there was more ballast than I had ever seen and we run 3000 plus pounds! It was a great time and watching Kyle is always a thrill. Competition starts for me in the morning.

Wanna go HUGE?

Get yourself on a Hyperlite wakeboard, strap in, ballast up the Mastercraft, and charge! Oh, yah, your parents Visa may need to be involved. But landing in the flats is worth it. Convince them that it will be great family time (it is!) and then set the gps for Omaha Marine Center. If that doesn't work, remind them that Christmas is coming and everything is on sale now because it is the end of the season. See you above the treeline!

Cable, Comps, & Coaching

We had a great time in the KC area over the weekend! Friday night we hit the cable park and rode with the rail master himself, Shane Bonifay. Shane had some helpful pointers for me on spins and was really fun to watch. He is recovering from his THIRD knee surgery—ouch. Saturday and Sunday meant winning x2 at wakeboard comps (dad got a 2nd and a 1st) and then another fun session at the cable. Hit the water again tonight (Tuesday) for some lessons with the Jensens. It’s always fun to watch riders progress and they are doing just that. Enjoy the video of some fun cable footage. No broken collarbones this time. Ride on. More pics here.

It’s All Here!

The three things I have wanted all winter have finally arrived—spring, 2010 Hyperlite equipment, and our Mastercraft X-star. Spring means we are riding quite a bit and any day now I will hang up the dry suite until that unmentionable season comes around again.

A few long awaited boxes recently arrived on my doorstep from Hyperlite which made it ten times better than Christmas as far as presents go. The new Marek is SICK! It is super fast with unmatched launchablity. If you have not tried a Marek you owe it to yourself. The 2010 Marek bindings are on the stiffer side of the Hyperlite line making them really responsive. I’m diggin em. Check out Hyperlite’s line at their website and at Omaha Marine Center. A HUGE thanks to Hyperlite for the support. As for the X-Star, Omaha Marine Center has come through once again. Those guys are dedicated. From routine maintenance to winterization, they are great. They also did a full redo on our decal package which turned out perfect (check the pic and be impressed!). OMC knows boats! Thanks guys. Speaking of OMC, check their site for details on upcoming Rider’s Club events. They should have some new 2010 equipment to demo and as always, they will have world class wakeboard boats at the events. We’ll be there so come hang with us and enjoy.

New INSANE Boat!!!

We are super amped to have just gotten a 2009 Mastercraft X-Star from Omaha Marine Center! What can I say? Its an X-Star! The only bad thing about this boat is that I cannot ride behind it right now due to my collar bone. As much fun as it is riding in the boat, it is almost like torture since I can only watch. I do know though that the wake is phenomenal since I took a couple of sets behind it back in June before it was ours. Everything about this ride is insane--from the look to the 400 hp engine to the phenomenal wake!