With wakeboarding becoming a popular sport in the Cayman Islands see CITN/Cayman27 story “Wakeboarding a growing sport in Cayman” posted Wednesday 4 June 2014 at: http://www.cayman27.com.ky/2014/06/04/wakeboarding-a-growing-sport-in-cayman, iNews Cayman thought we ought to find out more about the sport:

What is Wakeboarding?

From Wake Nation Houston

Wakeboarding is America’s fastest growing water sport. It’s essentially a combination of water skiing and snowboarding. Wakeboarders ride on a board slightly larger than a snowboard and ride on top of the water at speeds around 20 miles per hour. Beginners love that wakeboarding is fun, easy to learn, and allows everyone to progress their skill level at their own pace. Experienced wakeboarders love that they can amp up the adrenaline by launching themselves into the air using either the wake and/or various man-made jumps or obstacles.

What is Cable Wakeboaridng?

Cable wakeboarding is relatively new to the United States, so much so that Wake Nation Cincinnati is one of only eight places in the entire country – and the only place in the tri-state (Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana) area – you can do it. In cable wakeboarding, a high tech “pulley” system drives riders around a body of water (as opposed to riders being pulled around by a boat).

What’s the Difference between Cable Wakeboarding at Wake Nation and Traditional Wakeboarding Behind a Boat?

Learning to wakeboard at Wake Nation is much easier than learning to ride behind a boat for a variety of reasons. First, everyone at Wake Nation uses a “dry start” (starting up on a dock) as opposed to trying to learn how to get up on the board while already in the water and fighting against the waves. Second, the wakeboarding experience at Wake Nation Cincinnati is entirely “predictable” since our entire park is man made and was specifically designed to maximize the ease and entertainment for both first timers and experienced riders alike. This makes learning and adjusting much easier for beginners. Plus, since the cable system is approximately 30 feet above the water and constantly pulling riders “upward,” it helps new riders learn to balance more easily. Finally, the staff at Wake Nation are professional instructors trained to teach beginners how to ride and they’re only a few feet away from riders as opposed to being 20 feet away in a boat.

Cable wakeboarding at Wake Nation Cincinnati is also great for experienced riders because they can use the cable system to “load the line” and do enormous air tricks or hit one of our various floating sliders (grind rails) or kickers (jumps).

Finally, rather than needing access to a boat and a large body of water, anyone can simply come to Cincinnati’s own Wake Nation and immediately start wakeboarding.

For more on this story go to: http://wakenationhouston.com/about-wake-nation/what-is-wakeboarding/

IMAGES:

www.sportkc.org, ‪www.fiji.travel, ‪epikoo.com, ‪www.wakeboardingmag.com