28 April, 2009

WakeBoarding

I am not into sports but I am a big fan of those in the World of Sports! And in spite of not being athletic, I am not the type who would refuse to try new adventures, so when my friend Fiona asked me to go wakeboarding, I said yes! :-)
Wakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water behind a boat or Cable System . It was developed through a combination of water skiing, snowboarding and surfing techniques. The rider is towed behind xi boat or a cable park; typically at speeds of 18-24 miles per hour (29-38 km/h), depending on water conditions, rider's weight, board size and most importantly, the rider's personal preference.
LAGO DE ORO, Batangas
Riding
Using edging techniques, the rider can move outside of the wake or cut rapidly in toward the wake. Jumps are performed by hitting the wake and launching into the air. This can also be done by hitting a kicker (a jump). There is also the slider (a rail bar) in which a rider approaches and rides along keeping his balance. Once a rider improves in the sport, he or she can progress to tricks high in the air. As the rope tightens the rider gains speed toward the wake. When the rider goes airborne, the tightened rope launches him and while in the air, at which point the rider may attempt to do tricks.


Fiona and moi!
Go, go, go, Fiona!

preparing to do my first try!

kneeboarding for a beginner like me!
Wakeboarding maneuvers
As with many freestyle sports such as
snowboarding and surfing, there is almost a separate language of terms to describe various tricks. The more height, the more "pop". So therefore the rider's edge is very important to the height of the jump. Heading towards the wake chest facing the boat is known as a heelside edge; approaching from the other direction with chest facing away from the boat is known as toeside edge. A typical beginner to intermediate rider will tend to have an easier time hitting the wake heelside because it tends to come more naturally to them, while more advanced riders can hit the wake both heelside as well as toeside.

wakeboarding stunt!
Surface Tricks
Surface tricks are tricks that are performed when the rider is not airborne.
Examples are:
Backside Butterslide- Rider turns the board backside 90 degrees and grinds the wake.
Backside Butterslide 180- Rider turns the board backside 90 degrees and grinds the wake. Rider then grabs the handle with opposite hand and does another 90 degree turn in the same direction.
Backside Start- Rider gets up in a backside position where the backside is facing the boat.
Body Slide- Rider lies back onto the water.
Butterslide- Rider turns the board frontside 90 degrees and grinds the wake.
Butterslide 180- Same as regular butterslide but with an additional 90 degree rotation in the same direction.
Perez- Rider carves outside of the wake and slides into a surface 360.
Potato Peeler- Body Slide with fin release.
Powerslide- Board is turned backside 90 degrees in the flats. Fins are broken loose. If done correctly, it creates a huge spray.
Surf Carve- Rider cuts back and forth in the wake in a surf-carving fashion. Surface 180- A 180 degree turn on the surface of the water.
Surface 360- A 360 degree turn on the surface of the water.
Ollie- A bunny-hop out of the water.
It's alright Ton, try again! :-)

Zar, Tina, Carlo, Fiona and moi

Tina and I had fun!
Thumbs Up!
this is me with the wakeboarding addicts! hehehe
After wakeboarding we stayed for awhile to see the sunset. Gosh! breathtaking to watch as always!
And picture-taking will always be a part of us ofcourse...............
pretty Fiona and Zarah
mother hen with Zar, ang gaganda naman! hehehe

sisterchicks!
mother hen with Fiona
Uy, si Carlo! sino'ng bestfriend mo duon? hahaha
guess who??? nice!
dinner in Tagaytay (Leslie's reataurant)
Now who will ever thought that there's wakeboarding here in Singapore too!
Check this out: http://www.ski360degree.com/ Very nice place!
And gosh, I am so excited to see this!
The Asian Wakeboard Association is please to announce the Asian Wake Park Tour 2009. This inaugural tour will include several stops in Asia with the following schedule:
Bangkok Thailand (Thai Wake Park) - 6 June 2009 *DATE CHANGED*
Singapore (SKI360) - 13 & 14 June 2009Camsur Philippines (CWC) - TBC
For more info click on the link below:
Man, this was really an experience I will never forget, who knows when I get back to Manila, I can already wakeboard really well and do my stunts! hahaha (how I wish!)
For those of you who wants to see the video of our first try, click on the link below:

No comments:

Post a Comment