Wake ‘n Flake
By Greg Hodgin
What started out as a whim five years ago
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has now turned into one of the most successful and interesting fundraisers
ack in 2008, I wanted to wake board and snowboard on the same day just for the heck of it. So my friend, Travis Whitaker, agreed to go wake boarding with me in the morning and my friend, Tyler Strider, to go snowboarding with me in the evening. In the days that followed, I had other friends that expressed an interest in doing the same. A year later, one of my friends on Facebook, sent me a message asking when is “Wake and Flake?” I thought that was pretty funny, so I started a new Facebook group called Wake and Flake. Within a week we had over 100 members. I thought, “Wow, I wonder if I could use this as a fundraiser for Wake the World?” So, I got on the phone and called my boat dealer buddies and told them my idea. Every one of them said that they would be glad to help out. A month later, we had our very first organized Wake and Flake event with 63 participants. We wakeboarded on Belews Lake and then snowboarded at Appalachian
Ski Mountain in the evening. This year, we will have 10 dealerships and 2 wake parks on seven lakes in North Carolina and one lake in Tennessee to pull wake boarders during the day then we all will converge on Appalachian Ski Mountain in the evening for snowboarding. We are expecting well over 100 participants this year. On a typical day, participants show at up a designated lake, wake board behind brand new boats, share lunch, share stories then travel to Appalachian Ski Mountain, where they meet up with all the other participants from across the state for some night time snowboarding. The day also includes a goodie bag and hooded sweatshirt. It also gives everyone a chance to check out the newest products on the market. We have had days that were in the 80s and people were snowboarding in their board shorts and we’ve had days that were in the high 40s and freezing, but every time is fun! Wake and Flake has become a must do event for the Southeast’s
most serious wake boarders and snowboarders. We have participants that travel from as far away as Michigan and Texas to attend. It has become a reunion for our veteran board enthusiasts. We have been fortunate to have TV news coverage every time. Wake and Flake has become our main fundraiser for our Wake the World project. Wake the World is a group of boat owners that take abandoned, abused, and neglected children as well as wounded warrior and other handi-capable people out for a day at the lake. Wake the World started out as a small group of friends doing something nice for the American Children’s Home in Lexington and the Baptist Children’s Home in Thomasville. Since that time, WTW has taken off across the nation, inspiring others to do the same type of thing. For 2013, there will be more than 20 WTW events in 15 states! Find out more about Wake the World at WaketheWorld.org. To find out more or sign up for Wake n Flake, visit: wakenflake.com. n
atmagnc.com
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