Syndicate wake 2.6 by Syndicate Wake

ñ ñ

*WARNING: ñ ñ ñ ñ ñ ô ñô ñ ô ô ?ñ ñ ñ ñô ñ ñ ñ ? ?ñ ô ñ ô ?ñ ñ ñôñ ô ñô ñ ô ñ ñ ô ?

COMP VEST * FEATURES: Q (&) -"-"('ñ ,-ñdñ499Lñ %-+ % 1ñ ñ dñ ")) +% ,,ñ ' ñ . $% S + ñ .%%ñ / +ñ ," 'ñdñ / +," % ñdñ & '- ñ ( &ñ (+ ñdñô' -(&" %ñ % 1ñ ("'-,ñdñ -+ - " ñ ô+&!(% ñ "3 ñdñ ( + ,!(+-ñ ('' -(+

PHOTO: PREFONTAINE

KNOW YOUR OFFICIAL AUTHORISED RONIX PRO SHOPS PRINCES : 01784 253201 / PRINCES-SHOP.CO.UK OFFAXIS : 01758 713407 / OFFAXIS.CO.UK SURFDOME : 0844 357 1022 / SURFDOME.COM JB SKI : 01932 579555 / JBSKI.COM LIQUID LEISURE : 01753 542 500 / LLSKI.COM TALLINGTON LAKES : 01778 347000 / TALLINGTONLAKESPROSHOP.COM EDGERIDERS : 01473 232918 / EDGERIDERS.COM SHEFFIELD CABLE SKI : 01142 511717 / TENFEETHIGH.COM TRIBAL WATERSPORTS : 0845 388 7065 / TRIBALWATERSPORTS.CO.UK KING OF WATERSPORTS : 01202 763675 / KINGOFWATERSPORTS.COM ROBIN HOOD : 01924 443843 / ROHO.CO.UK LIQUID REPUBLIC : 028 95 81 0726 / THELIQUIDREPUBLIC.COM WAKE UP DOCKLANDS : / WAKEUPDOCKLANDS.COM FESTIVAL WAKE PARK – FLAGSHIP STORE: 0844 8879253 / FESTWAKE.COM

S U C O F

Paradise plus

Cover: Marc Rossiter - 180 sw nose press bs 180 out Photo: Chris Garrison

Vol 2.6 CONTENTS 06.

Focus want to ride here?

18.

The Ron All the news from the world of wake

22.

decongestant Change

26.

pond trotting skate to live or live to skate

32.

Marc Rossiter introducing the rossi pro model

40.

Shaun Murray talking detention and boats

46.

Fun For all with team slingshot

52.

wake to the beat music meets wake

55.

Subscribe put your money where your mouth is

56.

Grassroots pushing the scene with the 2.0 tour

60.

Pete gill talking wake uk

64.

VOYEUR syndicate is watching you

70.

hot spot the conclusion 2012

76.

king of cable could it be the last

78.

ropes and wires box end goes big

82.

Through the lens with frazer waller

86.

Boxed more wake porn

94.

Goodbye Princes the end of an era?

96.

The darkroom devoloping humour

98.

Fail yet another whoopsie

FOX_FAMILY.indd 1

31/10/2012 14:43

N O R E TH

NAUTIQUE G23 & G25 DEBUT

PHILIPPINES CABLE WORLDS 2012 RESULTS

nautique_dbl_syn_june12_print.pdf

14/06/2012

13:50

Nautique boats will once again be at the London Boat Show in January. They will have a 210 & 200 sport plus the European debut for the G23 & G25. In addition, Shaun Murray who was instrumental in the creation of the boats will be on the stand helping out and signing autographs. He will also be announcing the winner of the Nautique Share competition - see page 24 for details!

Team GB take the World Championships at Deca Wake Park in the Philippines by storm with massive performances from all involved, with medals throughout the team resulting in an overall Team silver medal. With less than a 10% deficit on the German team it seems that the gap is forever closing in on the cable winners. Maybe 2014 will be the year of Cable gold for Team GB with so many promising riders with lots of raw talent around the UK at the moment, it’s all to play for. Harry Eames 2nd - Boys Ryan Peacock - 3rd - Boys Lottie Harbottle 3rd Girls Chloe Goudie 2nd - Jnr Ladies Katie Batchelor 3rd - Jnr Ladies Sophie Cordery 3rd - Ladies wakeskate Kirsteen Mitchell 2nd - Ladies Declan Clifford 2nd - Mens Ollie Moore 2nd - Mens Wakeskate

NEW HEAD OF WAKEBOARD UK A new chairman has been announced for Wakeboard UK, Peter Gill has taken on the role and has already been working hard on next year’s event calendar with some progress already. Red Bull are going to be supporting next year’s Boat Nationals along with the Midland Nautique who will be pulling the event with their brand new G23. Read on from page 60.

.COM UNDER CONSTRUCTION Syndicate’s very own website will be getting overhauled throughout November and December so please bear with us while we remodel your favourite wake .com - we will have something very exciting for you to feast your eyes on and fondle with your mouse very soon...

PRINCES CLUB Princes Club has finally closed its doors after no buyers were found for the business. After 55 years of incredible facilities and lakes it is a sad day that dawns in the UK with no more Princes (or any other wake park). Pretty much every rider in the country has ridden there and it has produced some of the most incredible wakeboarders the world has seen to date. It is a great shame to see this landmark on the UK scene disappear. Princes, we salute you. You will be greatly missed.

2012

The year of change is nearly over and the Mayan calendar is set to end in December. With lots happening over the winter, the shape and direction of UK wakeboarding is likely to change too..where will it go? We will be watching and will be back for Issue 3.1 in March. Until then enjoy this final print issue 2.6 for 2012 and keep an eye out online for The Annual Syndicate’s online photo melting pot.

Lewis Jonty Green owning the Hot Spot series at Box End Words: Scotty Broome More Hot Spots to come in 2013 ExPix

With the winter season ever looming now, and the time for a nice sealed 5:3 steamer

with booties being the only way to get around the lake in comfort, it’s time to look forward to next season and the exciting events that the summer will bring with it. Next year’s event calendar will see a mix of amateur and professional events spread out across the country, as well as bigger events further abroad around Europe that will be worth checking out whether you are competing or just going along to enjoy. All through the next season you can look forward to the Syndicate Hot Spot battles hitting up every major wake park and cool feature around the UK to crown Hot Spot winners. A great day out to ride and meet wake crew and most probably hit up a park you might not have been to before. Check the website for dates coming in the new year. Wakestock never disappoints

Eddy

The Industry Wake Parks Grassroots tour will also be touring the countryside and all the System 2.0 parks that keep popping up around the UK. This is the perfect way for riders of absolutely all levels to get involved in their first competitions, have a great day out and try out the ever growing form of cable wakeboarding that is riding the Sesitec System 2.0. Stay tuned for upcoming dates! Industry Wake Parks along with Red Bull will again be bringing back Harbour Reach to the harbour front of Lyme Regis next summer. This year’s event went off with perfect weather and a star studded international riding line up to take the event to new heights. The strong crowd were treated to floating features including a full pipe, funbox, quarter pipe and 2 massive kickers to fly high over the 8 foot high and 8 metre wide break wall known as ‘The Cobb”. An event not too be missed! The UK Nationals on the Cable and on the Boat will be back again bringing together the best of the best in UK wakeboarding together for a weekend of fierce competition, as well as some fun evening activities for all to enjoy. Wakestock UK will be back again for 2013 bringing the world of summer music festivals and wakeboarding together for an unforgettable weekend in Abersoch, Wales. The 30,000 strong crowd will be treated to some of the best music acts from around the UK and Internationally, as well as top wakeboarders from around the world converging on this beautiful coastal town in Wales. Be sure to check out the boat event in Pwihelli Marina, the Industry Wake Parks System 2.0 Rail event on the main stage, and the action from the Big Air Kicker event on the beaches of Abersoch on the Sunday morning.

20 Scotty warming up on Wakestock the pool gap

Lewis

Looking Forward

Lee Eddy David O’ rivering it up at Waterways Ireland Riverfest Around Europe we can look forward to a number of cable and boat events spread throughout the weekends of summer. In France we again will have the cable based rail events Wake & Country, Wake & Beach, and FISE all to look forward too. The French crowds at FISE for the action sports event of the European season know how to throw a party and mixed with some of the most progressive wake and action sports courses seen for riders to compete on, the action over the weekend never stops. ‘Wake The Line’ will be back again in Germany next year, bringing the best park riders from four continents to throw it down for one of the biggest cash prizes of the season on one of the best wake courses known to date. With a number of qualifying events held before the main event in Germany, this truly brings the riders who are on their A game together for some unreal wakeboarding action. Not one to miss out on! The Tige’ European Wakeboard Tour will be back again across Europe next year. After a successful season in 2012, the organisers will be getting together again to show case Europe’s boat Wakeboarding talent, with events in Luxembourg, France, Belgium and The Netherlands. With a view to include an extra 2 events for 2013, this really will bring together top riders from all over Europe in some great riding locations. Check out tigetour.eu for more info. Waterways Ireland Riverfest in Northern Ireland will again be back bigger and better than ever. With great support from the local council, waterways and wakeboarding/ watersports enthusiasts from around the area this will surely be an event to keep in the calendar to check out. As well as a top level wakeboarding event run over 2 days, you can enjoy freestyle jetski displays from the worlds best, barefoot waterski displays and a fun fair full of rides. Come and try activities for the whole family to enjoy, the few thousand spectators that attend each year can’t be wrong, so make sure you keep an eye out for Riverfest 2013! So this is just a taste of the wakeboarding action due to come our way next season. With other events happening in the next few months across Asia, The Middle East and Australia there will be plenty of action to keep us all warm and excited for next year’s season as the winter settles in. Keep it locked to Syndicate for all the info and as more events come on the radar, we’ll be there.

Wake the Line and its qualifiers are a must see

T N A T S NGE

DECO

Wake to the Beat, Ibiza shows more change for wakeboarding around Europe... Words: Andrew Eddy Photo: Burn Well they say 2012 is the year of change, the Mayan calendar ends in December (to date the most accurate calendar ever conceived), Obama has been reelected, Princes shut down, new companies and spots are popping up all over the shop and now we hear of more change in the domestic scene. With a new head of Wakeboard UK; Peter Gill (page 62) whose past is more interesting than David Attenborough documentary, Marc Rossiter the next UK rider to get an international pro model (page 34) and not least the arrival of the biggest wake boats in the country as of the beginning of next year for the London International Boat Show in the form of the G23 and G25 from Nautique. Shaun Murray who was instrumental in the envelopment of the boats will be over to join us and we sat down with him to hear about the boat and his role in the development of a new benchmark. Other changes we have seen in 2012 include a brand new Grassroots Tour (page 58) from Industry Wake Parks covering System 2.0 parks all over the country, the Hot Spot Series which also highlighted new riders and obstacles at venues all over the country and we also saw wakeboarding and music being put together in the form of Wake to the Beat (page 54) where top DJ’s and pro riders battled it out in teams together with the DJ’s mixing live to the action. This is all very positive for the wake industry as a whole, with new parks and bigger wakes coming through we are only seeing a rise in participation numbers but also skill levels year on year. Take a look at any of the parks around the country and you will see some young shredder destroying it on a huge obstacle or chucking inverts behind the boat like it is a 180. The only way for any sport to progress is for these youngsters to come up through the ranks and look up to their peers, admire them and use their help to exceed them, thereby generation after generation gets better and better. There are now those riders in the younger generations that are as capable as those far senior to them but have the drive and skill set to take things forward for the sport and the UK as a whole…wouldn’t it be a sweet success to see a UK pro rider at the top of the US Pro Tour standings? Or the British team to take down zee Germans at the cable worlds (team second is still very respectable just for the record)? Change comes at a cost however, whether it be some time to help a young ripper get his board on for the first time, helping someone with a trick you just saw them eat it on, or simply talking to the next guy on the dock - it’s not much and small acts of kindness and encouragement can give some people the inspiration to continue and better their riding or just get out on the water again…after all…wouldn’t you have liked just a bit more encouragement from a young age to go riding and those people to help you along the way, making you a better rider today or even a full on pro touring the world? Small things can make a big difference. There is one more change that is coming for 2012, one that will see the way wakeboarding is represented in the UK and Europe revolutionized and refreshed, a change that will help take wakeboarding to the next level and support all those who are in it and love it...but more on that next time. Until then, enjoy your winter.

NC Syndicate Wake pg_Layout 1 29/10/2012 11:07 Page 1

PRESENTS

ERIK RONER EXTREME SKIER AND BASE JUMPER

JOLENE VAN VUGT CRAZIEST WOMAN ON THE PLANET

SPECIAL GREG POWELL NITRO STAR AND TRAVIS' COUSIN

NORMAN VEERBEEK HOLLAND'S NO.1 FMX RIDER

BLAKE ‘BILKO’ WILLIAMS X GAMES GOLD MEDALIST - SKATE FMX

Adam Jones X GAMES WINNER - FMX

CAM SINCLAIR X GAMES GOLD MEDALIST - SKATE FMX

ANDY BUCKWORTH X GAMES MEDALIST - SKATE BMX

JOSH SHEEHAN X GAMES MEDALIST - SKATE FMX

AARON FOTHERINGHAM EXTREME WHEELCHAIR ATHLETE AND 20 MORE OF THE WORLD'S BEST ACTION SPORTS ATHLETES IN SKATE, FMX, BMX & CRAZY NITRO CONTRAPTIONS

London The O2 •Mon 03 December 0844 856 0202 / www.THEO2.co.UK MANCHESTER ARENA•TUE 04 DECEMBER 0844 847 8000 / www.mCR-arena.com BIRMINGHAM NIA•WED 05 DECEMBER 0844 338 8000 / www.thenia.co.uk

ALSO AVAILABLE AT: KILILIVE.COM / 0844 871 8803 / EVENTIM.CO.UK VIP PACKAGES GO TO KILILIVE.COM

for more info go to www.nitrocircuslive.com www.facebook.com/nitrocircus

www.twitter.com/nitrocircuslive

www.youtube.com/nitrocircuslive

O'SHEA INTERNATIONAL The Old Marine, Abersoch, LL53 7ER P: 01758 713465 E: info@osheasurf.com

SCOTTYBROOME Freeride. ManualSB 143

DUP Team: Scotty Broome Jonty Green Max Main Sam Johns Carro Djupsjo

Prest

G N I T T D TRO

Makepeace

PON

Tinny soul sesh

A grom learning to caveman off the dock Words: Reed Watson Travel to wakeskate or wakeskate to travel… Traveling is one of my favorite things in life. There is so much out there in the world to see. You’re most likely not going to see all of it, but you will definitely see a lot of it if you try. Wakeskating keeps me traveling nowadays. I’ll hear about an event/spot and travel to check it out. A lot of the time I don’t know anyone before I leave and just kind of wing it, but I usually end up meeting some great people and end up returning again and again. Many of these people I meet become life long friends and every time I return, we end up on crazy adventures together or just hanging out enjoying life. I’m back in Australia for the second time to take in more of the kangaroos, the people and the beautiful scenery, and of course, to wakeskate. I met a bunch of people the first time around that I’ve caught up with this time, plus a bunch of new people, all of whom have welcomed me to their amazing country.

This visit I’ve had the opportunity to experience the Australian “tinny” for the first time. A “tinny” is a small aluminum boat about 12’ in length with a hand driven outboard engine on the back. It doesn’t cost any more than a jet ski, plus you can fit more people for a fun day out on the water. If the water gets choppy or you’re all too sore to ride anymore, then hopefully you brought a fishing pole ‘cause these boats are great for having a fishing break and enjoying an ice cold brew from the esky. The “tinny” scene is legendary in Oz, from wakeskating alongside the bush to hidden personal

rail parks, to seeing kangaroos chilling on the side of the banks as you wakeskate along, it’s something all wakeskaters should try to experience at least once. I’ve spent most of my time in South-east Queensland, hanging out with the wakeskaters on the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Brisbane. From what I’ve seen so far, I’ve got to say there are a variety of epic winch spots too. It’s not always easy to document winching when you only have a small crew and you are too busy enjoying the spot, the riding and the company. Thanks to Dan and his DNA winch company for providing us with a winch to use for a few spots during my visit! Cable riding has been around since 1959 when German engineer Bruno Rixen first invented it for waterskiing. The cable system consists of an electrically driven motor which tows along the rope and handle for the rider to hold on to from 8-9 meters above. Cable parks have always been nothing too special to me. I could never figure out why people liked swimming to shore, then having to walk even further and wait in a queue that takes even more time (not always, but most of the time). I could never work out how people keep up the fun factor with cable. Maybe it was just me that didn’t like all these things or I just couldn’t figure out how to use the cable properly. I’m also not a fan of wakeboarders who go around in circles and never let go of the rope. The last stop of The Wakeskate Tour even got to me. I walked away not even halfway through my qualifying heat, after getting frustrated riding on a cable system.

PON

Makepeace

G N I T T D TRO

But now I’ve started to figure out and even enjoy cable riding. Don’t get me wrong though, there still are days where I get frustrated with it but now I get it. Good people, having an island break in the middle and fun features always help keep cable riding enjoyable. A lot of the time I’m always forgetting about the basics with wakeskating on a cable, such as keep the handle at your hips and keep your chest straight up. But one bit of advice that I learned this year was from George Daniels at the final Wakeskate Tour stop. He was on the mic and said something like, “Don’t forget to keep the tension on the line, it’s your friend.” Then I was like, “Ah! Now it makes sense.” That little bit of advice stuck in my head and shortly led me to start having fun wakeskating with the cable. Cable parks are good for our water sports. Every time a new cable park pops up we then get that many more people exposed to wakeskating and wakeboarding.

Watson

Yeah...it is as good as it looks

Rowlands

Matt Edwards poking it out on the Gold Coast

Over the past 12 years I’ve introduced a heap of people to wakeskating. It’s an awesome feeling to see someone smile after taking a ride on the wakeskate, especially when they’ve thrown their wakeboard on the ground to try out wakeskating. I’ve had the opportunity to work and teach at Box End Park in England, and now in Oz I’ve helped coach a few grommets at the cable parks. Thanks go out to both Cable Ski Logan and Go Wake Cable Park for letting me help out and share wakeskating with the kids. I enjoy it. It’s awesome to see more and more people learning how to wakeskate. (As a wakeskater) Nothing is better than getting a kid off a wakeboard onto a wakeskate or even having a person start wakeskating before even thinking about a wakeboard. The people make the visit worthwhile. Sure I could travel around and sight see the history more, but it’s the people and seeing the ways they live that keeps me coming back. We’re free on a wakeskate to pursue it how we want. Some of us enjoying entering contests and winning money, and others of us just enjoy shredding around the waterways. We have the option to choose to use the cable, winch, boat, pwc, car or anything possible. Give wakeskating a try if you haven’t already. Go out and purchase a wakeskate, borrow one from a friend or the cable park. You can even make yourself one if you wish. Wakeskating will open up your mind to a whole new realm of ideas on the water. My experiences with Pond Trotting this year have led me to see the potential wakeskating has. There are people all over the world who are truly amazing to watch on a wakeskate. The Wakeskate Tour has proven that you need a solid set of tricks to even get in to the finals. More and more web videos are popping up with new unseen tricks. And board companies like Southern, Remote, and Water Monsters are paving the way with the new era in wakeskating. Think back ten years ago where wakeskating was, and now imagine where it will be in ten more years. Let’s keep up the goodness.

Taking myself on a bs lip into the sunset..how romantic

Thanks to all of you who have enjoyed Pond Trotting. Next year is going to be an even better year for Syndicate. Who knows, maybe we’ll will be in your part of the world soon?

- Se s i te c Sy s te m 2 .0 - S e s i te c F ul l Si z e C ab l e s - U N IT Ob s tac l e s - In d us tr y Ob s tac l e s - W ak e P ar k C o n s ul tati o n - L a ke D e s i g n an d E x c av ati o n - Ev ent C r e ati o n & M an ag e m e n t - Vi s ual M e d i a an d M ar k e ti n g -

Industry Syndicate Ad Nov'12.indd 1

23/11/2012 11:31

2102 TIK

2102 tik a

Industry Syndicate Ad Nov'12.indd 2

2102 tik a 2102 tik a

Photos - Dave Lochhead & Maksim Kalanep

23/11/2012 11:32

Marc

Rossiter Words: Andrew Eddy Photos: Chris Garrison

Living in Florida full time with one of the Bonifay

brothers, riding every day in the sun and traveling around making a living out of wakeboarding in America with your own pro model board...sounds like a dream for any aspiring wakeboarder. This is Marc Rossiterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life. With the recent release of his new board from Ronix and some spare time on his hands as winter approaches, we caught up with him to find out a little more about life on the sunny side of the Atlantic.

Welcome to Syndicate Marc, life been treating you good? Yeah buddy life’s good thanks, appreciate the warm welcome! Give us a run through of your year just to set the scene for your life in general and your travels... Right, well first off seeing that it’s November I apologize in advance if some of the stories are a little jumbled up at times. The lifestyle you lead being a pro wakeboarder definitely takes it out of you, and my memory is a little fuzzy round the edges. My year in a nut shell basically involves training out here in Orlando for the first few months (sometimes a nice cable or something on the other side of the world where it’s hot all year round, thats if i’m lucky enough or a team trip pops up). Then comes the start of the contest season, around April things kick off in the states, we ride a few contests here, then by May I’ve got on a plane and headed to Europe for FISE and Wake the Line etc. Then it’s bouncing around anywhere from France to Germany to England, back to the states, back to Europe… It gets crazy over the summer and up until the end of August you don’t really see things slowing down. Then comes Surf Expo in September which is always a good time. It’s a chance to hang out with everyone involved in the companies, spend time with your sponsors and show off all the new products etc. After Expo it’s almost the best time of year, the pressure of contests are lifted and it’s the time of year where we can shoot photos, build new rails and generally get out on the boat and have a fun time! Seeing that it is now November that’s the time I’m living in right now, which confirms my answer to your first question ‘life treating you good’ haha. Moving to Florida a couple of years ago seems to have done you well in terms of your career and recognition. How did the move come about and what started it all off? Well before I made the permanent move over here I was coming on trips for a few weeks at a time maybe once a year, to ride and generally be close to where the sport was being pushed the most. During one of the trips I was out riding at The Projects and got to meet and ride with Pat Panakos. The rails and everything out there were the sickest things I’d ever hit on a wakeboard and after hanging out with Pat a few more times, when it was thrown into conversation that there is a spot for me to come and train out at The Projects full time if I wanted it, it was a no brainer and I moved. How easy was it to make the move to America given their immigration laws? Not very! Although I now had the perfect spot to live, I had to find a way to keep the immigration officers off my back… I decided to apply for an athlete Visa (O-1) which would allow me to live in the states and earn money through sponsors over here for 3 years. With some nice letters of recommendation from good friends and a solid amount of cash money I guess Obama signed off on it, happy days! You took the leap of faith over to FL quite late on, do you think that you could have gone sooner and made things happen a little sooner? Maybe yeah, but I think everything happens the way it does for a reason. Plus we’ll never really know the

Switch melon at The Projects

Front tail, flat bar, flash. Winner.

Signature nosepress with an industrial feel

The slaysh... Danold Nott firing a dirty roll to blind of f the newest kicker in the land at Festival Wake Park

answer to that, not unless you know Stewie and you think he’ll lend us his time machine. Highly doubt it although you do surprise me sometimes Eddy. What was the toughest part about living and working at The Projects in your first year? The fact that we had a PWC and a rail park in our back garden was a dream come true. But if we wanted to use it there were some terms and conditions that we had to abide by! I used to spend hours out there slugging away with the weed whacker, mowing acres and acres of property shore lines with a push mower, moving rocks all down the shore to stop erosion. Basically just the manual labour we were all doing but if I’m honest with you I miss it so much. Keeping that place looking tidy was more of a privilege than anything else. Work hard, play hard is what goes down at The Projects and it will always be one of my favorite places to ride!

my parents had a ski boat and caravan up at a lake. On the weekends during the summer I used to mess around behind the boat on pretty much anything really, planks of wood, tubes, shit I even had a go on an air chair! Haha.. I first started riding though cos I saw a friend out on the lake called Christian Thom riding a wakeboard. He made what he was doing look way more fun than any of the random things I was getting towed around on so I tried it out. Pretty much haven’t looked back since. It’s the feeling you get when you ride that keeps me coming back for more. I guess you could say it’s my ‘happy place’ and I’m extremely lucky it’s become my job.

So after talking some more to Paul and listening to what he had to say, it was simple. The Ronix family was where I wanted to be. Since signing it’s been un-******-real and I know I made the right decision. I was stoked to win Rail Rider of the Year at the Transworld Wake awards in 2011 and have worked on a new board design for the ‘Phoenix Project S’ with Erik Ruck and the crew throughout 2012 which now has my name on it!

Were you confident that you could make your way in the US market and were there any times when you thought the dream was all going to fall apart? I was nervous for sure, but if you want something new in life you’ve got to do something new. So I got on a plane and I’m enjoying the ride. Thinking about it, the only times when I’ve thought my dreams were falling apart was when I wasn’t following them. If that starts happening, I take a step back, re assess what the dream is, and go chase that mother down! What do you feel was your biggest break through moment when you thought you could actually make a full time living from wakeboarding? Moving to the States was what did it for me I think. There is a lot more riders over here that carry themselves as professional athletes and therefor get treated like them. Seeing that when I first started living here made me see that it was possible. You have become a rail specialist more recently but there was a time I remember you winning a certain boat comp in South Africa, no more boat for you then? I still ride boat for fun but I’ve started focusing my time to hitting rails and riding at the cable parks or on a System 2.0. Those are what give me the most smiles so that’s where you’ll find me. So you’ve been riding the cable recently, what’s been pushing you out there? Dom (Hernler) this dude from Austria has been living at Shane’s with us. I met him this summer doing all the system 2.0 contests in Europe. He rides sick and likes a lot of the same stuff as me so I guess being surrounded by good riders and also just having this endless love for wakeboarding is what gets me back out there and keeps me pushing. Learned a cab 9 yesterday at the cable actually, Dom was sat on the dock by the kicker so figured I’d try something new. Stuck it fine, that right there is also why I like cable so much at the moment, it has a kinda snowboard park feel to it cos you’re riding with all of your friends together, not just watching one person ride. What do you think has been the biggest driving force to get you where you are today, how did it happen? It kinda just happened. I was lucky enough that

Dan, Jonty, Ben, CK, LDB (the usual poker fiends) were in the middle of a hand when I answered it and to my surprise it was none other than Paul O’Brien aka ‘POB’. We had a quick chat, won’t go into details cos it was mainly about chicks… lol but he expressed an interest in working together. I couldn’t quite believe it to be honest with you. Ronix has always been a brand I’ve looked up to. I mean it has a super team and is run by the all time Masterminds in the industry! One really cool thing about them is that it’s the one team out there that’s truly international. It has top riders in different aspects of the sport from all sorts of different countries, from all over the world…. it’s sick.

Moody evening method How’s the journey been since moving and where do you see yourself within wakeboarding in the next few years? Well since moving to Orlando I’m lucky enough to say that I’ve ridden for, in my opinion, the two best wakeboard brands ever to bless us with their presence. ‘Company’ was the first and unfortunately is no longer around, but everyone knows they were with us for a solid few years and they definitely left a mark on the industry that will be remembered forever! Justin Stephens gets props all day, he looked out for me and got me involved in opportunities that I’m 100% sure helped out in a big way to get me where I am today. For that Justin, HIGH 5!!!! But…. as we know Company went under. When that happened it was such a shock and downer for everyone involved, it sucked! For me, I was moving to the states, picking up a dope new board sponsor, a year and a half later it’s then suddenly gone and I’m wondering what I’ll be riding next year. I’m fortunate to say that I did get a few offers to ride for other board companies but nothing felt right. It wasn’t until, I think it was during the London boat show demos we were doing, that I got a call from a random US number while me and the boys were playing poker. Me,

From here I’m looking to develop more board ideas and designs with the guys at Ronix, I want to make the best functioning board possible for what I want to do. Fundamentally that is jibbing rails and having fun at the cable parks. I’ll continue to push myself in the contest scene too, I’m already looking forward to the System 2.0 tour throughout Europe (FISE and Wake the Line etc.). These are the type of contests that are fun to me, they bring all the riders who like that style of riding to one place, then we travel around an event route for a couple of months. It pushes park riding and is a lot of crazy fun times! I’ll also be continuing to focus on something that’s awesome about the ‘work’ side of wakeboarding, and that’s doing things like this. Documenting different trips and experiences along the way is important for us to be able to share the fun! What would you like to look back on as your favourite memory from wakeboarding? Well I’m lucky enough to say I’ve got a lot of them. Wakeboard related it’s got to be the Rail Rider of the Year award I won in 2011. I was stoked to know that the industry had accepted me overseas and it was generally just a great feeling. Looking back though, I’m just really thankful that doing what I love became my job. The friends I’ve made along the way, places I’ve got to travel, rivers I’ve ridden down, oceans I’ve swam in, different foods I’ve tasted, different lifestyles, it all counts towards the big picture and I’m grateful for each and every one of those experiences. I’m excited for the future! I really want to thank my sponsors as without them none of what I do would be possible; Ronix, Billabong, Kicker Audio, Woodroze.

Detention to Detail

He has been one of the biggest names in the sport for many years. Produced the Detention series, a continually strong pro model and now Shaun Murray tells us about his latest challenge - Project Grey.

Dan Nott firing a dirty roll to blind of f the newest kicker in the land at Festival Wake Park

No school like the old school - raley

Build and Rewind Photos: Nautique and The Boarding School

Shaun, how did you get into the coaching and design aspects of riding? Whatever I’ve done in life I’ve always tried to be more efficient in the way I do things, and I think that is why I have gone into coaching people. It wasn’t something I set out to do but to explain to other people how I did things, I had to break it down so I could understand how I did it. I’m always trying to figure things out to find out how to do them better. Take us back to Detention 1 and more recently Detention 2012 and give us an insight into that and how it came about... It all started back with VHS tapes and Detention 1. My buddy came to me while I was sitting on my couch at home and he had the idea of trying to make a coaching tutorial. That right there was the beginning, so we made it. It was just at the time when DVDs were coming around but it was produced VHS and converted to PAL so it could be sold internationally; we even did a Japanese dubbed version of it. What made you remake the series? Years go by and i ended up seeing Detention randomly and after hearing how bad the audio quality was, I decided to do a remake. My coaching style

has changed too so that was also a motivation to remake it. For the first one, I did a lot of the editing myself, until like 1am in the morning just talking into the microphone. Any adventures along the way in making Detention? In the original video, the classroom that is featured was a buddy of mine’s (Ron Seidenglanz) office - it was a board room that we poached one night. We went in about 10pm, cleared out the room, hung up the chalk board, brought in all the desks and shot all the scenes until 4am. It was seriously bonkers the whole time, well after midnight, trying to work out who I was supposed to be talking to in the script which was another reason why I was being all over the place in those shots. What was the next step in the series? So after seeing the original and deciding it needed updating we started the Do-Over and spent two years and a lot of money on it. It had a lot of full studio production in it, a whole load of sketches but when it came out I just didn’t like it. Nobody has seen it, only those who were involved in it - it is complete but never to be released. So we decided to start again,

Eddy Gliding high over the G23

Big enough for you?

to produce Detention 2012 and strike while the iron was hot. The thing is, shooting an instructional is not like shooting a normal wake movie, you can’t just go out and do what you want to do and the tricks you want, it can be very tedious. You have a list of tricks that you work through one by one, and there is always a couple of wildcards in there. Tricks like the 313 - recently before shooting I had gone to hospital from a 313 at a contest. Is there another step for Detention? We have seen the series go through VHS, to DVD and now to apps. Detention has now fully sold out of DVD and will not be reprinted, it’s almost depressing to say that - unless the shops have it in-store, it is no longer available. We are moving now to our app, WakeMD (Mobile Detention) for iPad. It’s cool to see the interaction of the new app and being able to see where people are interacting with it in different places all over the world. Moving on to design, how did you get involved with that for the boats and boards? All these years, I’ve helped out with board designs - suggesting things, working with Hyperlite to try and test new ideas. They would send me a board, I would play with it, add a fin, take a fin off, shave edges off. I’ve started to understand how the water works and always try to make my boards ridable for everyone, not just me. So a while back, I was in the Nautiue PD&D (Product Design & Development) department and they had boat up in the air so I could see the hull. So I started asking questions about the different parts of the hull and

finding out why these things were there and what their function was. What became clear was that there was a lot of waterskiing technology going into the boats. While there is nothing wrong with waterskiing - they just want opposite things to wakeboarders. We want a lot from our wakes, sometimes big, small, wakesurf, controllable and user friendly. Years down the road, they invited me back to get involved with this top secret project to develop this new boat. Nobody was to talk about it outside of Nautique, only some people within the company knew it was going on, that is where the name Project Grey came about (hence G23). That was more than four years ago, so we started this long process. Producing a boat is a very long process, making changes, getting new parts ordered to try something out, testing it, changing it... Which is crazy, coming from wakeboards, you can get something made in a year - to producing a boat in three years which is fast for a boat! How much testing was involved and how did it go? I would test the boat once a week at the the test lake and it was all pretty much just bare bones - nothing on the inside at all until we got the wake figured out and we were happy with it. A year into it, I was blown away with just how different it the wake was. I know it is a cliche but it really isn’t like any other wake. It was almost intimidating because it was so different, it was insane. We could also slow the speed down too - about 1mph slower at the same rope length. It’s awesome to take that sting out of some of those falls you don’t want.

Coaching at The Boarding School

What was next in the design process? After everyone was happy with the wake for wakeboarding Nautique brought in Byerly, Watson and Brandon Thomas, a lot of the wakesurf heavy guys, Danny Harf I believe was in on that too. They spent a lot of time tuning that and also ensuring they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t compromise the wake. It was quite the countdown to release, how was that for you? Once we had it finished, we had to figure out where and how to shoot the boat to places that nobody knew or knew we could be there to get shots for the launch and brochure. It was really funny to see everyone going around to secret locations to shoot. Then came the unveiling, it was incredible in itself, nobody in the industry had seen anything like this - it was a huge honour to be involved in and to be the voice of the brand at the launch was incredible.

...the biggest thing it is going to do is spoil us. Last words.. If you want to follow along with what I have going on you can check out shaunmurray.com, follow on FB and twitter shaunmurraywake or instagram shaunmurray Shaun Murray will be at the 2013 London International Boat Show at Excel in London. Shaun will be on the stand over the weekend and will be drawing the winner of the Syndicate Wake Facebook Share competition - see page 24 for more info!

How do you see these boats influencing the future of the sport? The wake is allowing guys to do new tricks and for me, individually it has pressed the reset button - I am thinking about new tricks again. As well for everyone it is adding a 180 to existing tricks without any trouble. Tricks is where we will see the biggest growth, for everyone - and not just at the top of the sport either, it is a user friendly wake. The other thing is how they built this boat. With so much more space inside the boat, you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe how much more space is in the boat. It is a very deep boat but it is not that much bigger than any other boat - it just uses space very well. It makes the whole experience of being in the boat better...

Soderlind

FUN FOR ALL Jeff Mckee,

Oli Derome and Jeff House tell us about being part of something a little bit ...different

Welcome to Syndicate Team Slingshot - can you give the readers a few words about yourselves and your wake lives? We’re just a bunch of kids trying to inspire wakeboarders to do something different with their riding. Whether it’s building totally unique and different obstacles, grabbing differently, or making a different type of video part for you to watch, we do our best to keep it fresh. Flex has changed our riding for the better and created a whole new direction for us within the sport. We hope you’ll join us in this movement. How does being part of a team like Slingshot differ from some of the other teams out there? Even though wakeboarding is technically an individual sport, we view it as a team sport. Being a part of the Slingshot team is like being part of a family. We have traveled the world together in vans, busses, airplanes and shared hotel rooms, towels, earphones, razors and more. Some moments are finer than others, but we really do have a great crew. McKee is the leader of the group making sure we’re up and on it and haven’t lost our passports yet, but every now and then accidents can happen.

Earlier this summer we saw the release of Lipsmack, it was a different take on the run of the mill wake movie - how did make your parts different and how much input did you have in it? When we made Lipsmack we all sat down together with team manager Jeff McKee and Filmmaker Patrick Wieland to decide how we would portray ourselves. We were basically all given the chance to build any sort of obstacles we wanted, and the more things we built and rode, the more chances we had to get clips in the video. This was cool because it motivated us all to get to work creatively and do some things that hadn’t really been done before. Every-time we built a rail that one guy had in mind it would spark a new idea in another rider’s mind and it just kept building from there. If you count through the video there is at least 30 different rail variations that we all built specifically for the video. One of the best parts of doing Lipsmack in a group format rather than individual sections is that it brought us together rather than butted us up head to head for the closing section. What would be the one message you could communicate through your riding and sections in Lipsmack?

Soderlind Andrew Adams proving it’s not about big money, it’s about big imagination

That wakeboarding is all about having fun and getting creative. Trying things that may not work, doing tricks differently, and not being afraid to break the “cool” rules that seem to restrict riders all too often. Are we likely to see a Lipsmack 2? What would you like to see in the sequel if there was one? We definitely want to do another, but with a new name of course. There are a few other projects in the works right now that a lot of us are involved with, but everyone would be stoked to do it all over again. It’s just a matter of timing. We got to travel to some rad places and kept busy with our riding throughout the entire season filming for Lipsmack. It’s really fun having a focus like that and a list of tricks or rail designs to conquer. There were a few tricks that didn’t go down in Lipsmack due to time constraints, so we’d have to start with those for the second movie, and then of course there’s the loop. Can it be done (sarcasm)? Haha! In a few short years we have seen Slingshot rise and rise, what direction would you like to see the brand continue in what would that mean to you as a rider?

Soderlind

Andrew Adams, method

Chris Abadie - the spirit of Shretown

Shredtown

Mr. McKee

Lee completely new and different is getting harder and harder to do. We have to look to other sports for inspiration or just opening your eyes to your surroundings. We’ve been modifying rails a bit lately with ad ons, different surfaces, etc. The Shredtown guys are the masters of this. Take the pallets video for instance. They restricted themselves to using only one type of material (the pallets) and organized them into as many different rail hits / variations etc. and ended up with an entire video of stuff no one has seen before. Picking one thing in particular and using it to the fullest is a great way to stumble upon new ideas. We have seen big steps in accessibility to wakeboarding over the past few years, how do you think that will progress in the coming years and do you think it will ever be on a scale of some other action sports? Yes, we do feel that wakeboarding will make it to the scale of other board sports like snowboarding or surfing. There’s so much water around the world between lakes and rivers and custom built cable parks which are growing at an unbelievable rate. The integration of so many unique rails at parks is huge as is the overall facility. The cables are great places to drop the kids after school, go with the family on the weekends, or just take a nice solo session. As these parks continue to emerge, the levels of riding in that area

We’re definitely heading in a good direction with the flex movement considering the amount of cables all over the world now. We want to continue to lead the sport in this direction and get away from the gymnastic style of riding that has plagued the pro tour. If people watch our videos online or on disc and say “Man I want to try that” or “We gotta build a rail like that” then we have done our jobs. With everything we put out last year between the video, web edits, etc., we’d like to continue to be the team that entertains wakeboarders on a regular basis. What’s new for 2013 and what part did you play in those things? One of the best new improvements to our boards for 2013 is the Fastrack system which is stronger, and allows for more stance options. Dylan Miller is really stoked about this because he can now ride with his stance about an inch closer together. Haha! What a trendsetter. He’s ahead of his time right now. Just watch in the next few years narrow stance is going to be core again…remember you read it here first. Off the water, where do you look for inspiration for creating new obstacles or trick variations? We’re getting to the point in board sports where building something

will improve drastically, and so will the number of participants. That’s all it takes. Remember, “if you build it they will come…” (laughs). Looking at the rise of other board sports through the past 20 years, who and what do you think has helped these sports progress to the world stage? Events like the X Games have been a huge help to board-sports in the past 20 years, and the internet has also done wonders for action sports. People are doing crazy shit in every board sport, and now there’s a place to showcase it in front of massive amounts of people. People like Shaun White and Tony Hawk are household names which is good for everyone in action sports. We’ve noticed that we have to explain what wakeboarding is less and less on airplanes, so that’s a good thing for our sport, right? Ha. How do you think as a community we can help build towards growing the sport even further? Building more cable parks is probably the biggest ways to encourage the growth of our sport at this point. Once riders are hooked they will begin to venture out into the other aspects of the sport like boat and winch, building their own rails etc. Also with events, the industry should try to support/ create more events like the Red Bull Wake Open and O’Neill’s Wake the Line. These contests are legit. The television and live web coverage of these events was next level. It makes them feel elite and exclusive. They make you wish you were there. We’d rather see the wake industry have less contests, but give each one more recognition. Right now there’s so many contests in a year that you could literally be at one every-weekend, but it usually costs more in expenses than it’s possible to win in prize money. Sometimes less is more. People would be more excited to watch a contest this way and riders would take them more seriously. Outside of wakeboarding what other activities keep do you get involved with? Well Oli pretty much wakeboards every hour of the day, Mike (Ennen) stays real busy with the Ballistic art, Shredtown’s hobby is construction and sleep, McKee plays soccer and cleans obsessively, Reeder keeps us all liquored up downtown, Dylan golfs and films himself sleeping with a Go Pro, House works out and surfs, and what else? Steffen is German so we can’t understand what he is doing most times, Corrie fly planes. You know just regular people shit right? Haha! Tell us your most memorable story from your career and why it means the most... Jeff McKee - For me it was the first time I rode a Slingshot. I was tired of riding the same old thing year after year and trying to believe in the BS new “features” on all the foamies. Slingshot came at a perfect time for me and the first time I hit the wake with their board I knew they were on to something huge. It used to be just me, the lone soldier on the weird new board, now the entire industry has adopted the idea, but we did it first. There’s really no better feeling than that. Oli Derome - Theres two for me. My first time winning a pro contest which was Red Bulls wake lab. It was the first of a new breed of contest. New rails, the first time anyone had seen the System

Another Adams shot - tail grab nose jib

Lee

Soderlind Oli Derome bossing it

2.0 in action at a contest, and it was during expo so the crowd was huge. Second would be every time I can share a podium with my brother. This is always a special moment for me because growing up as kids it was always our dream to make it as pros, and now it’s become a reality. Jeff House - Once upon a time two nights ago, I couldn’t sleep so I checked my emails and behold, one said “Welcome to Silver Medallian Mr. House!” I started to cry and we lived Happily ever after. At least that is until 2014 when the mileage resets. Oh boy. Haha. Funniest moment so far... Ripping Andrew Adam’s chair out from under with the System 2.0 him during the Lipsmack shoot at Shredtown was great, Dylan naked in the background of Oli’s interviews, McKee driving the Ferarri to lunch dressed like the biggest douche in the world. The list goes on. We have a great crew and are constantly making fun of each other. It helps to keep us in check and entertains us all. Most embarrassing moment... Most recently? Maybe last week when Dylan rode the cable naked at night and some random guy decided to hook onto the cable and ride doubles with him in the buff. That was uncomfortable for all parties involved. Haha. Last words… Ride different. Ride for fun not money or fame, the latter two will come if you keep focused on the fun part. Build your own rails, film yourself riding (not sleeping), and give Flex a try if you haven’t already.

Wake to the Beat wakeboardings gets the ibiza treatment Words: Matt Crowhurst Photos: Burn

As the end of September approaches, the tail end of the wakeboard

season, there are usually only a handful of events and contests left to keep us going as the weather turns. For those of us left in the UK while the few lucky ones jet off here and there for sunnier climbs, it’s these season wrap parties under the guise of wake & skate contests, that keep us going just long, until the new season kicks in. Well, I’d been working on rectifying this particularly painful ebbing away of the summer fun by putting something on of a more monumental nature, revolving around wake but also as a wee end of season blow out. Selfish as this may be, this soiree was only ever going to have room for a few more besides me, the idea being that if we get it right, it will lead to even bigger and better things the following year, allowing for even more of our collective to join in with the revelry in 2013. It was our third trip to the White Isle in 2012 and each trip, as well as. a lot of work behind the scenes, was about to culminate in one rather large portion of Show-Waking and shape throwing. Burn Wake To The Beat was on. As I said, a fair amount of foundation laying had gone into this throughout the summer, starting with our first trip to help launch Café Mambo’s new luxury boat charter – Mamboats – and kick start their summer with the odd Raley High 5 hammer for Mambo’s opening night of the season. Back then, it was myself alongside Johnny Carne and Syndicate’s editor and chief, Eddy, sampling the early season delights of Europe’s party capital. It left us wanting! There’s the bare bones of a back story. Skip forward a few months and another wee trip with the wife for good measure and the love affair with Ibiza, Café Mambo and Mamboats was well and truly cemented. Ideas for something more were being thrown around constantly between myself, Mambo & Mamboats, all with some sort of bigger event in mind Step in Burn Energy. With a big involvement in the DJ music scene and an already solid relationship with Mambo through their Burn Studios Residency contest, an entirely new event format was conjured. The idea – pair up three pro wakeboarders with the three resident Ibiza Burn DJ’s, live mix-

ing of tech, house and whatever other big beats possible, to match exactly what we would be going down on the water. Syncing music and action for the most ‘real’ soundtrack ever created. We had boats, the best venue, big brand support and the ultimate end of season finale was taking shape. Our DJ line-up of Manu Vulcano, Urban Jeram and Adam Zasada meant for an eclectic mix of tech, house and Balaeric beats which would keep things fresh and amping throughout the event. Our line up of riders including Johnny Carne, Scotty Broome and myself also meant that there was enough experience in all conditions to handle some rollie water which was always a possibility. As is always the case with such events, a set-back was inevitable and in the week before show time, Scotty Broome tweaked his knee enough to be out the game. Luckily for him he’d be back riding in a few weeks, lucky for us he’s rather handy on the Mic and Sam Carne was ready to step in. First crisis averted. Although Sam was more than a little fearful of the clear show-waking superiority of myself and his brother. I was the first one out to Ibiza and on the Monday morning after a late night flight, I woke not to the usual deadly tranquility of a partied out island being gently woken by the blazing sun, but to the noise of crashing waves and gale force winds. Yeah, it was the sea, but it’s the med, and in front of Mambo just doesn’t get rough and even if it does, it’s calm in the morning and evening without fail. Maybe slightly rollie but that’s it. We’ve all had to man up and get stuck into dodgy conditions before but riding on these waters that were predicted to remain throughout the rest of the week, just wasn’t going to be possible! We were concerned to say the least. All except for the effervescent Anadon brothers, Alan and Christian, Mambo owners, who’s catch phrase of ‘Happy Days’ rolls off the tongue so convincingly that you have to believe them whatever the situation. Alan said, ‘”no worries man”, so we would leave it at that and crack on with the show. From this point on it’s going to be hard to fill you in on everything that went on. It was a torrent of organizational stress, insanely crazy weather with the odd smatterings of Ibiza good times. So here’s how it went up until

Eddy Johnny Carne on the way up for an indy glide

Resident DJ Adam Zasada on the decks

Urban gettingthe intro from Scotty B

Two times each boys! Banner (left to right): 1. Prime time venue 2. Primo DJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 3. Party on the deck at Cafe Mambo 4. DJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s live mixing to every move 5. The kicker arriving Spanish style The Mambo Brothers

the main event;

The DJ booth

Crowhurst explodes with a flare

The happy couples

Monday – Weather is a stress. Luckily, good lady from agency Exploding Plastic, behind the event, Olivia, is even more of a Stressington Bear (see Banter Bus article issue…..) than me. Tuesday 0200 – Airport pickup for Eddy. Beer on arrival, head back to Mambo, meet Adam of Mamboats. Hit up Cocoon at Amnesia until 10am – obviously. Tuesday – Waves and wind just keep coming. No practice today. Ah, kicker not arriving till Thursday – late. No practice till then. Blood pressure rises. Hangover hurts more. Wednesday 0200 – Airport run for Sam. Beer on arrival. Back to Mambo, then back out for Eric Pryds at Amnesia – again….obviously. Wednesday – Ah, surprise, 4-5 rollers and 30mph winds. No boat action today. Run through worst case scenarios. Eddy takes much pleasure in stress – Dick! Adam and I wrestle with high seas to place anchors for kicker. Thursday 0200 – Wife (Sophie) and Les airport pick up. No need for drinks on arrival as wife has made far too much use of BA free bar - #pissed. Thursday 0300 – Wait at Mambo cracking back cocktails. Johnny, Scotty and Miss Goldierocks (Sam) rock up. Into San Antonio for late night drinks. Johnny gets ‘told’ by bar maid - #Johnnystopstalkingforonce. Thursday – Please call Sophie Tinie Tempah from now – refer to incident over breakfest. Weather not so bad – THANK YOU! Riders and DJ’s meet. Hit the water for practice and to drop kicker in. Finally coming together! Although, Sam goes all Negginton Steel over water conditions because he thinks he can’t ride in chop. Into the Burn studios above Mambo to run through each DJ/Rider music set for Friday night. Then Friday comes and what do you know, the hellish weather has abated at last. Although the sun didn’t come out like it should, hampering the sunset, it wasn’t so windy and there was only medium swell. The kicker was in, the flotilla of boats started to arrive and the crowd poured onto the strip. Whatever happened, it was always going to be a blast, not least because we were the show opener for none other than Mr Pete Tong, live from Mambo on Radio One, all for the season’s closing night of this incredible venue. Two runs each, including two kicker hits, and two sets each for the DJ’s. While the conditions weren’t ideal, they were a far cry from the weather we were fearing. Spining, flipping, grabbing and even a text book ‘flare in hand tantrum’ as the finale, were all part of the mix. The only thing that was missing was a Raley High 5!. Manu Urban and Adam were so amped to be involved with something so unique, the same as all of us, which more than came through in each of their mixes. With every first time there is always the odd hiccup. Turning it all into a complete success, however, not only meant just a little celebrating was in order but also huge thanks thrown in all directions. Adam of Mamboats, Christian, Alan and Elodie along and the entire Mambo crew. Les from Burn, Olivia & Bobby of Exploding Plastic and not forgetting the expert boat driving, under pressure, of Eddy – I know, go figure. From cutting shapes in the booth behind Pete Tong, it was on to Pacha for a blur of raving and then to the hot spot of the week, Amnesia, bouncing away until the early hours to Marco Corola. A rather painful early flight for Johnny and Eddy. A night in a bush for Sam, and a 10am finish straight into jelly fish infested 5 foot swell seas to remove the kicker for me and we were all a little spent. Bring on Wake To The Beat 2013. We’ll be just about recovered by then!

Subscribe Now And Win Call or go online to subscribe now for your chance to win

subscribe at: syndicatewake.com Get your 2013 Subscriptions in before the 1st of March and you will be in with a chance to win a Contour Roam 2

Product Description/Features: Live life in color. The ContourROAM2 brings brilliant updates to our most loved camera,Easily whileRecord retaining the features made it a best Switch seller. Still the On-the-Go: Thethat Instant On-Record powers simplest camera to use on the market, the locking Instant On- Record switch makes it easy to get the perfect shot. While black is always in style, we’ve the camera and starts recording with one touch, so there’s no spiced it up by offering the ContourROAM2 in two additional colors: red and blue. We’vequestion also upped the frame to 60fpsoratnot. 720p, and fine- tuned the on whether it’srate recording picture giving the video quality incredible clarity. Withstand Any Environment: With a waterproof aluminum • • • • • • • • •

body, the camera records under up to one meter of water for Locking Instant On-Record Switch: No power button, no problem. Simply slide Instant On-Record switch into its locking position to ensure 30 the minutes and can sustain the most rugged conditions. you shoot exactly when you’re ready. Capture it All in HD: The camera records crisp high-definition Vibrant color options: We understand that style matters and color can make or break a look. Match your kit,(1080p, or bring in a little contrast by adding video with three resolutions 960p, and 720p at 30fps a ContourROAM2 in one of three colors: red, blue or traditional black. each) and also has a 5-megapixel still photo mode. A wide60fps: As requested by our users, we’ve bumped up the frames per second toangle 60 when shootinglens at 720p, meaning you can now that smooth 170-degree captures the peripherals andget backdrops video quality you’ve come to expect from Contour cameras. to enhance the point of view experience. Waterproof without a case: Good things come in small packages. The ContourROAM2 sheds bulk Shot: by working underwater extra case. Line up the Perfect The lens rotates upwithout to 270an degrees Minimalism is a good thing. and can project a horizontal Laser Line to make sure the shot is Low-proﬁle design: Contour cameras have won numerous awards for their stylish, yet functional, le mounted design. The is level, even when thelow-proﬁ camera is onContourROAM2 its side or upside exceptionally designed and lightweight. With the ContourROAM2, less reallydown. is more. Versatility: Whether snorkeling, snowboarding, or tearing up single track, theCapture ContourROAM2 is ready for adventure. It’s compatible with Video Anywhere: Itsany compact, low-profi le, hands-free every Contour mount giving you unlimited angles. The 270° rotating lens means no matter where the camera is mounted, you’ll always get design makes the 5.1 ounce camera easy to wear without the perfect, level shot. getting in the way. ContourROAM features a new tripod screw Laser Alignment: Get the correct angle any time with the built-in laser level. mount and the Contour Trail mounting system built-in to Long Battery Life: Shoot up to 3.5 hours of footage. The Instant On-Record switch means there is no standby mode. The battery is only in use mount virtually anywhere. when shooting, giving you more bang per charge. MicroSD Card Included: We’ve added a 4GB MicroSD card so your camera is ready to use right out of the box.

SUBSCRIPTION COSTS JUST £16.25 for 5 ISSUES plus the RIDE GUIDE Syndicate Magazine is owned and published by Sensation Group, Abersoch, Gwynedd, LL53 7LD

THE GRASSROOTS TOUR It’s not all about the Pro Tour, Tim Woodhead gives us an insight into the Industry Wake Parks Grassroots Tour

Words: Tim Woodhead Photos: Dave Lochhead

There are new wake parks popping up all over the UK right now and that means an influx of new riders to the sport.

With all these new faces the crew at Industry Wake Parks decided to throw together an end of season tour. The plan was to visit as many of the Sesitec wake parks as possible and give the local riders a bit of extra motivation to ride into the colder months. Starting at the end of September in Blackpool and finishing in November at Glasfryn Wake Parc, the tour visited eight different parks and over one hundred and eighty people entered the various stops. Some riders did all the stops and some just entered their local stop. The format for the overall winner was to take the best result from four out of eight stops. Points were allocated for the position you came. Whilst there was an element of competition, the tour was certainly not designed with only the contest aspect in mind! Each day event, allowed the riders to ride all day at the park and gain coaching from people like; Dave Knight, Scotty Broome, CK Koester and Lee Debuse. Dave Knight was the main coach on the tour and taught a huge amount of new tricks to many riders. For all the people who are new to the sport it’s so important for them to be given tips on new tricks and their general riding style, because a small tip can make them love a session and progress their riding even more. With the tour being relatively late in the season there was always a chance that the weather gods could deal a mighty blow to some of the stops! If there is one thing this tour has taught me; it is that the British are ‘Well Hard’ and some of the most dedicated riders on the planet! It’s funny to hear pros from other countries complaining about having to ride in a shorty when we are putting boots and gloves on! They don’t know how lucky they are! On our side of the pond we have the British riding in 5mm suits, driving through a blizzard on the motorway to get to the wake park, staying in a

wetsuit all day, keeping warm by a log burning stove and absolutely loving it! A monster amount of respect goes out to all the riders who didn’t moan about the cold and got on with making the most out of the slightly colder months of the British wakeboard scene. It doesn’t really matter if you’re cold as long as it’s fun. The variety of obstacles and park setups was superb and British wakeboarders and wakeskaters now have some serious choice when it comes to hitting obstacles! At Just Wake we had a 100 foot funbox which riders can transfer from both directions, we had a UNIT quarter pipe, UNIT pipe and a host of other obstacles. From Just Wake we went to Club Wake Park and they had 5 different obstacles to play on, one of which was a super narrow flatbar and one of the most technical rails on the tour. At Glasfryn Wake Parc the infamous Leviathan was there to play on and the spots like Blackpool have slightly smaller obstacles but by no means less fun! One of the most fun obstacles I saw all tour was the barrel jib at South Coast H20, it is simply 3 barrels joined together, riders ollie over it and tap the barrels or backside 180 over etc. A mega fun hit that is so simple and used well by some of the riders at the South Coast H20 stop. The progression of the riders was insane, people like Lewis Tallack at South Coast H20 have only learnt to wakeboard this year. Lewis is a sick skater and snowboarder and crossed his skills over to wakeboarding once the new park opened in Portsmouth. By the end of the season he had won the intermediates category, stomping a super clean Tantrum, stylish frontside 360 and generally looking clean and stylish on the board. Sam Hooper from Just Wake has come on leaps and bounds over the tour and you can see that he is totally loving and committed to the sport right now.

THE GRASSROOTS

The juniors division was a mega close call for the overall results, Taylor Knight and Alex Brandwood battled out for the overall title and it went right down to the last stop to decide the overall winner. Taylor stomped his best run of the tour to win at Glasfryn and take the overall title, his run included a transfer to board slide to 270 out and 3 different spins on the kickers. Alex must surely be the most improved rider I have seen in 2012, he has come on a massive amount. A big shout out must also go to Brynn Williams who won the Club Wake Park junior stop with a mega run which included a super clean 720 on the big kicker. The open mens division also went down to the last stop to decide all of the top 4 overall positions. Andrew Alston had charged into a commanding lead overall and only James Hackney could join him at the top of the overall rankings. This was a good division to watch over the tour, as there were so many different styles on show, you had the air trick skills from riders like Andrew, the rail styles from the likes of Toby Yeo and then the overall shredding skills of guys like James Hackney and Jamie Colvin. One of the most impressive runs on show all tour was Toby Oliver at Just Wake, he put style firmly on top of the podium at that stop! This will certainly be a great division to watch next year, as they all carry on improving. The end result was Andrew Alston and James Hackney on equal points at the top of the rankings. Andrew took the win due to a higher number of wins on the tour and he will be taking home a lovely Hyperlite and Mystic sponsorship next year. The tour was a banging success with plenty of riders traveling around the UK and all the local riders loving the opportunity to meet other riders, learn new tricks, progress their riding and get inspired from some pro demos! The importance of having a thriving grassroots scene cannot be under estimated. The plan for next year is to roll out more stops, crown regional champions, overall winners, run some development camps and continue developing the sport and riders from the bottom up! See you next year and keep an eye on grassrootstour.co.uk for more info.

TOUR

Lewis

Don’t Relax(Do it) Peter Gill recently took the Chair at Wakeboard UK, Syndicate caught up with him to see what his thoughts were on taking things forwards

ritish wakeboarding has some of the best riders in the world, some of the best places to ride in this part of Europe and even if the weather isn’t always on our side we tend to make the most of it. There are however, a few issues for the community to look at; those being a decreasing competition circuit and dropping numbers of those attending these events. This is especially apparent at National level events where the boat is concerned. Hopefully these issues are not going to be overlooked by the new Chairman of Wakeboard UK; Peter Gill.

Welcome to Syndicate Pete, can you tell us a little more about your general motivation for taking on the Wakeboard UK role. Hi Eddy…yes you’re right, the numbers at recent National events have been dropping, but the skills of our boat riders are not. In fact the standard of our riders is actually getting higher, this was a key factor for me and is the main reason why I took

on this roll. Team Gold again in Kiev, Team Silver in the Phillipines, you know that’s not possible without good riders. Always great to see the team doing well on the circuit, but how do you think we can make more of an impact on the Pro Tour or World Cup level events? We certainly have the talent for it? Yes we do but it’s tough, I personally think to do well in the US you have to be living there for large chunks of the year riding everyday and that is not easy or cheap. Boat riding isn’t cheap. I know a couple of our junior riders are going to give it a go next year but unless you can pick up a sponsor that’s willing to help with costs it’s very hard. It hasn’t always been a wake path for you has it? You aren’t your everyday pushy parent trying to live your dreams through your son..you’ve lived your fair share of dreams. Give us a few words on your background and how you might have heard ‘Relax’ puns a few times (not least by a certain

magazine editor)... Yes I’ve lived a good share of my dreams and probably some of yours Eddy, so I don’t do it for that. I will always remember my parents telling me when I was 17 to give up music and get a proper job, now wouldn’t I be a hypocrite if I said the same thing to my son, I am happy to help, Is that pushy? No not at all- it’s good to see good people getting involved in all the selfless work that goes on behind the scenes and has done for many years. Go on; tell the kids what you got up to a few short years ago... A few!!! Make it 25. I really don’t like talking about my past but to make my previous paragraph make sense, I was a member of one of the biggest bands of the 80’s, I co-wrote some of the biggest selling songs of that decade. The band is called ‘Frankie Goes To Hollywood’ and I have heard more ‘Relax’ puns over the previous 25 years than you have taken front edges.

Eddy I see John Lewis has used one of our songs in its latest TV advert, it’s a cover of ‘Power of Love’, I like the version and think it works well in the ad. It’s been released as a single and looks like it’s doing well, it’s nice to know a song that I am so close to is now reaching a whole new generation, it’s funny how things come around. Pretty epic lead into any interview... tell us one of your favourite memories before we get into the serious wake chat (speaking to you after a recent return from Ibiza made me wish I was there in the 80’s)... I have lots of good memories but since you have mentioned Ibiza, we went over there in 1986 to start writing songs for our second album. There used to be a studio in the middle of the island called Mediterranean Studios, a really nice place. I think New Order did some work there in 1988 but as you can probably guess, we didn’t get that much work done. We spent most of the time cruising the bars and clubs, usually ending up in the old Ku Club until the sun came up. The studio had a pool so when we got bored (often) we would spend quite a lot of time throwing everyone and everything we could find into it including the mopeds we had rented to get around the island (bad idea). It was all fairly standard stuff really and nothing you would not see every night in the riders camp site at Wakestock, only difference is, our party lasted for 5 years. A place you should check out when you’re next over there is Pikes Hotel, I think it’s part of Ibiza Rocks now. I had some interesting times there.. I will..Back to wakeboarding now otherwise we might get lost in Ibiza with any more stories of adventure like that. Are we likely to see any changes in the UK events next year? Well, we are very pleased to announce Red Bull as a sponsor of the 2013 Wakeboard Boat Nationals. Having Red Bull on board will really add value to the event both on and off the water supporting our vision of taking the event up a level in 2013. Next years boat sponsors are Midlands Nautique and the revolutionary G23. This will be the first time the G23 will have been used to tow an event in the UK and hopefully it’s going to take what is being done behind the boat up another level over here. That’s very positive news, is this something that we can expect to see develop in the next few years? I hope so, the plan for next year is to bring the previously split boat nationals back together and run the whole event over one weekend. There will also be an invite only Double Up comp a Team Finals competition and hopefully a small Park event, we have got prize money and Wakestock places to give away. Next year’s event will be held at the Quayside Wake & Ski in Surrey on 29th-30th June so put it in your diary. Sam Carne, slob 180

Lewis Motivated and working, Peter Gill is in the Chair

How much do you get involved in the day-to-day running of business and is it your say goes? I’ m a fairly pro active person, happy to get on with things, send emails, make calls etc without needing too much input form others but I am the chair of a 10 member committee so I am not the boss, I do NOT have final say, there is always lots of discussion and every decision is made as a committee. Are we likely to see further developments in the UK comp scene? I would really like to form new relationships with the other elements of the UK scene, which could allow us to produce events that could include more than one discipline. Ropes & Wires is an interesting concept. How do you feel about the separate elements of the wake sports - cable, boat, skate, S2? I am a wakeboard fan, everything on your list is a discipline of wakeboarding besides skate which I am now also a fan of after watching Ollie Moore win his gold medal in Kiev, I try and keep up to date with everything that’s going on, I wouldn’t do that if I wasn’t interested, I like it all. Do you think we are likely or will be able to bring these elements together in some way to create a more united scene? My goal would be to do ‘UK Wake Open’ type events but I don’t think that’s going to be possible just yet.

If you could rub a genie lamp and get three wishes to use on the wake community over the next five years, what would they be, what would you like to achieve with them and why? 1. New relations between all the elements to be able to create unique events. 2. More money for everyones events. Syndicate to cover our events because they’re going to be great ;) How would you like the community to view Wakeboard UK and its events and actions? Like any other organization we would like to be viewed in a good light. Wakeboard UK has been around for fifteen years but I have only been around wakeboarding for the past six. I have no clue how people view us but if the events we put on are good I guess people will like us, if the events are bad they probably won’t. Hopefully the community will get behind what we are doing and attend next year’s events either as riders or spectators, this includes you. Do you feel that more involvement from the riders is necessary? Listen Eddy, I’am a 48 year old 80’s has-been so what do you think?! I might be able to drink you under the table but I do not claim to have my finger on the UK wakeboarding pulse so their input is vital to making the events we put on a success. I can tell you that Lee Debuse is the newest member of the Wake UK committee that also includes Matt Crowhurst.

What is your most important goal to achieve in your new role as Chairman? I am not going to look too far ahead, if I can help make the 2013 Boat Nationals the best in recent years then I will be happy. Do you feel that as a community we could do more collectively and if so how would you see that happen in an ideal world? Yes I think we probably could, I have already mentioned we would like to produce events that combine wake disciplines, they may not actually be competitions, there has been talk of holding training camps etc, this would obviously require discussion which we are currently working on so I guess my answer to your question is ‘Talk’ If anyone wants to talk about any of they above (besides the 80’s) give me a shout via email: peter@wakeboard.co.uk Any last words? No, I’ve said enough hahaha

New logo, new era?

join today photos// articles// videos// The Ron//

boxed// voyeur// diary// store//

www.SyndicateWake.com

Judo 180 / JD Webb / Nik Green / Princes, Bedfont Heelside melon / Jorge Gill / Owen McCormack/ Quayside, Mytchett Melon toesdie BS 180 / Louis Floyd / Chris Garrison / Orlando, Florida Batwing / David Coates / Luke Lee / Xtreme-Gene, Cordoba

Hot Spot Festival was blessed with stunning clear skies and blazing sunshine. A solid turn out from the Basildon locals kept the Syndicate team shooting all afternoon. With some old faces surfacing at the Festival Wake Park it was great to see not only the new comers enjoying the Hot Spot but also some faces from times past. We were also paid a visit by Ck Koester, James Young and Toby Yeo all getting involved in the session to prove their worth. With some solid hits from Yeo throughout the session, he was keen to push the others to see what they had. CK was on fire with some super tech hits, 270, 270 outs, mad presses and plenty of steeze for all - not to mention his raley to nose jib on the end of the flat bar! It was however James Young who took the top spot with a 270 to front board, rewind 270 out, super clean and super tech - solid riding from Young Lad to take his first Hot Spot victory. possibly the show stealer of the afternoon was Owen Pick, Owen is a lower limb down but after having watch him ride for over an hour (and not notice his artificial leg) it was mind blowing to see him shredding - and killing it on the Hyperlite flat bar. It was inspiring to see him charging harder than most out there and bringing some balls to the table.

Milton Keynes was our destination for the Hot Spot final stop. Once again being blessed by the early autumn sun and getting the pick of the weather once again the Hot Spot was always going to go well at WakeMK. With the friendly crew on hand to help setup and a few mildly fuzzy heads kicking around after a Friday night extravaganza it was bound to be a day full of banter. Jonty Green, Matt Crowhurst and James Young were among the first on the scene with Will Manns, Taylor Dell and the Harbottles showing up later in the day to bring some local knowledge to the table. A tricky obstacle for some the the WakeMK rail separates the men from the boys and it certainly did that on this bright Saturday afternoon. With the session well under way it was anyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game with Jonty putting in a few early hits but taking a bow after some energy issues, it was wide open. Cue James Young once again with some solid presses and a nose to bs180 out over the end section was going to take some beating. MC was always going to have a dig but given the time constraints he was left looking at Young at the top once again. Taylor Dell was also on hand to show that the skaters werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t without representation - gapping the top section on the skate was no mean feat, he came short a few times only just failing to completely gap it but solid effort all the same. He still earned top spot with a clean back board 90 out to take the skate crown of the day.

CONFIRMED HOTSPOT DATES BOX END PARK - OWNED JONTY GREEN, MATT BURNS LIQUID WAKE PARK - OWNED SCOTTY BROOME, OLLIE MOORE WMSKI - OWNED STEVE DYER, MATT GREENWOOD CLUB WAKE PARK - OWNED SOLID JIM WAKE UP DOCKLANDS - OWNED TOBY YEO LAGOON WAKE PARK - OWNED ANDY ALSTON FESTIVAL WAKE PARK - OWNED JAMES YOUNG FINALS AT WAKEMK - OWNED JAMES YOUNG

King of

Cable

Sombre weather for the last King of Cable.. Words and Photos: Scott Taylor & Jade Donaghey

ing Of Cable returned with a vengeance for 2012, kicking off proceedings with a huge Mystic pre-party on the Saturday night ahead of the Sunday competition.. As always at Princes, the standard was going to be high and plentiful, something that has become a standard at the club over the years. All of this has sadly been overshadowed by the news that Princes was closing down, after over 50 years in the industry it has come to the end..at least for the foreseeable future anyways. Let’s hope that someone with some cash gets involved and keeps it alive! There was no King Of Cable in calendar in 2011 for various reasons, but with the support of Mystic and Hyperlite it returned for 2012 to the competition circuit. The introduction of the preparty may well have hindered some of the entrants with fancy dress, laser lights, a banging DJ and copious amount of alcohol fueling the party into the very early hours of Sunday morning - it was going to be an interesting morning to say the least. The U16’s kicked things off with their usual display of unbelievable riding that leaves you questioning if they can do this ages 11 or 12 then what kind of tricks will they be busting out by the time they clear their teens?! Liam Peacock landed his first double S in practice, it’s makes you wonder what the next generation of groms will be landing in a few short years as we see each generation step it up a notch. It is awesome to think that one of them could raise the level as each generation does.. it could only be a matter of time before one of these young guns lands the first triple S-bend or mobe 7. Watching these guys ride shows just what up and coming talent the UK has, we hold a lot of promise for the possible Olympics if wakeboarding does get in this time around.

Man love

Party anyone?

The novices were up next, as always it well attended and many of the riders were taking to the water in an attempt to shake the hangover. All however were still some busting down moves, we saw some 5’s go down off the kicker, some technical presses and 7’s on the flat bars and a generally solid level of riding throughout...novice doesn’t really mean novice these days it seems. The next category of interest is always the kneeboard jam. Always a moment when you can sit back and enjoy the calamity. There were things going down that shouldn’t even be attempted

76 Yes!

on a kneeboard never mind landed! All the boys getting well involved (almost too involved) with some cheeky 3’s off the kicker, lipsliding the rooftop, full clean hits on the rainbow and Deano Warboys hitting the wall ride!

K.O.C. will be missed..

More man love

Finally to the pros, ladies first as is the courtesy - and of course to give the boys chance to get their head in the game. Tor Young and Chloe Goudie made it through from the ladies to their Queen final, despite Laura Christian throwing a blind judge as her wildcard but taking a mean back edge to put her out of contention. There were more edges to come however and it seemed that edges were the order of the day. With Tor taking a nice one on her mobe attempt then Cain and others joining the club later in the day...definitely nothing to do with the night before. In the Queen final Tor took the crown, beating Chloe into second place, both with stand up runs. So Victoria was once again Queen of Cable, representing for Mystic and Hyperlite. Next up stepped the Pro men, two heats of six needed to be whittled down to a final of six. With riders like Cain Hamilton, Lew Cornwall, James Young, Dec Clifford, Jack Battleday, Jonty Green and more - you get the idea of the quality of the competition. It seemed that mobes were the trick of choice, with most of the top riders throwing down mobe 5’s or S-mobes in their runs. After a close final, Cain took 3rd, with Connor Jones in 2nd and Lew Cornwall taking the win. But it was not finished there, Lew and Connor took to the mens Super Final - a final all out battle for the crown. With the winners from all the other categories heading out for one more ride to decide who will earn the title ‘King of Cable’. Although the pros have a clear advantage, it is not set in stone who will triumph as it is a death match style round where any mistakes could cost the title, so if Lew or Connor make a mistake fighting amongst each other, it could end up with a novice or masters rider winning. But on this occasion no apple carts were upset, it was a straight fight between Lew and Connor, which Lew won and took to the podium alongside Tor as King of Cable.

Pre-party is always a winner

So there you have it, what seems to be the last King of Cable is over, and I guess Lew and Tor will forever be King and Queen of cable. Surely that’s enough of a reason alone for a buyer to be found and the cable re-open!

King and Queen

Ropes & Wires

Sam Carne on the Red Bull C rail

unique format, big crowds, great park, top weather... Ropes and Wires couldn’t have asked for more Words & Photos: Andrew Eddy Possibly one of the more interesting competition formats for spectators and competitors alike Ropes and Wires combines both cable and boat in a team battle. With entrants being capped at 100 this year, Box End Park was maxed out with riders on the water and with spectators. This helped in no small part with a stunning October Saturday. Teams of four, covering all divisions from Juniors to Womens, Masters, Rookies and Pros, there was something for everyone and the banter that comes with a ‘more relaxed’ event made up of teams is more than enough entertainment before you even get to the wakeboarding action. Unlike any other event in the UK, the cable and boat worlds collide in magnificent style, both scenes only adding to the numbers vibe and overall impression that the UK riding, club and contest scene is alive and kicking. It was essentially what we should all want to see more of – every age and riding level involved, coming together to push the sport forward, support the organisers as well as the venues and sponsors invest their time and money year in year out. While it’d be great to see more Boat/Cable cross over events, there’s no getting away from the fact that you’d be hard pushed to find a more ideal set-up for this kind of format with purpose built cable and boat lakes sitting back to back so you’re on top of the action whichever way you look.

Eddy Louis with a nose 180

Jack the Hammer laying it down

MC with this back nose for Team Relentless

Get your ollie on

Throughout the day we saw some killer riding on the cable from many of the stars that we all know and some of the young guns that were out to prove their worth to those that they looked up to. The women were also out in force, and a special mention has to go out to Megan Barker who took the women by storm. Some huge hits on the kickers were among some of her stand out moments until she got to the boat. She totally killed it throughout her set, more inverts than you can shake a stick at and all with bags of style and control. She certainly made her mark on the rest of the competitors, finishing her contest season in the same form that has made it such a successful year for her. Back on the cable the men’s teams were all doing battle and the Relentless team were the ones to beat after two years of back to back wins. With the likes of CK and co. showing up to give them a run for their money it was no clear cut thing by any stretch. While you may have thought it was going to be just the Relentless crew of MC, LDB, Jonty and Sam fighting it out for top spot with just the team of CK, Johnny, Louis and Max Main, you would have been wrong. There were some youngsters in town who were not messing around when it came to wracking up the points. The Just Watersports posse of Jack Hammersley, Harry Eames, Tom D’Cruz and Elliot Newman and from these guys, the stand out performances have to go to Harry and Tom. Things were ridiculously tight after the cable stint was done and as the light was fading with these three teams still yet to take to the boat lake, it was anyone’s game and the potential for a upset was palpable. Just Watersports had done all they can with killer boat runs each so it was down to Relentless and Team Me!$*£omy – their name can not be put in print, ask Johnny

LDB going for some late night spinnage Jonty front tail, 90 out

Open Mens Pro Womens

Junior Mens

Pro Mens Carne – rather unfairly out last and little daylight left as it was. Relentless crew stomped an impressive amount of tricks, Jonty and LDB leading the charge. This was to be expected and with this final discipline not the strongest for three of the last team’s contingent, Johnny Carne was going to have to pull some serious stops. Prize giving time was not the whitewash it had been in previous years and with a grand up for grabs, coming in second was not going to sit well. The upset was just not to be though, with yet another victory for the Relentless team this year, but with the closest of margins we have yet seen. 2013 will be interesting. The evening set in and the beer started to flow. There is nothing quite like the UK scene for a few beers and banter after a long and full day of riding.. with a few of the usual suspects in town and the probably the last mass meet of the season...it doesn’t take much encouragement. Thank you Box End and all the sponsors, long may Ropes & Wires continue!

1 R E B M U SKIN N & F S R E U S HERN SPAI P , O E T R A K U E R BOARDT,ESR LAKE IN SOUT FO M FRESH WA CAL

/ G N I H I C F A I O W C / S N AS O S L C W C R E I I D V A L / R G IN WO INS N B N A U C T S E / ID T S N E A K R A U L TA S E NS R U D R N R A E AT BAR W T A L SF S E ATEST L L D N E IL A R & R KICKE O TO: TM

NG O I T A M M NFOR O I C E . R E O N M E E-GENE.COM G FOR E M E M

TRIL: INFO@XTRE 4957635437 X . W W W EMA LL: 003 OR CA

b e h i n d THE LENS Who is the subject and why was it taken? The shot is off Jonty Green and was from a shoot riding the new X-Star in Abersoch. Where and when was it taken? I shot it up in Abersoch back in June 2007 and was one of the last shoots I did for wake. How did you get the shot? I was shooting from Tim’s rib from Abersoch Boat Yard Services. His new rib allowed us to easily ride alongside Jonty and the other riders; Ben HItch and Johnny Farquar. What stands out about the photograph for you? The reason why I chose this image was because I felt, it shows the hard time a UK photographer has when trying to get a good shot. The evening of this shoot was doomed from the start as the wind was howling and the rain pounding! To add to it all the sea was fairly choppy too due to the wind of course... So.... you’re standing up on a rib bumping about at what 24mph holding a camera that weighs probably the same as a small baby with driving wind and rain pounding the side of your head. All the while trying to keep the rider in frame and keeping as steady as possible because the light is so dark and dull you’re not exactly able to shoot a very fast shutter speed to get crisp un-blurred action. How did you make it different? I noticed during Jonty’s set that the background was interesting and thought I could play with all the horizontal lines. For example; the rope, wake, beach, hillside, and the moody clouds that had a slight sunset creeping through. I thought that by getting Jonty’s position straight and capturing him just before he was in front of the house on the hill would make an interesting shot despite previous tries to get it - this one came out how I wanted. Why haven’t we seen it before? Probably because the weather was so bad and that the light was appalling we just gave up trying to get anything. The riders weren’t feeling it anyway as the sea was choppy plus the wind and rain just wasn’t helping. The plan normally is to get a good rounded selection of shots but the only shot that was half decent is this one. No point running a feature when you only have one shot I guess. Although the grab wasn’t quite there it really represented, I still really liked it. Are there any other stories behind this shot….? I guess the drive up there with Jonty and Ben was a laugh. At one point driving over the pass near Bala we had Wolfmother cranked rocking out with heads in the rain out the window... fun times! Tell us about yourself… Well, I’ve been a snapper for fifteen or so years and shot all kinds of subjects including; snowboarding, skateboarding, and music. In recent years I have been shooting a lot of mountain biking and still do the odd snow shoot for adverts etc. Alongside my commercial work I shoot personal projects, when I can, for exhibiting and love to use film then hand print them in the darkroom. I feel the age of digital has killed the art of what photography has always been. We have a new wave of photographer now that will shoot digital add a filter and ‘hey presto’ a masterpiece! Look at Instagram for example. I loathed iPhoneography at the start but now I’m hooked on Instagram as it’s such a simple way to share your thoughts visually and that’s why I started playing with photography when I was kid. One thing is for sure - nothing beats sweating all day in a darkroom burning out a slightly blown out sky!

Camera: Canon EOS-1D MKII N Lens: Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Settings: 1/1250 at f / 4.5 shot without flash

Frazer waller picks a photo to show us this month and tell us about why he likes this unseen snap

Frazer with his Sunday best on

O T W O H

TOP TIPS AND TRICKS with Stew Mackie

The next time you ride, try thinking about one of these helpful pointers. Remember, one at a time.

Body position Always remember to maintain a good body position in and out of the trick. Head up, shoulders back, chest up, hips forward, knees and ankles bent.

Handle position Think of lifting your hips to the handle rather than handle to the hips. This is a more efficient than fighting to keep your handle low. Your Hips and handle will be closer with less effort.

Eyes look where your going and keep them open.

Breath Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to breath as we need oxygen going to the brain so that it can function.

Set up A trick starts on your pull out not your cut in. Edging out can be as critical as edging in. This is important to help with the rhythm of the boats pull. Concentrate your effort the closer to wake that you are. This applies in a descending effort out and increasing again back to the wake (progressive edging).

Turn Link the out and in together with a great turn, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t under estimate the importance of a good turn. Cut backs from each side of the wake will help you understand all these elements and enable you to get a feel. Practice fast and slow repetitions. Toeside tip, when your turning back to the wake for a toeside approach focus on riding your hip back into the handle, this will not only give you a strong handle and hip placement, it will create good board angle into the wake assisting on a smooth toeside air.

Direction In the same way that you don’t want to be folding during the approach to the wake or take off, you don’t want to absorb the landing by breaking at the waist. This will push the handle towards the boat and most likely send you with it ‘A’ over ‘T’. Suck it up with your legs and only your legs, keeping upper body proud and continue moving away from the wake on your edge For toeside, it’s fine to let go with your backhand on landing but don’t let that handle get too far away from your hip.

Feel Try and feel what’s happening through your board body and the handle. This is a great skill that will help with consistency and predictability when you hit the wake. I know we all like surprises but not when it results in a slap to face. Start by feeling the pull from the handle in your wrists elbows and shoulders. I prefer to hold my hands close in the middle as I believe the pull remains consistent even when you release a hand. Visualise: Watching movie clips of your favourite rider over and over can really help you get the move in your head. Also this is sometimes the best way of getting that new trick on the water, copying the image in your head is way easier than following a list of instructions. Introducing one thing at a time is key to progression. Combine this with visualising and your going to succeed. It helps to practice on land, try a rope fixed to a tree or something solid, great for working out your kinks in body position. A trampoline is amazing to work out how a trick feels in the air and to build muscle memory before you even hit the water.

Fun Enjoy the process of learning and have fun with it. A little understanding and fun go a long way out on the water.

Stew Mackie WUK National Wakeboard coach since 1999 You can contact Stew about riding at his wake camp, Chain of Wakes C.O.W in Florida during the coming winter and spring 2013. Quayside Wakeboard & Waterski will also be holding performance clinics in the summer of 2013. Email: cowakes@gmail.com Web: http://cowakes.com

Bionic Breakaway Jacket • Fox Bionic series sythesizes form and function through bonding technical fabrics while also keeping the performance and cutting edge Fox style • The result from these two elements has resulted in the creation of the Fox Bionic Breakaway Jacket • Logo screen print at hood and sleeve • Fox Tech branding on sleeve • Logo TPR • 3,000 mm waterproof, 2,000 mm breathability • Shell: 100% polyester spandex dewspo • Interior: 100% polyester fleece square • Cuffs: 100% micro polar fleece, anti-pilling, windproof, DWR, insulating cuffs

2013 Ronix Bill Starting off with the trivial... the board smells like bananas! Now on to the tech spec, the Bill is an all new shape for 2013 now with a continuous rocker perfect for the cable, with a deep channel around the entire edge of the board for the ultimate hold for airtricks even whilst finless! Throw into the mix a nice and flexy tip and tail and you have a killer cable board all round. Also check out Bill’s more intelligent brother William and his best mate Frank!.

2013 CWB Prizm Boot From the kings of durability comes all new innovation for 2013. The new Prizm boot is a killer product for the cable, the key point is NO BASEPLATE! The Prizm has two parts, an external shell that you attach to the board through the base, and a super comfortable neoprene boot. Having no base plate means nothing interferes with the flex of the board, giving you a true feel of the board on the rails. The neoprene boot gives you comfort all day long on the cable with the killer support from the outer shell and for 2013 CWB have been tested and verified as the lightest boot range on the market… FACT!

2013 Hyperlite Process Boots Hyperlite have launched a whole new System boot line for 2013 as well as a Pro chassis. The new factory brings the range to the next level, new shapes mean a better fit, new lasts mean a longer life and new designers mean a fresh look. Nick Davies was instrumental in the creation of the System and for 2013 finally has his own boot in the range. The Process boot is super comfortable, with plenty flex for the rails but with the powerstrap so you can really dial in the tension and support for the airtricks. Comes with a choice of lace colours and they are available from late November 2012!

2013 Mystic Black Star 5/4 S-Seam Wetsuit So we are all bored stupid of the word recession! But the fact remains money is tight... So let us introduce you to the Black Star. A pricepoint wetsuit with all the technical features you need to keep you warm all winter. The suit is a true 5mm meaning the neoprene is 5mm thick and on top of this the internal and external liners are added. Added this are full S-Seams, meaning no water will leak into the suit through what is normally the natural weak point on the suit. Then to top it all off the suit is made from Mysticâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Featherlite neoprene, warmer, lighter and more flexible than ever before. Available now!

2013 Byerly Jib â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Flexboard For 2013 Byerly hits the mainstream, they have a killer cable based range lead by Rathy and Rattray and the Jib is at the forefront of this. Hybrid Flex is the buzzword on the market right now, and the Jib hits that nail on the head, with a nice flex in the tip and tail but super poppy on the water for those ollie ons. The key feature on the board is the ABS rail, no matter how many times you smash into the rails your board will come back ready for more as long as you can take it! Check out the full Byerly range for 2013!

O'BRIEN FREMONT Sizes: 128cm, 133cm, 138cm,143cm

The Fremont is the entry level flex style board from Obrien in 2013. The Fremont features a fusion core inside with durarail sidewalls. It has a progressive 2.5 rocker with wide tip and tail for pressing those rails. The Fremont comes with a slider resistant PBT base and represents great value for money for this style of board.

B.O.B /B.O.B Grind Sizes: 132cm, 137cm, 142cm

Creating a board that meets the needs of Jeff Langley’s style was not easy. Not only does he do all the tech tricks with style; he also takes his tricks impossibly big as well. After a year’s worth of prototypes and countless hours of hard work and inspiration we give you The Bruce. Built off our Fusion core and bombproof sandwich construction, we developed an explosive 5-stage rocker line that is fast and poppy behind the boat. Dura Rail edges and Impact base make this board at home on the cable park as well. A full rail through the midsection of the board lets the board sit high on the water for ultra clean release as well as providing added buoyancy when riding at slower boat speeds. Fins at each end keep the tail loose, providing the perfect balance of control and freedom. The board has very little flex through the center, providing maximum pop when riding a balanced approach to the wake but has flexible tips for load-andrelease snap with a tail-heavy approach. A double concave midsection and Delta Base exiting the tips keeps the board landing soft and riding clean.

B.O.B /B.O.B Grind Sizes: 137cm, 142cm

The Liquid Force B.O.B. brings you the next generation in PRO Models. This new shape incorporates our new performance paradigm offering the rider a board encompassing an innovative core, construction process, and design features that make your board come alive. One ride on the B.O.B. and you’ll feel the difference. A thin profile CNC all wood core is the heart. Next it’s wrapped in our lightweight glass layup for the ultimate in responsive flex. Then we finish it with a one-of-a-kind see thru graphic to show the beauty that starts at the heart of this board. Also available in a Grind version, you can get your B.O.B. with our exclusive GRIND base and a softer flex pattern for pressing rails and maximum durability. If you’re like Bob Soven and you’ve been waiting for that next level wake charging ride, your wait is officially over!

O’BRIEN GTX BINDING • Medium / Stiff Flex Pattern • Ultimate adjustability 3-way convertible – Ride with dual lac es + Velcro cuff, dual laces, or single lace forefoot + Velcro strap on the upper cuff. • Integrated TPU Ankle Strap – superior hold, pulls your foot into the “heel pocket” • Ultralight Liner – ultimate comfort & light weight combined. • Therma-welded upper for minimal weight, maximum drainage and breathability. • 2.5° Canted Chassis – eases stress on your legs. • Power Arch – supports your arch on bigger landings. • Sizes graded to fit your foot like a shoe. • Traditional thick laces provide the most secure fit and durability. Your boots won’t loosen up while riding. • 2.5° Canted Chassis – eases stress on your legs. • Power Arch – supports your arch on bigger landings.

www.glasfryn.co.uk

3 x System 2.0/6 Obstacles Pro Coaching Rider + Accomodation Packages Home of Wakestock Qualifiers 2012 North Wales 01766 810202 www.facebook.com/glasfrynwakeparc wakeboarding@glasfryn.co.uk

QUESTIONS

taking time out in orlando, max main is committed to wakeboarding...and shopping...? His stalefish is a lot better than his drink taste

1. Where was the last place you rode? Nautique Wake Park, OWC.

out of a trick then realizing when I got up that my shorts was by my ankles...

2. What was the last trick you learnt? Half cab roll to revert with a cheeky grab.

11. Favourite off water activity? Easy ..shopping! (very questionable answer Mr Main)

3. Who is your favourite person to ride with? I love riding with the crew; Jonty Green, CK Koester, Lee Debuse and Louis Floyd; I’ve learnt so much from those guys.

12. Favourite wake event? Wakestock. What more could you want than being with your best friends at one of the best wakeboarding and music festivals ever?!

4. Boat, cable, winch or S2? It’s a toss up between boat and cable but I don’t think you can beat riding a boat with a big wake.

13. Metal or pop? Metal.

5. Most influential wakeboarder for you? It has to be Jonty Green he has such a sick style, I’m sure most will agree. I’m pretty sure some things he does you have just got to be crazy to even attempt! 6. Worst trick? Spinning like a pencil with no grab. 7. Most underrated rider? Elliot newman without a doubt that kid’s got some talent. 8. Most memorable wake moment? Watching Harley Clifford land a wake to wake 1080 then Ollie Derome landing one straight after at the Wake Games - such a big step for the sport. 9. Something we don’t know about you? When I’m not traveling around wakeboarding you can find me on a building site in Shoreditch. 10. Most embarrassing moment? It has to be when I was at Thai wake park two years ago dragging

14. Tea or coffee? Coffee 2 sugars. 15. Drinks in or drinks out? Drinks out. 16. Favourite tipple? I don’t drink, I’m an athlete .. no I’m messing, Malibu and pineapple juice (same as 11) or Desaronno and coke. 17. Place you would most like to live? The Playboy Mansion. 18. One question you would like answered? This has been puzzling me and most of my friends for a long long long time, Lee Debuse is always in the gym but why is he still so fat? 19. Life ambition? Developing property. 20. What makes a wakeboarder? A board and bindings, long hair and a pair of balls. If you’re the kid who’s scared to catch an edge or can’t cut into a kicker or boat wake as hard as you can then you may as well give up.

Garrison

MAX MAIN

wakeboard camps in the heart of the wakeboarding world

Located Located in in Winter Winter Haven Haven Florida Florida Camps for all levels Camps for all levels Fully Fully loaded loaded x-star x-star Pro coaching with Stew Pro coaching with Stew Mackie Mackie Beautiful lake front house Beautiful lake front house Book and Booknow nowfor forWinter May/June Winter/Spring 2013

all major brands huge stock 2012 stock now in!

call: 01285 713735 - or go to: www.craigcohoon.com

web:

email:

www.cowakes.com

cowakes@gmail.com

UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BIGGEST WAKE

THE BEST COACHES

FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE CALL: 01252 524375

WAKEMK

The Cable Building Willen Lake Milton Keynes MK15 9HQ 01908 670197 www.wakemk.com

wakeboard camps in the heart of the wakeboarding world

all major brands huge stock 2012 stock now in!

call: 01285 713735 - or go to: www.craigcohoon.com

web:

email:

www.cowakes.com

cowakes@gmail.com

UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BIGGEST WAKE

THE BEST COACHES

FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE CALL: 01252 524375

Sadly the end of a club has come. Princes Club has shut the doors for the last time. The club has produced many a hero for wakeboarding. We will miss you Princes. Thanks for the good times.

Eddy

Goodbye Princes

Eddy

Eddy Crowhurst swims upstream

KNOW YOUR OFFICIAL AUTHORISED HYPERLITE PRO SHOPS PRINCES : 01784 253201 / PRINCES-SHOP.CO.UK - TALLINGTON LAKES : 01778 347000 / TALLINGTONLAKESPROSHOP.COM ROBIN HOOD : 01924 443843 / ROHO.CO.UK - SHEFFIELD CABLE SKI : 01142 511717 / TENFEETHIGH.COM WET N DRY : 01268 569988 / WETNDRYBOARDSPORTS.COM - EDGERIDERS : 01473 232918 / EDGERIDERS.COM OFFAXIS : 01758 713407 / OFFAXIS.CO.UK - KING OF WATERSPORTS : 01202 763675 / KINGOFWATERSPORTS.COM TRIBAL WATERSPORTS : 0845 388 7065 / TRIBALWATERSPORTS.CO.UK - MAVEN MARINE : 0845 658 8197 / MAVENMARINE.COM LIQUID LEISURE : 01753 542 500 / LLSKI.COM - WAKE MK : 01908 670 197 / WAKEMK.COM H2O SPORTS : 01202 733744 / H2O-SPORTS.CO.UK - SURFDOME : 0844 357 1022 / SURFDOME.COM ATB SHOP : 01793 523255 / ATBSHOP.CO.UK - WAKE UP DOCKLANDS : 07789 395 160 / WAKEUPDOCKLANDS.COM FESTIVAL WAKE PARK – FLAGSHIP STORE: 0844 8879253 / FESTWAKE.COM