Wakeskating
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wakeskating is new type of watersport and is an adaptation of wakeboarding that employs a similar design of board manufactured from maple or from fibreglass. Unlike wakeboarding, the rider is not bound to the board in any way, which gives the sport its own unique challenges. Instead, the top surface of the board is covered with griptape, (in a similar fashion to a skateboard) or a soft, high-traction, foam covering that is kinder to riders in the inevitable crashes. Riders usually wear shoes while riding to afford themselves extra purchase on the board, similar to skateboarding.
Some of the earliest riding to resemble wakeskating dates back to the late 70s and early 80s with "freeboarding" or "wakesurfing." Originally, riders would surf behind boats with long boards, but eventually the evolution leaned towards boards that were much shorter (ex:4'8) which allowed riders to launch airs off the wake and even ollie. However, the watersports industry leaned strongly towards bindings, resulting in the focused evolution of wakeboarding. Wakeskating would eventually begin to take notice in the mid 90s, and the growth continued. It is increasingly popular in youth culture across the globe, but is prevalent mainly in its country of origin; the United States. An aspect of wakeskating that draws many aficionados to it, as opposed to wakeboarding, is progression without the need for the large and extremely expensive boats (necessary to create the wake for wakeboarders to achieve maximum air time). An alternative to using wakeboard boats to tow riders is using high powered jet skis. This method of watercraft can provide an adequate tow, however, produce little or no wake. Jetskis are better for shallow water or where water obstacles are available to perform tricks on.
Wakeskating tricks are inherently more technical than wakeboarding. The tricks are based firmly on skateboarding as opposed to snowboarding. Numerous tournaments and competitions exist throughout the world for the sport of wakeskating.
Smaller Rider Owned Companies have started to make their mark on the sport of wakeskating, such as Cassette, New, Oak Wakeskates Sattelyte Wakeskates and Integrity.
New materials and assembly techniques are continually introduced into the sport of wakeskating. Traditional boards are made of plywood or fiberglass, but a new technology has come out called Tri-Ax Fiberglass reinforcing. A woven fiberglass top sheet is applied. This process helps the board to be more rigid and increases the life of the board (http://www.wakeboardingmag.com/article.jsp?ID=42987).
One type of board is a bi-level wakeskate. The bi-level was first used on a wakeskate by one of the forefathers of wakeskating, Thomas Horrell. It is basically two boards usually made of plywood and/or fiberglass connected in the middle by two brackets. The point of having a bi-level board is that the flex in the top board helps accelerate the board from the water, which allows the board to stay with your feet and also feel more like an ollie on a skateboard.
The other type of board is a Concave deck, usually either compression molded out of fiberglass, or a wood core deck. Compression molded wakeskates are less dense than wood core wakeskates, which is one factor that will cause a board to sit higher in the water (along with rail shape--a sharper rail will make the board sit higher and ride with a high response level; round rails allow a board to sit deeper in the water). Conversely, wood core decks tend to be a tad bit heavier, and are more dense, which make them favored by most wakeskaters. They state that the wood core deck feels more like a skateboard and is easier to control/feel.
Wakeskates usually size between 100-114 cm (roughly 39-43 inches), which is considerably smaller than a wakeboard. Rail shape can vary from a more rounded shape, which is common on most wood skates, to a sharper rail, which was traditionally found on compression molded decks, and a resurgence in the variable edge, which means the rail will be rounded in the middle and sharp on the edges. Today, a variable edge can be found on numerous wakeskates, since it allows for forgiveness on rails and lip tricks, but also allows you a sharp edge for cutting into the wake.
Wakeskates are manufactured by many of the same companies that produce wakeboards such as CWB, Hyperlite, and Liquid force, along with many Wakeskate specific companies such as Integrity, Oak, Sattalyte, and New. However, going back into wakeskating's roots, the first company dedicated specifically to wakeskating was called Fresh Water Traction. Fresh Water Traction (abbreviated as FWT) was the first company to produce any product specifically for wakeskating. Their first products began as traction pads, which are foam constructions one could attach to their wakeboard via the inserts one would normally use for bindings. This allowed for riders to try the art of wakeskating without having to commit to cutting up their wakeboard or attaching something that could also be removed. Later, Fresh Water also came out with the first wakeskate specific fin. This fin was shallow and long and allowed for the board to release much easier than most wakeboarding fins at the time. Towards the end, Fresh Water attempted to release a wakeskate to the public, but cost was a major hurdle that could not be over come.
Soon before Fresh Water Traction ceased production, a small rider owned company named Cassette entered the market in 1999. In an interview with WakeBoarding magazine in 1999, Thomas Horrell aluded to the idea of a wakeskate specific company: "Some day soon there will be an all wakeskate company, and it's going to be a totally different thing; it's going to be sick. People will triple-take on it; it's going to be massive and people won't know what to think." Early on, Cassette was run independently, but soon after the brand was licensed to Liquid Force. Once Liquid Force filed for bankruptcy, their working contract with Cassette became void, resulting in Cassette separating from Liquid Force in 2003 and not 99-00 as previously stated. In the realm of board production and design, Cassette began by producing flat decks, but by 2002 they had introduced the first concave wakeskate to the market. 2003 brought about the influential and legendary 4-trac, along with a wakeskate-specific fin that allowed for not only nose slides, but bluntslides and mannual variations. 2005 brought the world of wakeskating its first bi-level.
In addditon to Cassette's contribution to advancing wakeskate designs, they also produced and captured some of wakeskating's most influential films, allowing them to portray wakeskating and push it in the best direction they saw fit. Cassette not only produced wakeskating's first "team videos" but also the first film dedicated entirely to wakeskating, which is titled Linear Perspective 2001's and 2003's Sfumato.
Cassette founder, Thomas Horrell is widely respected from his influence on wakeskating and his contribution to its progression. Although the company is currently defunt, Cassette Wakeskates are still sought after for both riding entertainment as well as historical value. Horrell still lurks, putting out stand up video parts and pushing the sport.
WakeBoarding Magazine, 1999: "The wakeskating thing has just started. Messer and his whole scheme has just started to unfold as he thought. He's totally right on when it comes to that. It's going to be huge and totally break through all of the barriers that have been up against wakeboarding in the last three or four years."--Thomas Horrell
Contents |
[edit] Board materials
The two materials both have a different feel in the water. If you want a light weight board then you should get a composite board or fiberglass board.
[edit] Fin Technology
Fins are constructed with three different kinds of materials. The first and original fin material to wakeskating is plastic. This material will bend and crack if it is exposed to the right conditions. When the fin breaks and bends, it loses its performance. Plastic fins can only be molded down to .5 inches in width. Several materials fin manufacturers use are fiberglass and aluminum. Due to the fact that they are hand molded or machined they can be much narrower. The narrow fins will cut down on drag in the water. Aluminum fins are heavier and cost more, but they hold up to the beating that wakeskating can give them. Fiberglass fins are cheaper than aluminum fins, but in time they chip apart. They don’t weigh as much as aluminum fins either (http://www.wakeworld.com/Articles/2002/rightfin.asp).
The length of the fin on your board can vary greatly. Some fins are 5-8.5 inches long. The longer fins are good because, they don’t have to be as long to get the same surface area in the water. They will track better than a fin that is shorter. Also the long fins work better on rails and ramps because, they are short enough that they will not make a lot of contact with the rail and ramp. Shorter fins must be taller to get the same amount of tracking (http://www.wakeworld.com/Articles/2002/rightfin.asp).
A shallower fin will not track as good as a deeper one. But a deeper fin will have more drag in the water, and it will not release off the wake as fast (http://www.wakeworld.com/Articles/2002/rightfin.asp).
[edit] Getting Up
Deepwater Start
Mitchell Bieberich performs a Deepwater Start
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Cabin_and_lake_054.jpg
There are a variety of techniques for getting up on a wakeskate, but they all follow the same basic rules. Orient your body vertical in the water with the board deck under your feet. When the boat starts to pull forward, you will want to bring your feet and the board up in front of you. The pressure of the oncoming water should force the board to stick to your feet. Straighten your arms so that when the boat takes off you will not hurt your arms from the jolt. Your knees should be bent so that you can keep your center of gravity low. If your center of gravity is too high, then you would be pulled over your feet. When you have done all of the previously stated requirements, tell the boat driver to start going. When the boat starts to move, the water will push on the bottom of the wakeskate, forcing your upper body to rise up out of the water. In reality, the boat does the work for you. If you try to muscle your way through things, and force yourself to get up, you will end up getting your arms jerked. Getting up on a wakeskate is the exact same procedure you use to get up on a wakeboard. The only difference is, is that your feet are not connected with bindings. The pressure from the boat will force the board to be stuck to your feet, therefore it will make it easier to get up. It is found that it is most easy to get up on a wakeskate when the pulling rope is pulled tightly before the boat takes off. When you have gotten up, turn the board so that it is parallel with the boat, and turn your upper body so that it is perpendicular with the boat (http://www.wakeboardingmag.com/article.jsp?ID=33413).
Dock Start Instead of doing a deepwater start, you can perform a dock start. A dock start is when you jump off of a dock and position a wakeskate under your feet with the rope handle in your hand. It is similar to an acid drop in skateboarding. The hard part about this is your timing and positioning of the wakeskate beneath your feet. When you land in the water you must bend your knees, otherwise the board will slip out from under you. The hard part about this is your timing and positioning of the wakeskate (http://www.wakeboardingmag.com/article.jsp?ID=33413).
Once You're Up Jumping from one side of the wake to the other is called wake-to-wake air. The first thing that you must do is edge out to the right or the left, as far as you can. Come back about half way to the wake, and then progressively edge toward the wake. Edging is when you use the edge of the board to turn. When you hit the wake, your legs should be rigid, so that they do not absorb the wake. If you do not do this, you will not get any pop off the wake. Pop enables you to get into the air. Upon take-off, your front leg should be higher than your back leg, so that when the board is in the air, the wind will push the board against your feet. Immediately tuck your feet and knees up. The board will follow. If you get high enough and far enough you will go from wake to wake. The landing is also important. Before you land on the other side of the wake, you need to extend your legs and push the board toward the water. When you land you need to absorb the impact through your knees and keep your weight centered over your feet (http://www.wakeboardingmag.com/article.jsp?ID=33413).
[edit] Winching
Wakeskating, has in recent times become more and more urbanized due to the advent of the "winch". The winch is a mechanical device that holds a spool of rope and pulls the rope in at riding speed. This invention has given wakeskaters the opportunity to ride in places never imagined possible before. Making wakeskating more accessible than ever before. The original winch was the Re-wind winch was conceptualized Tony Robinson and Thomas Horrell in 2003 (http://www.winchskating.com/history/index.html). In recent times Released Winching co. has swept the winching industry with it's light weight and durable aluminum frames and its innovative releasing spool which allows the spool to free spin while the rider pulls out the rope. Winches however are not just a commercial endeavor, some people build their own using plans and forums such as winchskating.com.
Those who construct the winch themselves can expect to spend about $800-1600 plus. The main contributing factors of the price of the constructed winch are; the amount of horsepower the engine has, the age and condition of the engine, the length and quality of rope (generally people use anywhere from 200ft of rope to 700ft of rope), the quality of the materials used, such as the metal for the main structure, and another contributing factor in the price of the winch is if you do all the construction and assembly yourself (http://winchskating.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=207).
This progression has led to unique competitions such as Nokia Fise held in Montpellier, France. The Nokia competition featured a "skatepark" like setup with rails, sliders, boxes, kickers and gaps for the wakeskaters to throw tricks and combinations on.
The most known pool is the Oakley Pool jam which is a winching competition.
[edit] Shoes
The shoes that wakeskate riders wear are similar to skateboarding shoes and can often be used for both. Many wakeskating shoes are designed with quick drying materials and special drainage channels. The drainage channels are a system of holes in the sole and channels through the midsole (http://kampuswakesk8.com/04/Flash.html). Most of the recognizable Skateboard shoe manufacturers are starting to develop shoes for Wakeskaters, with DVS being the first legitimate skate shoe company to commit to a wakeskate specific shoe back in 2004 (though they outfitted Thomas Horrell and select members of the Cassette team since 1999). Adio has created the Adio Quest Wakeskate Shoe. Some wakeskating shoes are built with an EVA midsole. EVA is Ethylene-vinyl acetate. This polymer is an ideal material for the production of shoes, because it will not crack under stress. EVA is also perfect for the outdoors, because it is not affected by UV radiation. Other applications for EVA are padding in sport equipment (http://www2.dupont.com/Elvax/en_US/). This special lightweight buoyant material is perfect for keeping down the weight of a soaking wet shoe.
[edit] Tricks
- Ollie -The rider raises the board off the water using only his feet. This is usually a beginner trick for wakeskaters.
- Shuvit -The rider ollies on the board and makes the board do a 180 degree spin in the air with the rider landing back on top of it.
- Kickflip -The rider ollies, and then kicks the edge of the board with his toes forcing the board to rotate one full time around.
- Varial Kickflip -The rider goes like he is going to kickflip but makes the board also spin 180 degrees.
- Docker -The rider cuts out of the wake towards a dock. Then he approaches the dock from one side, jumps on it, runs across and lands on the board coming out the other side. This trick lost most of it's popularity after countless broken legs from people who dont know how to jump. Also, many boats were damaged because people didn't know they were on the other side when they jumped off the dock.
