Name: Charlie Newlands

Age: 24

Hometown: Toronto

Alright, first off, please explain hydro foiling to those who haven’t seen it before:

Hydrofoiling is a board with a seat on top that is attached to a post with a wing like an airplane attached to the bottom. This little airplane on the bottom flys through the water letting the board and seat hover above the water. By manipulating the wing I can jump and flip the ski in tons of different ways. Because there is less resistance in the water and a greater range of control from other water sports you can get spectacular amounts of air and ride in rough water or behind boats with no wake with the same results.

How did you get into foiling?

I got into hydro foiling in 2006, by a guy from SWS named Millsy, he had an old air chair and was pretty good at it, he said “Hey mate, you should try this” and I said “ok” and the rest is history!

Tell us about Summer Water Sports:

SWS is Canada’s largest recreational water sports company. My brother and I bought it in 2006. We worked there for 6 previous years before buying it. When we were little we would always go to the ski shows at Clevlands House on Monday night and then go home and put on our own ski show the next day. I want to make SWS even bigger and better then we are right now by having more ski shows, providing more schools and camps for kids,also I want to make some more professional videos and take our company international to do shows all over the world and just try to be the best!

You worked at Sea World in Australia for a few years, can you give us a job description of what you did there?

Definitely. Sea World Australia was the longest running performance show in Australian history, 38 years! My job would be to show up to the ski site, the show director would have a list of what you’d be doing in the show and for training. I had the privilege to ski with some of the best water skiers and wakeboarders in the world.  I did some freestyle jumping, hydrofoiling, front and back barefoot, pyramids, acting, dancing seadoo driving… and try to speak with an Aussie acent!  Oh and drive the aqua car. It was nice to wake up every morning to know that your job was to entertain people and waterski all day every day! It was a experience to have skied there being Canadian and working on the other side of the world.

Where do you see hydrofoiling in the future?

I see hydrofoiling getting bigger then it is right now. It just needs more marketing and foils need to be cheaper, there needs to be more events. It would help if magazines, like waterski magazines got behind it. I think hydrofoiling is good for someone who struggles with wakeboarding, its not as physically demanding, and you can go bigger, your not going to break your knees with this sport. I hope every family in Ontario has one in their boat house one day!

Whats the best thing about being a professional show skier?

I’d say getting paid to travel all over the world and getting to ski in exotic spots.

What are some of the exotic spots that you’ve got to ski at?

Malaysia, Kula Lumpoor, all over Austalia from east to west coast, Florida, Texas….

Whats the hardest thing about being a professional show skier?

Gigs… getting gigs. They’re out there, but you can only do one at a time, the sometimes overlap with others.

Who are your greatest influences in foiling and show skiing?

For hydro, Geno Yauchler is definitely my go to guy. I’ve learned so much from him and I’m planning on working for him in his ski school in Florida when I get back from Australia. For show skier I’d say Jack and Deon Ellison. These guys to me are the biggest names in show skiing. They taught me a lot about how to deal with the pressure of shows, when to shut up, teaching me how to run professional shows.

What’s your favourite trick on a hydro foil?

Ooooh. There’s so many different ones…. I like, hand to hand 3′s or bustin out a quad combo.

Can explain that in terms to me like I dont know what your talking about?

Combo is when you land a trick, instead of stopping to line up for another one, you do four in a row.

Like back rolls?

Straight backs. But you can do them with almost all hydro tricks, you can do combos.

What about your favourite trick off a ski jump?

Double wake cut L.D. front flip infront of five thousand people at sea world. That’s my favourite trick.

OK.. again… what is L.D?

L.D. stands for long distance.

How far do you go?

My record is probably around a hundred feet.

WOW.

How about your favourite wakeboard trick?

Fashion Air.

Noway….

I’d rather hit rails then ride behind the boat wakeboarding…. and I love winching ANYTHING!

So what’s on your progression list? What tricks do you want to get next?

I want to get a ball and chain on the hydro foil.

Whats that?

Its a mobe, it’s like instead of wrapping for a KGB you wrap the other way… spinning away from the boat. THAT, into a combo.

Wow… impressive.

You’ve traveled all around the world for ski shows. Tell us about your favourite experience?

Probably Malasia with all the pyro, we had our waverunners all set up with fireworks on the back and were driving around the ski show at night with rockets flyin out ten inches behind my head.

Actually wait, I got a different one… Australia Day 2008, it was at the Olympic rowing centre in Sydney Australia… it was like 25 thousand people watching me waterski… doin my thing.

OH and jumping out of a helicopter and barefooting away… that was fun.

How about your most recent?

Florida. Skiing in a show, meeting a bunch of new people in the North American scene.

You took a dream tour down to the states with a few other Canadians last fall, can you give us a brief description of what you and the other Ontarians get up to?

Whole lotta fun!  Starting with me and my Australian friend Kane Dawson driving in the Newlands family van, which became the tour bus. We headed down the road, first stop NYC. Then to North Caro where we did some winching in the surf. Then we drove across to Tulsa Oklahoma, hung out there for a couple days… shot some guns and almost blew my face off. Then the real fun started when we got to Texas and met up with my good friends Ally, Jay and Jeremy. We rode at the cable park most days… Almost broke my neck winching in a mall fountain… 100 kilos is a lot to get moving in a short pool I guess. Then we met up with Ally’s friend Josh Rice, who by the way is a total dude and pro cable rider. He showed us this epic winch spot in San Marcos. That pretty dope, that spot. Then we left for Florida…. stopped in New Orleans… we were going to winch this spot in New Orleans but the sheriff shut down the party. So we moved on from there, headed along the gulf.. eventually hitting Orlando Florida where we met up with Cassandra, Ally’s friend and all the guys from the Projects. We hit OWC and then went to Geno’s place in Winterhaven and that was the end of dream tour part one…. then drove back with my good friend Ally (you) OH man… I got that court date in two days, for my speeding ticket! haha

OH YEAH. haha

NOT GOING HAHA

Hahaha Do you have any exciting trips planned in the future?

Absolutely… I want to put together a team that travels to different destinations all over the world, were going to bring a winch, some money, a jet ski, if we can get our hands on a boat some places we go. Lots of cameras and make sure everyone brings their party hat. But I want to make a serious movie on our travels.

Alright, count me in haha… OK tell us a little bit about your movies:

Well, ever since my brother and I bought SWS we’d always try to put together a video of what goes on in SWS in the summer times in the muskokas, there’s more then just wakeboarding going on. People need to know that there’s lots more that you can do behind a boat other then wakeboard and be somewhat cool while your doing it.

Shout outs?

Ally!

Thanks. Who else?

Jay, Jer, Vince, Geordie, Woods, Balls, Morris, Geoff Hulet, TEAM SWS! Everyone at the wake institute, Erika Langman… she’s the champion of the world. Geno, freak of nature. My girlfriend for letting me do whatever I want to do. My mom and dad. Gert and Ruby, my puppies. Everyone, all the sponsors that support SWS, I want to thank H2O entertainment for calling me up to ski. Sky Ski.