The morning began with Jenn Evans and Kayleigh Panter getting bumped up a category but shining to 1st and 3rd place in the Novice Female 16-19.  Newcomer and Novice male Jamie Panter aced his run and took 1st in the Novice Male 16-19 category. These 3 young athletes from Fenelon Falls are newcomers to the wakeboard circuit and are making waves with the Buckeye Team this summer.

The Intermediate Males: 13 -15 Heat showcased the 3 seasoned members of the team, Harrison Carter, Mitch Lowry and Will Morris. With a standup run, Harrison Carter took first place on the podium, followed by Mitch Lowry with a clean 2nd place and Will Morris rounding it out at 4th place. These young men have been throwing it down on the local amateur wakeboard scene for the past 3 summers and will finish off the season at the Canadian Wakeboard open in Peterborough on August 27th to 29th.  The seven member team is sponsored by Buckeye Marine and operates out of The Wake Institute in Bobcaygeon. The rotating roster of coaches include Jay Poole, Jeremy Eckford, Ally Boothroyd, Erika Langman and Mark Norris, who are well known in wakeboarding circles.  The youngest member of the team, Michael Evans did not compete at the Wakestock event but was on hand to lend his support of his team members.

By: Erika Langman

This past weekend the Roots made its way to Gravenhurst, Ontario for the third and final stop of the three event series. It has been awhile since a grassroots Wakeboard event has taken place in the legendary cottage country and it was great to see a huge crew of local riders and spectators out to support the event. The day started off with the future of wakeboarding – the Newbie and beginner boys and girls. There were 22 young guns out there ripping behind Basecamp’s 210 Nautique, including riders as young as four years old. 

As the day moved into the mid afternoon we watched the Open Men battle for not only the series title, but the title of Provincial Champ. Top seeded riders Christian Primrose, Gavin Hicks and Robbie McMillen all won their heats moving them into the leading positions for the semis and finals. At the end of the day it was Robbie McMillen taking home the Samsung Laptop for winning the Provincial gold, and Roots Stop #3 overall series title.

 The Wakeskaters were out in full force, with local pro riders Dan Brown, Mark Enns, Tommy Bailey and Addison Farr rounding up the wakeskate finals. On the ladies side of things local Steph King stepped up the level of intermediate riding taking the top spot, while series leader Ally Boothroyd told the boys what’s up stomping clean shuvs and flat water tricks in the Women’s Wakeskate division. The largest category of the day was the Intermediate Men’s Wakeboard which saw a lot of new talent from all over the province. It was great to see new faces to the series, including Tyler Nicholson who took the top spot, and Logan Enright claiming the series title. Overall the contest pulled 75 riders from eleven categories which is a testament to the growth of wakeboarding in Ontario. 

The day was a success, but it never could have happened without the support of all the volunteers. This year was a building year for grassroots wakeboarding in Ontario and we are excited to see how the series will evolve next year as more sponsors jump on board. A special thanks goes out to Pride of Muskoka and Basecamp for letting us use their loaded wakeboard boats, Off the Wharf and Cabana Boardshop for hooking up the riders with sweet prizes, G&G Electronics for the sound system, Ronix, Hyperlite and Liquid Force for the demo fleets, Metab Clothing for providing the riders with event shirts, Basecamp staff Leslie Sparkes, Scott Duke, Robbie McMillen, Dary Zneble, Mikey Henry, Gordie Lahare for all their help, Eric Snidal at Militia Marketing, Dan Seguin, Jer Eckford, Ally Boothroyd, Jono Boysen, Rem Diagle, Mitch Lowry, Harrison Carter, Andrew MacIvor and everyone who volunteered all their time to make this series a success!! Check out the overall series standings at www.rootswakeboarding.com.

Overall Series Champs:

Beginner Men: John VanGrunsven

Beginner Women: Kristine Tomlinson

Intermediate Men: Logan Enright

Intermediate Women: Ally Boothroyd

Amateur Wakeskate: Laurie Leblanc

Womens Wakeskate: Ally Boothroyd

Open Wakeskate: Brady Hicks

Open Men’s Wakeboard: Robbie McMillen

Roots #3 Results:

Newbie Boys:

Payton Schaley

Zack Ireland

Mike Evans

Shane Brandsetter

Theo Sastruck

Tristian Castelli

Tommy Sastruck

JoJo Sastruck

Beginner Boys:

Jesse Bryant

Dawson McLachlan

Jamie Panter

Payton Schaly

Matt Montgomery

Peter Newstead

Graeme Murry

Mike Evans

9. Remi Diagle

Beginner Girls

Jenn Evans

Kristine Tomlinson

Kaleigh Panter

Michelle Despins

Intermediate Women:

Steph King

Ally Boothroyd

Amanda Robinson

Jenn Evans

Amateur Wakeskate

Dan Seguin

 Christian Primrose

Adam Fairbrass

Kane Gasparotto

Aaron Turek

Russell Braive

Mitch Lowry

Josh Vlaming

Open Men Qualifiers

Heat 1

Christian Primrose

Chris Sinkic

Dylan Rivait

Mike McBreaty

Jake Thompson

Jeremy Eckford

Heat 2

Gavin Hicks

Gordy Lehare

John Eckensviller

Jordan Long

Dary Zneble dns

Heat 3

1.Robbie McMillen

Chad Rivait

Mikey Henry

Andrew MacIvor

Drew Austin

Intermediate Qualifiers

Heat 1

Tommy Bailey

 Will Morris

Cody Bryant

Matt Udon

Logan Rettie

Heat 2

Tyler Koller

Mike Case

Grant Hefferman

Mitch Lowry

Adam Lewis

Heat 3

Tyler Nicholson

Logan Enright

Harrison Carter

Charlie Murphy

Wakeskate Semi-Finals

Heat 1

Dan Brown

Addison Farr

Jeff Braun

Laurie Leblanc

Adam Lewis

Christian Primrose

Heat 2

Tommy Bailey

Mark Enns

Brady Hicks

Dan Seguin

Gordy Lehare

Austin Farr

Open Semi-Finals

Heat 1

Mike McBreaty

Christian Primrose

Dylan Rivait

Chad Rivait

Heat 2

Gavin Hicks

Mikey Henry

Chris Sinkic

Heat 3

Robbie McMillen

Gordy Lehare

John Eckensville

Intermediate FINAL

Tyler Nicholson

Logan Enright

Tommy Bailey

Tyler Koller

Will Morris

Mike Case

Open Skate FINAL

Tommy Bailey

Dan Brown

Addison Farr

Mark Enns

Open Men’s FINAL

Robbie McMillen

Gavin Hicks

Mike McBreaty

Getting Extreme at Ontario Place

Many if not all of us involved in action sports despise the word “Extreme.”  However, there are also a large majority of us that also rely on the income from action sports to continue to allow us to enjoy the sports that we love.  As we mature in the sport we need to find ways to continue to be involved and also find the money to pay the bills.  In many cases, being “Extreme” helps us bridge the gap between playing action sports and living action sports.

For watersports enthusiasts that grew up in Toronto, the idea of waterskiing or wakeboarding in the city is something special. The idea of getting paid to do it is even better. This dream became a reality again at Ontario Place with the Ontario Place Extreme Wake Series (OPX).

There was a waterski at Ontario Place during the CNE from 1950 to 1997.  The Wake Series is the new school version of this waterski show. The new school is a celebration of the “Extreme.”  High speed barefooting, high flying wakeboarding, technical wakeskating and spectacular hydrofoyling.  All of these put together form an action packed 15 minute show.

This is an exciting time for waterskiers and wakeboarders in Ontario. These events are the beginning of a new movement in professional show skiing. There has only been one company in Canada running professional shows since 1997. Summer Water Sports has been the only company continuing the show skiing legacy in Canada. OPX is so important to this movement because is the beginning to new school show skiing.  This new school is the “Extreme” aspect of the event.  This aspect gets away from traditional ballet style show skiing and moves towards high flying action and excitement. More importantly it celebrates the activities we really enjoy. This means that wakeboarders can do what waterskiers have been doing for years. They can get paid to participate in the sport they love.  Show skiers for years have laughed all the way to the bank, pulling in big money to ski every day. The “Extreme” culture that the media has created now allows wakeboarders to ride and get paid.  This event is open to all waterskiers and wakeboarders in Ontario. It is meant to be a showcase of everyone’s abilities. If you would like to participate please email teamfunwatersports@gmail.com

Check out these EXTREME pictures from the Ontario Place events so far.

Photo credit: Andy Campbell

www.rootswakeboarding.com

Location: Gull Lake, Gravenhurst

Schedule:
Contest Tentative Timeline: Note, times are most likely to change so make sure you are on site 1 hour prior to your category

Friday July 30th

10:00AM Board and Boat Demo’s Start:
For those of you that have been drooling over the brand new line up of 2010 wakeboards and skates but just aren’t sure which board set-up you want to shred all season – never fear! The Roots tour is following a two day format: Contest one day, board and boat demos the other. We want to get EVERYONE out on the water having a good time, and the opportunity to try out the latest and greatest in wake equipment. There will be plenty of boards to demo behind the fully loaded contest towboat. All ages and abilities welcome!

Saturday July 31th – Provincials
8:00AM: Registration Opens, Registration is open all day. Make sure you are registered 1-2 hours before your category.
9:00AM – 9:45AM: Newbie Boys and Girls
9:45AM – 10:30AM: Beginner men and women
10:30AM – 11:30AM: Amateur and Women’s Wakeskate
11:30AM – 1:00PM: Open Men’s Wakeboard Qualifiers
1:00PM – 2:00PM: Intermediate Men’s and Women’s Wakeboard
2:00PM – 3:00PM: Open Men’s Wakeskate
3:00PM – 3:30PM: Open Women’s Wakeboard
4:00PM: FINALS
5:30PM: AWARDS

Pricing:
Newbie: Free + WSWO membership ($30)
Beginner: $30 + WSWO membership
Intermediate: $30+ WSWO membership
Open: $40 + WSWO membership

AFTERPARTY: The Roots Provincial Championships Official After-party at the Bala Bay Inn, Saturday July 31st.

The Roots #2: Sunny Skies, White Sand Beaches and Mastercrafts

Len’s Cove Marina played host to the second stop of the Roots AM wakeboard series this past weekend at Nangor Resort in the White Water Region outside of Ottawa, Ontario. Nangor is one of those to good to be true places where a white sand beach stretches for miles beside butter water, aka an ideal site for a wakeboard contest.   Riders travelled from all over the map to come to this stop, from Niagra Falls, Muskoka, Bobcaygeon, Toronto and of course all the Ottawa locals. Len’s Cove Marina hooked us up with a pimped out pro-tour style Mastercraft X-Star and X-14 as the event towboats, while Slaysh Boardshop in Ottawa gave out some wicked prizes for the riders.

All the categories had some amazing riding, but a special hi-five props goes out to the riders in the Open Mens division. Ontario hasn’t seen this level of riding in years and it is great to see how we have progressed! New to the scene ripper Christian Primrose took the third place position starting out with one of the biggest raleys I have ever seen, and stomping bangers like Skeezers, tootsies and cab 5s. The first place position was a tough one to judge between Gavin Hicks and Robbie McMillen. Both stomped their run in the final landing mobe after mobe, but Gav took the icing on the cake when he landed his toe 7 clean.

A special thanks goes to Danny and Barb from Nangor for their hospitality, Rem D, Dan Seguin, Charlie Sirois and Matt Sac at Wake2Wake for their superior driving skills, Jer Eckford, Frank Good, Jordan Sien, Robbie McMillen and the rest of the judging crew, Sarah at Slaysh Boardshop in Ottawa, Jono at Ronix Hyperlite, Liquid Force, and of course Team Lens Cove and Mastercraft for making this event happen. 

The last stop of the series is the Ontario Provincial Championships in Gravenhurst Friday July 30th and Saturday July 31st, so make sure you make it out to ride/demo boards/watch the best riders in Ontario throw down for the series title.

Erika Langman

Results:

Newbie Boys:

1. Troy Quinn

Newbie Girls

1. Jackie Sakaguchi

2. Jodi Lynn

Beginner Boys:

1 P.J McFarlane

2 Remi    Diagle

3 John   VanGrunsven

4 Max   Gillham

5 Adam   Vanhone

6 Isaac Fairfield

Beginner Girls

1. Doesenburg Lisa

2. Doesenburg Sarah

Intermediate Girls

1.Chiappa Kelsey

2.Noel Marie-France

3.Boileaux Jocelynn

4.Alporte Natalie

5.Tenwesteneind Emily

Amateur Wakeskate

1 Seguin Dan

2 Leblanc Laurie

3 Primrose Christian

4 Fvlaming Josh

5 Lowery Mitch

6 Fiarfield Max

Open Women’s Wakeskate:

1. Timmy MacNamee

2. Natalie Alporte

Open Men’s Wakeskate FINAL

1. Dan Brown

2. Brady Hicks

3. Mark Norris

1. Tommy Bailey
2. Laurie Leblanc
3. Dan Seguin
4. Andy Milovanovic

Intermediate Men’s FINAL:

1. Logan Enright

2. Pat Harder

3. Mitch Lowery

4. Logan Rettie

Intermediate Men’s Qualifiers:

Heat 1:

1. Mitch Lowry

1. Logan Rettie
2. Alex Normandeau
3. Ben Hicks

Heat 2.

1. Logan Enright
2. Pat Harder
3. Will Morris
4. Dylan Kirn

Open Men Quaterfinals

Heat 1

1.Gavin Hicks

1. Chris Sickic
2. Mark Norris
3. Aaron Kirn
4. Jordan Sien

Heat 2

1. Christian Primrose
2. Frank Good
3. Jeremy Eckford
4. Dary Znebel – DNS

Heat 3

1. Robbie McMillen
2. Andy Milovanovic
3. Jordan Long
4. Dom Siroirs

Open Men’s Semi-Finals

Heat 1.

1. Frank Good
2. Gavin Hicks
3. Andy Milovanovic

Heat 2.

1. Christian Primrose
2. Jordan Long
3. Chris Sikic

Heat 3.

1. Robbie McMillen
2. Mark Norris
3. Jeremy Eckford

Open Men’s Wakeboard FINAL

1. Gavin Hicks

2. Robbie McMillen

3. Christian Primrose

Click here to view the embedded video.

Selecting the Right Wake School

Every summer there are more and more watersports schools popping up in Ontario. With all the choices out there, how do you pick the right school for you and or your children?  In most cases location is the number one factor in wake school selection. However, the closest school is not always the best option. You may get a lot more out of driving a little further. Here are some things to consider to select the best school to ensure you are going to learn the most in a safe and effective manner.

Insurance

This should be your first question. All (well almost) schools in Canada use the same insurance policy. Water Ski Wakeboard Canada has a collective policy that all school subscribe to. If the school you are looking at does not have liability insurance through Water Ski Wakeboard Canada, this should be a huge red flag.

There is another important insurance that ski schools require. This is commercial boat insurance. Normal boat insurance does not cover commercial operations, so the school should have a commercial policy.

Equipment (sponsors)

Lets face it, most of us don’t have $80,000 for a boat. If you are dropping big money for lessons, you want to ride behind a cool boat. However, the reality is that most riders don’t need a weighted X Star to learn how to land a heel side 180. In fact, in some cases a massive wake might make it harder. Ensure that the boat suits your level of riding and is in good condition.  Talk to the instructor about how they weight the boat for intermediate riders.

You will probably want to use your own board and vest, as this is what you will be using when you get back to your place. If you are interested in trying a new board, demo it from a shop and try it on your boat.

As a form of reference, ask what sponsors the school has. This will give you an indication of the industry support the school has. Generally, the more sponsors (in this case the bigger the better) the more legit the school is.

Qualifications

To qualify for the insurance policy from Waterski Wakeboard Canada (mentioned above), you have to be qualified by Water Ski Wakeboard Canada. The Canadian Water Ski Instructors course trains instructors in boat driving, all aspects of waterskiing and wakeboarding, and requires first aid and a boating licence. This course ensures that your instructor will meet all of these important requirements.

Experience

While it is important to be a qualified instructor, it is the experience that makes a great instructor. The instructor’s course is just the tip of the iceberg of what you can know.  A good instructor should have worked as an apprentice or with an experienced instructor before starting their own business. When talking about experience, as about the number of students taught not just the number of years.  Some schools only teach a few students each year, where as other schools teach thousands of students per year. As with most things, practice make perfect. The more times an instructor has taught something, the more perfected their teaching style will be. This is a very important consideration when selecting an instructor. Ask them several questions about how many students they have taught that are of your ability level.  Discuss with them your goals for the lesson and how they plan to teach that trick or tricks. A good instructor will be able to explain several teaching techniques for each trick and justify why they teach a certain way.

Instructors riding level (who will be taking you out)

You do not be able to do what you teach. However, having experience with the learning process of like or similar tricks will help the instructor explain and provide explanations for the trick. Find out what skills the instructor has, and if you are looking at a larger school this will be your chance to reserve an instructor that will meet your needs.

Cost

The honest reality is that it will take some time before you can work effectively with a new instructor. Even best instructors need time to look at your riding and get an idea of what you can do before they can really get into the teaching. Look for a package or program that will give you some time to get to know the instructor. Also, be realistic about what you can do. No matter how athletic you are, you cannot ride for an hour. Break it into 30 minute or less time slots, with time to rest.

The bottom line is that cost should not be your determining factor. You have made huge investments in your boat, cottage, fuel, board etc. A little more spending should result in way more fun on the water. In most cases, the schools that charge less, do so for a reason: there service is inferior.  More expensive schools should offer better boats, and more experienced instructors. Paying a little more for a lesson should get you a lot more!

Location and Availability

If a school is busy, it’s usually because they are good at what they do! Book your lessons well in advance and be flexible. It is a short summer for instructors to make money, they will usually work in the early mornings or into the evening. You may find the water is the calmest at these times!

At the end of the day the more time you spend researching your ski school, the more fun you will have and the more you will get out of it. Don’t be shy to ask questions of your instructor and take advantage of the skills they have. Their role is to help you have more fun on the water and behind the boat!

Making the Most of Your Lesson

Show up 15 minutes early, as there will be paperwork to complete. Explain to the instructor your goal or goals for the lesson.  Trust the instructor, they may have you take a few steps back to ensure that you can move forward effectively.  This may be disappointing, but it will help you reach your goal more quickly and effectively with fewer falls.

Save your questions that are not directly related to the skills you are working on until after the lesson.  You do not want to clutter your mind with to much information. Take advantage of the instructor to ask questions, but also remember that this is their job, and they make money by charging for their skill set. If they spend an hour with you answering questions, that is time they cannot make money.