Girl On: Dallas Friday
Apr 18 2007 / Los Angeles, CA
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Hand-down the greatest female wakeboarder ever
It's rare to see someone completely dominate any sport. Kelly Slater and Layne Beachley have been doing it in surfing for sometime, yet even they lose once in a while. Tony Hawk was winning X Games gold medals year-in and year-out, but someone would occasionally knock him off the podium. Same goes for Dave Mirra in BMX.
The same can't be said for Dallas Friday. Never has an athlete dominated their discipline as much as Dallas. Since her rookie year in 2000 (when she was only 13), it's been nothing but victories for the wakeboarding superstar. In 44 competitions since 2003, Dallas has lost only four events. And of those four, three of them were second place finishes. Plus, the Orlando, Florida native has an ESPY award under her belt, along with an Arby's Action Sports Award she received last December.
The most challenging competitor facing Dallas currently is herself. She suffered one of the most gruesome injuries ever heard of in any sport: Dallas shattered her femur and went into a coma during a bad spill in Singapore last fall.
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The recovery process is going well, as hard work and therapy has resulted in Dallas already pulling flips just six months after her crazy injury! Meaning her seat on the throne is going to continue to stay nice and warm for a very long time. And to make matters worse for her competitors, Dallas doesn't even turn 21 until September 6th. Youth, skill and determination remain by her side.
I caught up with the biggest superstar in female wakeboarding to discuss her frightening experience in Singapore, secrets to success, what her life is like off the board, whether complacency ever becomes an issue, and what's next for the greatest female wakeboarder of all-time, Dallas Friday.
Lat34: You were involved in a major accident last fall, one that nearly took your life. What happened?
Dallas: I was over at a competition in Singapore, and ended up in the final round. I was in my second to last trick. I was cutting into the wake when the tail of my board didn't track, and I slipped. I tried to throw the trick anyway, but had no momentum and landed hard on the second wake. I ended up breaking my femur in 9 places.
Lat34: Do you remember the accident?
Dallas: I remember it. I brought my brother over there for his 23rd birthday. When I fell, I knew right away something was wrong and started screaming. My brother jumped in the water and pulled me into the boat. My leg was like jello. There was no form to my leg whatsoever. My knee was bent backwards. No form to my thighs. Pretty weird to look at.
I was really lucky though to have my brother there. I would have been all alone. When my dad found out what happened, he flew out there to stay with me. I was supposed to be in Singapore for four days. I ended up being there a month.
Lat34: What shocked me the most when reading about it was the fact that you were in a coma. How did you end up in a coma?
Dallas: My lungs collapsed while I was in surgery. It had to do with fat cells leaving my femur, something to do with an embolism. The fat cells went up to my lungs, and one of them collapsed. So they put me out while I recovered. I was in a coma for 10 days, and actually woke up 12 days later. What's even crazier is that I didn't know I was out for that long. I thought it was only a few hours. Definitely a trip.
Lat34: How are you feeling now?
Dallas: My lungs are pretty much 100 percent. I have a metal rod in my leg that will be there forever, and I had to have surgery on my knee since every ligament was torn. I also had two blood clots in my leg. I almost couldn't fly back home.
I was fortunate to be in Singapore because their medical staff is top notch in the world. I learned how to walk just a few days before the Arby's Action Sports Awards (which Dallas won). I'm getting back into the competition scene, just started doing flips a month ago.
Lat34: That's crazy. You shouldn't rush into it, you're the greatest ever. Did you ever think about retiring?
Dallas: No. What's the point of looking back. I don't even think about it. I'm just looking ahead, getting better.
I didn't even know if I was ever going to walk again. I actually just watched the fall for the first time three days ago. It didn't look bad at all. It only looked like I slipped, just a freak accident.
Lat34: You turn 21 on September 6th. Are you excited about the big birthday, or have you already gotten a lot of the partying out of your system?
Dallas: (Laughing) I'll be over it by then. I'm looking forward to it though because we do a lot of video premieres for magazines and other promotions, and they're always in clubs and it's always kind of a pain to get me in there. So I'm definitely looking forward to that and not having trouble.
Lat34: The last time I talked to you was a couple of years back, when you were still a total grom. You were barely 18, but dominating then as you are now. I think you had just won the ESPY when we last spoke, and you were recently nominated again. You also just won an Arby's Action Sports Award. At what point do you get desensitized to all the awards and accolades? Or are you still blown away by every new award given to you?
Dallas: It's always really awesome to have different things besides contests. Like the Arby's Action Sports Awards. Just to get all the extreme athletes together to see what they do and what they've done for their sport. So it's definitely always exciting being at a new awards show and winning a new title. Definitely.
Lat34: Where do you see the progression of wakeboarding going? Where do you see the sport right now?
Dallas: I think it's definitely growing. I think it's growing overseas in other countries. People in the UK are getting into it. Australia actually has their own pro wakeboard tour there. As far as Florida, it's really big and isn't going to get much bigger. In other states and other countries, it's going off and I definitely think it's going to grow much bigger.
Lat34: Is Florida the capital of wakeboarding?
Dallas: It's like the Mecca of wakeboarding.
Lat34: You're hands down the top female wakeboarder alive, and you're going to be for a long time. Is there anyone that can realistically even come close to you? Don't be modest.
Dallas: There are a lot of up-and-coming girls. I don't know, I guess I compete against myself. I can ride bad and I can not win a competition. I can't win everything, obviously. Everyone has their bad days, but if I'm always riding my best, I'm always on the top podium.
I just hope to get more girls involved to make me work a little bit harder and get me motivated. (Laughs) I love wakeboarding, and I love competing. You have to love competing to do well at it and just strive off of it. I don't know, I just love the feeling of standing on the dock and watching the other girls ride and then going out there and doing my own thing and throw down what I know I could do. Some people hate competitions, but I love it. I love to win.
Lat34: You were a gymnast for a while, right?
Dallas: Yeah, for about eight years. Maybe seven. Seven years probably.
Lat34: Has that helped you at all in terms of your wakeboarding skills?
Dallas: Yeah, definitely, in terms of being flexible, strong and having air awareness. Getting out on my board, I was already throwing flips within my first week. Maybe not landing them, but I could definitely throw them. I just had to understand the line tension of the rope and things like that.
Lat34: Last time I talked to you, you were single. Are you still single?Dallas: No, I'm dating someone right now. He's a professional wakeskater. His name is Drew. He's a little bit older than I am.
Lat34: How much older?
Dallas: He's 32. We get along really good. Age doesn't matter to him.
Lat34: I think 29 is a far better age for you . Just saying.
Dallas: (Laughing) You're funny.
Lat34: Are you content with just being a wakeboarder in life, or are you doing different things?
Dallas: Wakeboarding is my thing. I like Florida, I like sun, I like playing with my dogs, and I like just hanging out. I'm not really too into the whole drama thing.
Lat34: I totally respect that. You're a wakeboarder, that's what you do, and you've been the best at it for a large number of years. Who are your sponsors? Who's taking care of you?
Dallas: Oakley Sunglasses, Malibu Boats, Fox Racing, Infinity Audio, Red Bull is my newest one, O'Brien Wakeboards, Performance Ski and Surf, Guru Tramp Boards and Otown Watersports.
- Cyrus Saatsaz
Photo credits: © Josh Letchworth/Red Bull Photofiles
