2006: The Year in Wakeboarding

 

It’s not an entirely new thing in wakeboarding; after all, Parks Bonifay landed a 1080 back in 2000. Allegedly the late Mark Kenney also did a 1080 once or twice, but none were documented. So the 1080 remained the Loch Ness monster of wakeboarding. Only one black and white sequence of the trick existed, and no one else was able to duplicate it. It looked like it may forever remain a myth, that is, until this year. Danny Harf landed one back in August. The video didn’t surface until September, but Danny finally claimed the $1080 bounty that had been on the line from 1080 Clothing for several years. Of course, since the first 1080 went unrepeated for 5 years, who knew when it would happen again.

 

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This time it was Danny Harf’s roommate and close personal friend Rusty Malinoski. Not more than a few weeks after Harf landed the 1080, Rusty was riding in Florida and stomped the second 1080 of 2006 (to our knowledge, Harf was yet to repeat the move.) Rusty could be seen celebrating in the video of Harf’s, so it is really no surprise he was next. And now that not one, but two videos exist of the trick, chances are a lot more people will be landing them in the season to come.

 

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Sadly, wakeboarding went the way of rollerblading in 2006, when it was cut from the X Games. That doesn’t mean the X Games were wakeboard-less. Instead of trekking to Long Beach, wakeboarders got to do their thing in the parking lot of the Home Depot Center, mere miles from Compton. Just for the crowd’s enjoyment, not for medals. But that, as it turns out, was probably one of the best places for a wakeboarding competition to be. The standard two passes behind the boat, with the same sliders they’ve been using since sliders were introduced in 1997, have left audiences yawning. But 2006 saw many competitions taking it to the pavement, with giant pools and rails built just for the event. Instead of a boat, an economical winch was the pulling mode, and it made for a far more spectator friendly event, that required just as much skill from the participants, but was way easier to organizers to stage. Pretty much a match made in heaven.

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Parks Bonifay is a name that never stops popping up in wakeboarding. He won the first X Games in 1996, when he was just 15, and since then he has continued to stay on top. Heck, we even mentioned him once in this story already. But in 2006, Parks was down for the count. Years of flat landings left him with serious knee problems, and he finally had to go under the knife and spend the entire summer recuperating. But Parks didn’t disappear. He still put on his annual melee, the Double or Nothing Double Up contest. In this athlete-judged event, each invited rider gets to hit double ups (an extra big wake created when the boat crosses its own wake) for about 20 minutes each, and prizes are given out for the best trick and biggest air. Andrew Adkison’ nosegrab mobe 540 was voted best, and with 53 frames of video in the air, Rusty Malinoski won biggest air.

 

The reigning champion of women’s wakeboarding, Dallas Friday, who has been almost unbeatable for the past three seasons, continued on her tear in 2006. She was named the Pro Tour Champion after winning both events. And she kept winning at Worlds and Nationals. But then, while competing in the Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup series in Singapore, disaster struck. While attempting a whirlybird (no, not the kind that Chad Kagy does in BMX, the wakeboard kind), Friday fell and shattered her femur. She was rushed to the hospital for surgery, where it was discovered that she had liquid in her lungs. After a few days in intensive care, Dallas was back to America, where her recovery has gone well, and she will likely be back on top next season.

 

When most people think of wakeboarding, Canada is definitely not the first place that comes to mind. Isn’t the country mostly covered in snow? But apparently no one lives in those parts, and British Columbia and Ontario have actually proven themselves to be quite the wakeboard meccas. Though most Canadian riders eventually migrate to Florida, they still have maple syrup running through their blood. And in ’06, it was definitely a good year for the Canucks. British Columbian Rusty Malinoski destroyed everything in sight, winning the Tige Pro/Am, stomping a 1080, etc, etc. And he’s not the only one. Kevin Henshaw (BC) and Kyle Rattray (ONT) also made waves on the wakeboard circuit, proving wakeboarding isn’t just for Americans and Australians.

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All season, competitive wakeboarders earn points in the King of Wake series. At the end of the year, the rider with the most combined points from events like the Pro Tour, the WWA Nationals and Worlds and the Tiger Pro/AM is awarded the title King of Wake. The title comes with not only bragging rights, but a $10,000 bonus. In 2006, a new victor was crowned, Tino Santori. Since he earned some cash at most events this year, his bank account is probably not looking too shabby.

 

The Pro Wakeboard Tour celebrated its 14^th Anniversary in 2006. Danny Harf and Dallas Friday were crowned champions for wakeboarding, and Brian Grubb earned the title on his wakeskate. But after the final event, it was announced the wakeskating will no longer be an event in the Pro Tour. Although it’s a bummer for those who aren’t attached to their boards, it means the events for will have more time for the wakeboard divisions, which should make the 2007 Pro Tour even better for those strapped in.

 

Sometimes you can’t avoid hearing about people in wakeboarding. It is a relatively small industry, after all. But for a few seasons, Randy Harris dropped off the map. When he showed up at Parks Double Up contest in 2006 though, he went big on his stalefish front flips, nearly taking the biggest air prize. Then, towards the end of the year, Harris appeared in a video on alliancewake.com, and between his smooth style, and his plethora of tricks, one thing was for sure. Randy Harris is back and when he rides, it just looks good.
 

The highly awaited film from LF Films produced Justin Scott premiered in cities across the country in November. Nearly two years in the making, The Truth is Stephen’s first all new film since Relentless, which came out in August of 2004. The movie featured the entire Liquid Force team, with stand out parts included Ben Greenwood, Keith Lyman and Aaron “Freedom” Reed (although he was on a wakeskate.) After a big season in wakeboarding, the movie really was the perfect culmination.

 

--Brooke Geery