Stu Shinn. Photo: Cortese

Thank goodness springtime is back in our lives, and for the majority of us the riding season is charging full speed ahead. Rest assured we are going to see some awesome stuff this year. Something about a new decade seems to give everyone the feeling of a fresh start and the opportunity to fix what they didn’t like about their riding. Of course, there are other parts to the whole wakeskate experience that need not be left out. Besides just improving your trick repertoire and style you need to remember to live your wakeskating life to the fullest. Here’s some ideas for one of the best summers of riding in your life.

1) Travel! Summertime is the perfect opportunity to make some plans and travel to where you’ve never been before, with wakeskating as your guide. Wakeskating is a great way to meet people, and if you have a winch and an old truck/van/SUV you and your buddies can have the time of your life. Maybe take a voyage to a new cable park you haven’t visited before. You never know what the road will give you. Don’t forget the camera!

2) Meet people. Wakeskating is the perfect medium to meet some cool new people and see their side of the world of shredding. You can learn a lot by getting out of your comfort zone and finding some new friendships.

3) Ride barefoot. It’s summertime and the water is warm, so why not take a couple sets and goof off? It feels good to smile and remember we’re only having fun. You’ll certainly not regret it, unless of course your griptape comes into harsh contact with your “toe-knuckles,” that’s never pleasant.

4) Experience winching. If you have never done so, this is your year. Winching is available to everyone – they’re not that hard to build and are far cheaper than a boat, plus they make wakeskating accessible to any size body of water. You’ll never know the glory of winching until you try it.

5) Set some goals. If you really want to get better at wakeskating, set some reasonable goals to achieve this summer and work at ’em. Remember: practice, practice, practice. No magazine tutorial can beat time on the water. Then ride barefoot.

6) Check your local events. Investigate into your local wake scene and find out the events that are going down this year, and get into it! Local events are a great way to meet new people to ride with and to get involved in your hometown scene.

7) Wear sunscreen. Burnin’ is a bitch.

8) Film, build, and take photos. Documenting your summer is one of the greatest things you can do – both for memories sake and to analyze your own riding. Nothing beats watching footage at the end of a good day of riding, and getting a big trick on film feels great. And building rails is awesome practice for your carpentry skills, which really help bring out the American in you.

Remember to be proactive and positive this summer, and make the most of 2010! Have fun.