The List is an annual article published in Alliance Wake every fall. In it we chronicle a variety of things that have gone down in our world of wake sports. Some are good, some not so good, and some just ridiculous (and/or funny). This year’s list was organized as “good, bad, and ugly”. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is the good stuff… stay tuned for the bad, and then the ugly…

 

Trever Maur & Dog Dayz

Trever Maur belongs in front of the lens as much as he does behind it // photo: Canaveri

Trever Maur belongs in front of the lens as much as he does behind it // photo: Canaveri

If you haven’t seen Dog Dayz yet you’re only doing yourself a disservice. And like Bruce Dickinson and the cowbell, you’re gonna want more of it. But Dog Dayz wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for one extremely talented dude, Trever Maur. While most filmmakers would be clammering to work with Trever as a rider, he took time away from riding to focus on making a film of his California shred brethren. The result is in the pudding, and it’s good. But to follow it up Trever teamed up with Josh Twelker to make an insane Real Wake edit, too.

 

New Podium Faces

Tony’s been poking around in front of the camera more, which is a good thing // Photo: Rutledge

Tony’s been poking around in front of the camera more, which is a good thing // Photo: Rutledge

Fresh blood is always nice because, well, it’s fresh. This year we’ve seen some on the podiums of wake contests, which is rad. Guys like Tony Iacconi, Noah Flegel, and Nic Rapa are a few of the fresh blood names making some good noise at contests this year. On top of that we’ve seen some rad photo and video content of them, too. Of course, there’s an asterisk with some of the contest success due to one Harley Clifford being out for the year with a knee injury, but beggars can’t be choosers and the fact that we’re writing about contest podiums at all is starting to make us nervous, so… nice work, boys!

 

Wake Butts

@melissa_marquardt on Instagram - a lady shredder for the 21st century

@melissa_marquardt on Instagram – a lady shredder for the 21st century

What is it with the derriere these days? It seems like more and more lady shredders are shredding in smaller and smaller bikinis. Not that we’re complaining, those girls are awesome athletes who should be proud of what they’ve got. Andy hey, if your assets get you more followers then you can get better sponsorship opportunities, right? Here’s hoping exposing more of yourself actually exposes more people to wakeboarding rather than just doing nothing more than exposing yourself, one post at a time…

P.S. It’s true that girls don’t poop

 

The Shark Boat

 It’s better to be the shark than the shark bait // Photo: Budds

It’s better to be the shark than the shark bait // Photo: Budds

Jen GilanFarr’s toothy, 50HP Alumacraft is the antithesis of modern day wake boats, which is what makes it even more awesome than the shark grin paint job implies. While nothing can compare to the comfort, technology, customization, and wakes of today’s 23-foot beasts, chances are if you have an attitude like Jen’s you can have just as much fun with an outboard from the 1960’s. Some advantages include cost, fuel efficiency, easier to tow and maneuver, and provides way better stories at the launch ramp. For Jen, it’s all about being on the water and enjoying the lifestyle of wakeskating with friends. That’s hard to argue against.

 

All Hail the King

Andrew on his way to (probably) another overall TWT title // Photo: Rutledge

Andrew on his way to (probably) another overall TWT title // Photo: Rutledge

With the return of The Wakeskate Tour this year, we’ve also gotten the opportunity to see more of wakeskating’s undisputed king: Andrew Pastura. Put simply, Andrew ride’s his wakeskate like nobody’s business and it’s fun/inspiring/jaw-dropping as hell to watch. Need a little factoid to understand just how good AP is? Since The Wakeskate Tour started in 2012 Andrew has made the finals of every stop. That’s 15 and counting. And while Battle Falls took place after this issue went to print, we’re gonna go out on a limb and say he made it there too. So that’s 16. And counting. That’s good, and we’re stoked TWT and AP are back and better than ever.

 

Switch Riding

JD’s switch olé 7 is on point //  Photo: Cortese

JD’s switch olé 7 is on point //  Photo: Cortese

Good switch riding doesn’t seem to get the recognition it used to, but it damn well should. It’s not easy, kids, and if you really want to make your riding stand out, don’t worry about landing a new trick or adding a 180 to an old one; learn some tricks switch. It’s the best way to improve your all-around water dancing and it will help you add some serious style and flow – whether it’s behind the boat, in a park, or with a winch. If you really pay attention to the best riders’ video sections you’ll see some legit switch riding – and nothing beats a line of back-to-back tricks done regular then switch.

 

Gordon Harrison

Gordy’s got night moves... //  Photo: Soden

Gordy’s got night moves… //  Photo: Soden

Can we get an Amen for Gordon coming back from a couple bad years of bad knee injuries? To be honest we didn’t know if the kid we love to call Gordy Harry would ever be back and living up to the potential he was starting to reach as an up-and-coming shredder. He could very well have been another statistic: a young rider with tons of talent whose career was cut short by a series of bad breaks. But Gordon stuck with his rehab, grinded through the down times, and has stormed back this year in epic fashion. His three trick line took the top spot in the Tig

 

International Shredding

Felix going big at home // Photo: Deak Bardos

Felix going big at home // Photo: Deak Bardos

Aside from all the other awesomeness that has gone on in wake in 2016, the most exciting of all could and should be the continued global growth of the sports. By this we don’t just mean top pro riders visiting other parts of the world to shred for an exotic getaway; no, we’re talking about international riders and locations pushing and promoting the sport in bigger and better ways than ever before. From contests in Munich blowing minds, to kids winching under the streets of Sheffield, to park laps in Brazil, we’ve seen a lot and it’s great for wake.

 

Dad Cams

Cole Daddy // Photo: Rutledge

Cole Daddy // Photo: Rutledge

“DA-AD!” You know you’ve said it. You know you’ve been mad at your dad for filming anything and everything and always having that camcorder in your face. Whether it was trying to jump your bike of a plywood-and-bricks ramp, your Little League game, or that first dance, it was embarrassing, and annoying, and usually never steady or in focus. Dad could never quite get the shot. But it was that imperfection that made those videos so fun to look back at, and fortunately the Dad Cam has made a triumphant return to wake. Just when cameras couldn’t get more tech with more K and pixels and slow-mo, we’ve been treated to some videos shot just like dad would have. And they’re hilariously perfect – a fresh reminder that not every piece of video