I’ve had enough with new riders trying to copy what everyone else is doing on their wakeskates. It's like instead of creating a new classic horror movie character, you’re just another director trying to make a new Jason movie.

Every time I watch a video it seems like the same tricks are getting sloshed around left and right by different people. When someone asks me “Did you see the new such and such video?”  I simply respond, "No, why would I care? It's probably just the same dudes doing the same tricks but shot from a different angle."

We need more creativity in this sport unless we want to be doing late shuvs for the next 10 years. I think most people are just too lazy to think of what can be done on their waterboard besides another 180 in their shuv or another flip of their board. If you get creative, there are so many other possibilities available to the sport besides just what skateboarders or whackboarders do. Don't be afraid to stand out from the crowd with your riding. Just because everyone's doing wake-to-wake late shuvs, doesn't mean you have to. Unless of course, you’re trying to win the Toe Jam or Malibu Open!

 I only saw three things this past year that I personally thought were impressive — maybe not for the difficulty, but definitely for the creativity. One was Aaron Reed's landslide to shuv in one of the past whackboard mags, the second was Kyle Walton's no-comply across and down a cement spill way thing submitted for best trick, and finally Ben Horan’s boardslide to 5-0 thing in the Fun Boots! teaser. Actually now that I think of it, the recent winner of the AWS Best Trick contest, Kyle Kearns’ wake-to-wake Airwalk makes that list as well. I have thought of this trick many moons and have never got around to even trying it. So bravo to Kyle, you should have won last week too.

Moral of the story: nothing smothers progression more than a bunch of one uppers and copycats. So stop trendy tricking!