Wakeskate History

Some of the earliest riding to resemble wakeskating dates back to the late 70s and early 80s with "freeboarding" or "wakesurfing." Originally, riders would surf behind boats with long boards, but eventually the evolution leaned towards boards that were much shorter (ex: 4'8) which allowed riders to launch air off the wake and even ollie. However, the watersports industry leaned strongly towards bindings, resulting in the focused evolution of wakeboarding. Wakeskating would eventually begin to take notice in the mid 90s, and the growth continued. It is increasingly popular in youth culture across the globe, but is prevalent mainly in its country of origin; the United States. Wakeskating tricks are inherently more technical than wakeboarding. The tricks are based firmly on skateboarding as opposed to snowboarding.

An aspect of wakeskating that draws many aficionados to it, as opposed to wakeboarding, is progression without the need for the large and extremely expensive boats (necessary to create the wake for wakeboarders to achieve maximum air time). An alternative to using wakeboard boats to tow riders is using high powered jet skis. This method of watercraft can provide an adequate tow, however, produce little or no wake. Jetskis are better for shallow water or where water obstacles are available to perform tricks on.

New materials and assembly techniques are continually introduced into the sport of wakeskating. Traditional boards are made of plywood or fibreglass, but a new technology has come out called Tri-Ax Fibreglass reinforcing. A woven fibreglass top sheet is applied. This process helps the board to be more rigid and increases the life of the board. One type of board is a bi-level wakeskate. The bi-level was first used on a wakeskate by one of the forefathers of wakeskating, Thomas Horrell. It is basically two boards usually made of plywood and/or fibreglass connected in the middle by two brackets. The point of having a bi-level board is that the flex in the top board helps accelerate the board from the water, which allows the board to stay with your feet and also feel more like an ollie on a skateboard.

The other type of board is a Concave deck, usually either compression molded out of fibreglass, or a wood core deck. Compression molded wakeskates are less dense than wood core wakeskates, which is one factor that will cause a board to sit higher in the water (along with rail shape--a sharper rail will make the board sit higher and ride with a high response level; round rails allow a board to sit deeper in the water). On the other hand, wood core decks tend to be a tad bit heavier and are denser, which make them favored by most wakeskaters. They say that the wood core deck feels more like a skateboard and is easier to control/feel. Wakeskates usually size between 100-114 cm (roughly 39-43 inches), which is considerably smaller than a wakeboard.

Much of the equipment that wakeskaters use is similar to regular skateboarding equipment. The shoes that wakeskate riders wear are similar to skateboarding shoes and can often be used for both. Many wakeskating shoes are designed with quick drying materials and special drainage channels. Taking interest in this relatively new sport, many of the large skateboarding companies have started developing equipment for wakeskaters. Companies like DVS and Adio have developed shoes specifically for wakeskaters, using more buoyant and durable materials in their fabrication. Wakeskates are manufactured by many of the same companies that produce wakeboards; however, going back into wakeskating's roots, the first company dedicated specifically to wakeskating was called Fresh Water Traction. Their first products began as traction pads, which are foam constructions one could attach to their wakeboard via the inserts one would normally use for bindings. This allowed for riders to try the art of wakeskating without having to commit to cutting up their wakeboard or attaching something that could also be removed. Later, Fresh Water also came out with the first wakeskate specific fin. This fin was shallow and long and allowed for the board to release much easier than most wakeboarding fins at the time. Towards the end, Fresh Water attempted to release a wakeskate to the public, but cost was a major hurdle that could not be over come.

As more interest and specialization continues to be drawn to this sport, tricks and public interest continues to grow. With Canadian athletes such as Stef Tor, James Balzer and Ryan Doyle (Ryan is the first Canadian to have a pro model wakeskate) tearing up the competition, wakeskating will continue to be the exciting and entertaining sport that is has become in its short life so far.