| Wakeboarding is a relatively new addition to the | | | | Games and to help educate and expose the public in |
| plethora of activities in the water sports genre. The | | | | improving wakeboarding skills. Since 1990, when ESPN |
| sport is gaining in popularity as its inclusion in Extreme | | | | provided exposure and legitimacy to the sport through |
| Sports competitions brings wakeboarding more | | | | a nationally televised Skurfing Championship, the sport |
| exposure to the public and athletes alike. Originally | | | | has gained popularity and development in skill, |
| called Skurfing, wakeboarding is a combination of | | | | equipment, technique and intensity. |
| water skiing, snowboarding and surfing. Wakeboarding | | | | The sport earned its current wakeboarding title from |
| employs elements from all of these sports, using a | | | | businessman Herb O'Brien who developed his Hyperlite |
| powerful boat to tow the rider, similar to waterskiing, | | | | Pro board that revolutionized the sport with his |
| and a shortened, buoyant board that the rider's feet | | | | compression-molded neutral buoyancy materials. This |
| are strapped into. The wakeboarder can perform | | | | new design has become the standard in board |
| tricks off the wakes of the high-speed boats, applying | | | | production and enables the rider to perform |
| maneuvers from skateboarding, snowboarding and | | | | exceptional tricks and generally have more fun while |
| surfing. These moves are described with such | | | | wakeboarding. O'Brien's wakeboard widened the |
| terminology or slang such as catching air, tootsie roll, | | | | market and made it possible for non-professionals to |
| tantrum or hoochy glide. | | | | enjoy the sport due to his design making it easier for |
| Wakeboarding's origination began in Orlando, Florida in | | | | the layperson to perform a deep start and ride. |
| 1985 when two surfing and water skiing aficionados | | | | Redmon furthered the engineering of the wakeboard |
| had the idea to combine the two sports to create and | | | | to include a twin-tip to the bottom to assist with the |
| market a new boardsport. Tony Finn is credited with | | | | rider's balance. |
| being the inventor of the skurf and Jimmy Redmon | | | | In wakeboarding, the rider stands sideways with his or |
| designed the skurf board to include bindings for the | | | | her feet strapped onto a buoyant board with |
| feet that would ultimately define and distinguish the | | | | stationary non-release bindings, as in snowboarding. |
| sport. This design element was crucial for the | | | | The rider is towed by the boat with a length of 60 feet |
| development of the sport as the rider can ride and | | | | or longer of rope, as in waterskiing. The rope is |
| control the board as in surfing yet could also perform | | | | attached to a tower on the high-speed boat that |
| tricks, catch air and add some razzle-dazzle and | | | | accelerates at various speeds, pulling the rider behind it. |
| self-expression to the sport without losing the board | | | | Depending on the skill of the rider, the boat can travel |
| from the feet. | | | | faster to create larger wakes (the swell of water that |
| In 1989, Redmon, who is known as the guru of | | | | is produced from the acceleration of the boat moving |
| wakeboarding, formed the World Wakeboarding | | | | through the water) that the rider can ride and develop |
| Association (WWA) which was created to establish | | | | his or her personal style while performing tricks, which |
| rules, stipulate consistent and fair standards for | | | | adds an exciting element to this sport. |
| competition in events such as the widely popular X | | | | |