Tantrum to Blind, Whirlybird, and Moby Dick?! We caught up with local wakeboarder Dominic Robson to try and help make some sense of this fast growing sport
1) Whats the worst injury you?ve ever had?
Splitting the back of my head open with my wakeboard. Not my best day on the water.
2) Is wakeboarding easy to pick up?
Yes. Having any skateboarding, surfing, or snowboarding experience helps. The hardest part for beginners is often getting up. If you are regular foot the board will be pointing to your left, goofy to the right, and keep those knees bent!
3) What trick are you learning at the moment?
The Whirlybird. It is one of the ?prettier? tricks in the sport of wakeboarding if done right – it?s basically a Tantrum with a Backside 360 while keeping the rope above your head instead of doing a handle pass.
4) How did you get in to wakeboarding?
My family have always been into water sports, my dad bought me a wakeboard when I was about 11 and it went from there really…..
5) What is your favourite trick?
Probably the Tantrum. It is one of the most classic tricks in wakeboarding, and is usually one of the first inverts a rider wants to learn. It?s a back flip as you?d do one on the trampoline and it?s one of the best inverts for building on. It can be grabbed in various ways for style, and there are a lot of harder inverts that can be built off the Tantrum like a Tantrum to Blind, Whirlybird, and Moby Dick.
6) Which competition was the last one you competed in and where did you rank? Was it fun? UK Wakeboard Nationals at Quayside in Surrey. It was my first competition so it was a bit daunting, there are some amazing riders out there. It was great fun though, I came 6th in the Groms.
7) Are you looking to take part in any more competitions?
Yes for sure. I need to get some more tricks dialled first though. It?s not easy when these guys can train everyday on lakes!
8) Who is your favourite pro rider?
Matt Crowhurst. He is a good friend of the family and he helped me land my first tantrum.
9) Why should people try wakeboarding?
It?s great fun and you can do so much more than water-skiing, the list of tricks is almost endless.
10) What would be your perfect tow?
An X-Star, with flat water, a few tunes and some sun, of course!
