The summer of 2016 was full of wakeboarding and traveling to new locations. The contest season was also in full swing as soon as April hit, starting with the Wake Open in Orlando, where I was able to hit all my tricks and place first in the Master's division. It was a great start to the contest season.
June began with a road trip to my hometown of Fox Lake, Illinois. There I did several clinics for the local Malibu/Axis dealer, Munson Ski & Marine, as well as many lessons for my own customers who I met in Naples! It's so cool to have people out on the water in both places. It was also great to spend time with family and friends for the summer. Next, I got to travel with Ronix Wakeboards for a week of demos and clinics for their 5 gallons of freedom tour. We covered Oregon, Idaho, and Utah. There are some really cool lakes in the Northwest. The water is clear and there are mountains surrounding all the lakes. I met a bunch of awesome people and had an amazing time. We ended at a giant festival in Park City, Utah with fireworks over the lake. It is such an honor to represent Ronix Wakeboards! Towards the end of the summer, it was time for the biggest contests of the year. Nationals was held in Acworth Georgia, near Atlanta. I made it through to finals as the top seed, but ended up in 2nd place to a friend of mine, who is pretty good! The World Wakeboard Championships were held in Toronto, Canada. My friend Tom Paz and I drove up in my truck from Chicago and we even brought my scooter. I managed to take 2nd place there as well, and lost to some really tough competition. Riders from Brazil and Canada joined me on the podium. It was such a fun trip and it's always interesting to meet the other athletes from all over the world. |