SPORTS 'N SPOKES

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The Wake of the Future

Think of a sport, any sport. Chances are someone with a disability is doing it—wakeboarding is no exception.

What started as a fad in the ’80s is fast becoming one of the most popular recreational sports. Wakeboarding is a surface watersport that involves riding a specially made board over a body of water behind a boat. It was developed from a combination of water-skiing, snowboarding, and surfing techniques. The first U.S. National Wakeboard Championships took place in Colorado Springs in 1990, and the sport soon exploded onto the scene.

It wasn’t long before wakeboard companies sprouted up all over the world, and boat manufacturers, which were once focused on making ski boats, started producing craft especially designed for wakeboarding. These new vessels are larger and have ballast systems to add weight to them, making the wake much bigger and enabling riders to get more air and do bigger tricks over the wake. They also added towers to the boats so the rope can be attached at a higher leverage point, allowing riders to pull up on the handle when hitting these monster wakes.

Getting Better

Meanwhile, water skiers with disabilities who were competing in sit trick skiing were looking for a better board to ride.

“Back in ‘the day,’ people were making homemade boards or modified kneeboards to compete in trick skiing,” says Bill Bowness, a nine-time individual water-ski world champion in slalom, trick, and jump.

Because of their surface area and design, wakeboards make the perfect trick ski.

“Adaptive trick skiers were actually the first sit wakeboarders,” says Adaptive Adventures water-ski and wakeboard instructor Matt “Crimescene” Schallmoser. “The only difference between trick skiing and wakeboarding from a seated position is the boat that is pulling you.”

Bowness offered a more technical definition: “If the maximum width of a skiing device does not exceed 30% of its overall length, it’s defined as a ski. If its maximum width exceeds 30% of its overall length, it’s a board.”


Find out how the wakeboard has brought many disabled watersports enthusiasts back to the action.

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