| Many a time I have asked myself this question after | | | | the owner of H.O sports. With an idea of |
| reflecting on a great day on the water, "where did | | | | revelovtionalising the sport, he began experimenting |
| this great sport of wakeboarding come from and | | | | with boards and developed the first |
| who was the mastermind who invented the sport?" | | | | compression-molded neutral-buoyancy wakeboard, |
| The answer to this question is that the sport of | | | | known as the hyperlite. The advantages of a neutral |
| wakeboarding evolved from a group of different | | | | buoyancy board allowed ease in deep water starts |
| sports including surfing, snowboarding, and | | | | which opened the door for the sport to boom in all |
| waterskiing. For years surfing was all the rage | | | | demographic age groups and skill levels. This was the |
| amongst those that lived at the beach, and being the | | | | begining of the sport as we know it today. |
| freeststyle sport that surfing is, new adaptions and | | | | Obrien did not stop there, he soon incorporated a |
| variations branched off. One of these different | | | | thinner profile to allow the board to carve like a |
| variations was to be towed by a ski rope on a surf | | | | salom ski, phasers or dimples on the bottom of the |
| board either by boat or truck when the swell wasn't | | | | board which broke up water contact and produced a |
| up. From this adaption, a San Diego surfer named | | | | looser feel on the water and softer landings. All of |
| Tony Finn in 1985 developed 'the skurfer' which was | | | | these refinerys made possible by the compression |
| a hybrid of a water ski and a surfboard. The board | | | | molding process founded by Obrien. Seeing H.O |
| was shorter in size than the standard surfboard and | | | | sports success in the wakeboarding industry sparked |
| was towed by a boat however the same carve style | | | | other companies to follow in it's foot steps, putting |
| techniques were performed as when surfing. Basically | | | | more boards on the market and growing the sport |
| it was surfing behind a boat on a mini surfboard. | | | | further. |
| Although not as popular as it once was, 'skurfing' is | | | | The Redmon "Twin Tip" wakeboard soon followed |
| still out there today. | | | | this boom in the industry and is still the standard |
| The creation of this board soon led to new | | | | shape of modern wakeboards. The twin tip had a |
| innovations and it wasn't long before different shapes | | | | symmetrical shape with a fin on each end, allowing |
| and technology took hold of the primitive prototype. | | | | for omidirectional tricks and adding a new dimension |
| The major breakthrough was the additions of foot | | | | to the sport. This shape of board shied away from |
| straps which held the riders feet in place whilst on | | | | the "conventional" wakeboard at the time which still |
| the board. There were two players that took part in | | | | resembled a mini surfboard. |
| the addition which were Tony Finn and Jimmy | | | | 1992 was the year that pro wakeboarding events |
| Redmon of Austin, Texas (who added straps to his | | | | took hold of the public with World Sports & |
| Redline design water ski board, which was again a | | | | Marketing, (a Florida-based sports promoter and |
| smaller version of a surfboard). The fascinating part | | | | event organizer) staging wakeboarding events |
| of this innovation is that both men developed at the | | | | (known as the pro wakeboard tour). This gave |
| same time without knowing what each other was | | | | wakeboarders a opportunity to compete and gave |
| doing! With these new footstraps riders were able to | | | | them exposure to ESPN and ESPN2. Wakeboarding |
| get big air and start performing airborne tricks. This is | | | | Mag was soon produced in 1993 to cope with the |
| probably the first true resembalences to | | | | growing of the demand of the industry giving the |
| wakeboarding and led away from surfing and more | | | | public a chance to follow what was happening in |
| toward snowboarding and water skiing. | | | | wakeboarding and keeping them up to date on |
| Skurfing soon transformed into skiboarding which | | | | comps and leaderboards. |
| Tony Finn was a strong advocate for and the first | | | | With the ever expanding popularity of the sport and |
| skurfer championships were televised on ESPN in | | | | number competing athletes the Vans Triple Crown of |
| 1990. However even with its claim to fame the sport | | | | Wakeboarding and the Wakeboard World Cup series |
| was struggling with a stagnant patch in technology | | | | were created in 1998. These are still today the |
| and innovation. The skurf board was still very | | | | majors titles up for grabs by pro international |
| primative in comparison to the modern wakeboard in | | | | wakeboarders. In 2000 the sport diversified adding |
| the fact that because they were very narrow and | | | | rails, sliders and kickers to the course giving |
| very buoyant, they required alot of energy to get | | | | opportunity for different style riders to gain |
| them planing and leaving only experienced riders | | | | reckonition for their riding. |
| cabable of preforming deep water starts. The | | | | As far as wakeboarding has come in its short history |
| skiboard on the other hand was designed for | | | | there are are still new innovations being added to the |
| performance, however could not withstand the | | | | sport today. From better technology to new |
| punishment of constant poundings dished to it by the | | | | additions, the innovators of the sport will never |
| sport. | | | | cease to amaze me. With growing popularity and |
| One name changed all of this, Herb Obrien. Obrien | | | | financial backing it is just a question how far this |
| was a successful businessman in water sports and | | | | sport will go and how big will it get. |