Scott Stewart Interview | The Resurgence of Boat Riding

Behind the Rider | Scott Stewart

Scott Stewart is one of those riders that makes you second guess your skills behind the boat.  Scott has a knack for going big…really big, but in the most stylish way possible.  Over five years ago he won the BuyWake.com Global Rider Search V2 and his video edit had the internet buzzing.  Since then Scott has grown more mature personally and his riding has strikingly improved.  His passion for wakeboarding is obvious and his commitment to keeping style and amplitude his main focus.  Those are just some of the reasons why we like him.

Scott Stewart wake carve
Photo: Bryan Soderlind

 

We threw some Qs at Scott Stewart and he threw some As back at us.  Check it out.

BW: What athletic background do you have?  Before wakeboarding did you play any competitive sports?
SS: I grew up skateboarding and snowboarding.  I was never really into any team sports, but I played football for a few years. Read More >

Inside The 2015 Wakeboard World Series

This year the WWA released a world series bigger than anything we have seen before.  Seriously, the locations and prize money are the best it has ever been.  We sat down with Corrie Wilson and she helped to answer some of our questions regarding the upcoming 2015 Wakeboard World Series.

2015 WBWS

BW:  So first things first – $425,000 is a ton of chedder.  How did you all manage to pull such funds?  “The 2015 Wakeboard World Series is unlike anything wake sports has seen in the past including the largest payout ever offered”

The WWA: We really wanted to raise the bar this year for the Wakeboard World Series. The WWA’s partners, both domestically and internationally, all share our vision for the future of wakeboarding. Everyone got together and really stepped up for this year’s Wakeboard World Series; we couldn’t be more excited. It wouldn’t be possible without great partners like Rockstar Energy Drink, Nautique, Malibu, Supra, and many others for being dedicated to the sport. Read More >

Keep It simple – Go Big

It’s a new year and not the ideal temperature for riding, but every year you should have a new wake goal.  Learn a new invert or add a 180 to a existing trick you have is the most common thing to do.  Well, this year it’s for the guy who hasn’t ridden in a while or takes 1 set every so often.  Slingshot has a new board this year called the Nomad and it’s here to revive the passion you once had wakeboarding.   The Nomad is about having fun and making wakeboarding easier.  This board is all about increased stability, strong pop, softer landings, cruising at slower speeds, and a much larger surface area.   It’s big.  It’s really big, but it’s really a simple idea, and a perfect one at that.  You don’t need a super aggressive board or your typical 142cm size anymore, you need a Nomad.  This board is built for larger riders or riders with bad knees who really want to get out and slash around and throw some lofty wake-to-wake jumps.  It comes in a 150, 155, and 160, and it’s guaranteed to make you have fun again on the water! Read More >

Mike Dowdy Speaks on his Mindset, Motivation, and Recent Knee Injury (Video)

Dowdy StareThere comes a time in every athletes career where they are faced with a choice. You either sit on the sidelines and watch, or you chase innovation. You chase your dreams, you set goals and keep working hard. No matter what life throws in your face, there is always a way around any obstacle. While this is such a basic concept, there are only a list of few elite athletes that truly understand this concept. People like Michael Jordan, Sydney Crosby, Shaun White, Ryan Villopoto, Kelly Slater, Michael Phelps, Tiger Woods, and others. Being an elite athlete doesn’t mean that you are just really good at a sport. There are many athletes that are really really good at a particular sport, but aren’t seen as “elite”. Being elite is taking that extra step. Having your mind, spirit, and body in sync. Working out for an extra 20 minutes, getting to bed early instead of going to the bar, waking up early so that you can get the butter sets, eating right, studying film, and the list could go on and on. When you’re elite, its your whole life. Pleasure quickly turns into business when you are on an elite stage. While some people are sitting on the sidelines, others are chasing new tricks and new gold medals. Thats who I want to be. I want to be just like Shaun White, Michael Jordan, and Tiger woods. I want to chase my dreams, and accomplish things that people say are impossible. I want to be the guy that when all odds are against him, he rises from the bottom and shocks everyone. When it’s time for me too forever hang up my board, I want to look back and know that I really went for it, and want to go down in history as one of the best ever. Now, will that ever happen? Will I ever be remembered as “The best ever?” Who knows. I will never know how people perceive me now and in 10 years. But Im going to do my best to never be forgotten. Read More >

Nautique Announces New All-Inclusive Wake Series for 2014

Mike Dowdy getting set.

The landscape of competitive professional wakeboarding has changed in the United States. This past Friday, Nautique President and CEO Bill Yeargin dropped the ball on us in the form of a casual blog post. In the post, Yeargin announced a brand new all-inclusive wake league dubbed the Nautique Wake Series.

“The few people who we’ve told about our plans have been really excited” Yeargin explains on the Nautque Insider’s blog. “We will have more details on the Nautique Wake Series coming out in the weeks ahead.”

Needless to say, the announcement has the internet buzzing as the announcement comes on the heels of the King of Wake’s recent declaration that they will be “focusing on solely on Men’s Pro” for 2014. Read More >