Wakeboard has been gaining addicted fans from the youngest to the layer of sportspeople and water sports lovers. It is intended to reveal some secrets of this sport: where to practice, essential equipment for your practice, future Wakeboard events and also a brief conversation with portuguese wakeboard professional Ricardo Almeida.
About Wakeboard
Wakeboarding is a water sport practiced with a snowboard pulled by a speedboat. It was invented in the United States and initially practiced with a surfboard with fixing. It appeared as an alternative for surfers in the days of low wave. That’s how the idea of Wakeboard came about, more precisely in the year 1979. This practice soon become popular worldwide. From there, new models were being built and perfected, until the arrival, in 1988, of hyper XP, a board created by the North American Herb Brian and by the Hawaiian Eric Perez, capable of allowing greater speed and use of maneuvers. With this board the Hawaiian became World Champion.
Where to pratice
Wakeboard can be practiced in any place that offers a trajectory with a boat and safety for the athlete. Its important that careful with the bathers, because this sport involves high speed routes, any crash could be very danger.
The rocks are very danger for the athletes too. The best recommendation its to search a safe place to practice with a good depth. Wakeboard has to be practiced carefully, because negligence in sports could bring serious problems.
The best places to practice are lakes and seas, as long there is not much ondulation, which difficults the execution of tricks, mainly for those who are starting the sport.
Equipment
A board, a rope and a boat. These are the basic and necessary equipment for the practice of wakeboarding. The board must match the weight and size of the athlete.
But generally the measures are: 1.35m long, 45cm wide and its thickness is 1 cm. It is ideal for the practice of sport and allows greater speed and use in maneuvers.
The rope is the link between the boat and the athlete. It cannot be elastic, as it causes the athlete to lose his balance while in the air. The more rigid it is, the better. The measurement varies between 15 and 19 meters. The greater the distance between the athlete and the boat, the longer the wakeboarder will be in the air.
The boat must have an engine that maintains speed and walks in a straight line, in addition it must be heavy, so it will make a bigger wave and facilitate the athlete
Wakeboard in Portugal
In Portugal there is the Portuguese Federation of Motonáutica which has wakeboarding as its modality and which has the first wakeboard resort in the world on the river beaches of Aldeia do Mato, Lago Azul, Trízio, Montes and Fernandaires.