Summer 2013
Summer 2013 – One to Remember
By: Ory Comeaux
As summer 2013 comes to an end, I’d like to take a moment to recap what was a wild, crazy, awesome, busy summer! We’ve had a lot of different events, tournaments, trips, openings, and as always lots of partying! So lets take a moment and look back at what will be known as one of the best summers the state of Louisiana has ever had in the wakeboard scene.
We started the summer off by finishing up the 3rd year of the Louisiana Collegiate Wake Tour with the third stop being in Monroe at the ULM ski course and the final stop in Zachary, LA. For those not aware of the tour, its a series of 4 different tournaments across the state. Each school gains points based on the number of riders they bring as well as the quality of their riders to try and earn as many points as possible to try and earn bragging rights as the top school in the state. Schools that have competed in the tour include ULM, LSU, La Tech, Nicholls State, ULL, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Southern Miss, OSU, Texas Tech and UT! After 3 great tournaments amongst these teams it came down to ULM and LSU battling it out for top position at the final stop in LSU’s backyard. At the end of the day though there was only one winner of the tour with ULM edging LSU by less then 50 points! The tour wrapped up under the pavilion at Bennett’s Ski School with an awards ceremony followed by music all night provided by GLOtron. The tour was a huge success and everyone was eager for the start of the next season.
Shortly after the LCWT finished its tour, we immediately moved into the Collegiate Wakeboard Nationals by USA Waterski. The event this year would be hosted in Shreveport during Memorial Day weekend. This event brought the best college teams from across the country to compete for the title as best in the country! ULM, Ole Miss, LA Tech, Mississippi State, and Texas Tech were amongst the many teams that came out to compete and represent our region. The event last 4 days and had a huge turnout with over 100 riders and proved to be one of the largest collegiate wakeboard tournaments to date. After 4 days of fierce competition in rough waters, Central Washington took 1st place blowing out the rest of the competition. Look for Shreveport to become a hot spot for nationals as USAWS enjoyed the location so much that they’ve already started thinking about hosting next years tournament there again.
As the school ended and summer was in full swing, it was time for the 15th annual Louisiana Spring Fling. LSF is Louisiana’s oldest and most well known wakeboard events. Originally started in Monroe, the event had been held down in the basin in Henderson since 2007. However, for the 15th year we decided the event should return to its roots and make its way back up north to Moon Lake Marina. As always, LSF didn’t fail to disappoint! With a kicker contest, bikini contest, and speaker contest, as well as miles of glassy water to ride, the event was a huge success. Following the party on the water, everyone went down to a local bar by the name of Renaissance to listen to some live music as well as the in-house DJ. Everyone enjoyed the drink specials as well as the music. Dancing and partying lasted well into the night. Love was found, hearts were broken, and bad decisions were made. LSF 2013 was in the books as one to remember.
Along with all of the excitement of the collegiate tour wrapping up and LSF coming and going, something bigger then anything that had ever happened in the wakeboard scene before was in the works. For quite some time, there were rumors of a full-size cable park opening somewhere in the Lafayette area. Well, on April 27 of 2013 those rumors were put to rest. Cajun X Cables was finally open! Louisiana finally had its first full-size cable park! Cajun X Cables would utilize a Sesitec 6 tower system as well as a Sesitec 2.0 system on a smaller lake for beginners, or for those wanting to dial in that one trick. The big lake would feature all Unit features, including the Henshaw Signature Series rail, 3 kickers, pipe rail, flat bar, roof top, incline, and tech rail. No matter what level rider came to the park, all were guaranteed to have a great time! Multiple professional riders passed through the park to see what the newest cable park had to offer. Daniel Grant, Andrew Fortenberry, Aaron Reed, the Shredtown crew, Gabe Lucas, and Kaesen Suyderhoud are just to name a few that came ride! The park introduced many new comer’s to our wonderful sport, as well as progress many long time riders that have been around the scene for many years. Cajun X Cables would prove to be a huge success, as well as grow the wakeboard community here in Louisiana.
In July, the first ever Southern Showcase was held at Bennett’s Ski School in Zachary. This was an open style tournament that would allow anyone to enter. It was also set up to allow people to form teams to compete against each other with the top team taking home a cash prize! The event hosted over 20 competitors as well as numerous spectators. There was jambalaya served for lunch as well as soft drinks and plenty of Red Bull. For the event being in its first year it was a success and looking forward to putting it on again next summer!
As summer winded down that only meant one thing, it was time for Surf Expo! The Louisiana Wake Sports crew went down to Orlando to check out all of the action as well as all the new gear coming out in 2014. While in Orlando, the group was able to check out Lake Ronix, go to the industry demo day out at Orlando Watersports Complex as well as attend an invite only private party hosted by Hyperlite, and were also able to catch a set with Slingshot team rider Jeff House behind Zane Schwenk’s 2013 MasterCraft X-Star! Although the majority of the trip was for “business” reasons, the group was able to take a little time out and took the paddle boards down to Cocoa Beach for a little bit of surfing and relaxation on the beach. This was by far the trip of the year and had everyone who was able to attend talking about it for weeks following their arrival back home.
As with all good things ending, there is another beginning. Although summer is officially over and school is in full swing, this doesn’t mean we stop doing what we love. Fall brings the start of a new collegiate tour season with two stops in the fall and the final two stops in the spring. The first stop was held in Shreveport on September 14 and doubled as the regional qualifier for the collegiate nationals. ULM, LSU, La Tech, Mississippi State, Nicholls State, Ole Miss, and OSU were in attendace. Mississippi State brought the numbers with over 30 riders, while OSU brought 7 quality riders. At the end of the day we had a tie between MSU and OSU, a first for the LCWT! This proved that the system we had in place worked for the tour. The site in Shreveport was beautiful and we had nothing but positive feedback for the event. The next stop is scheduled for November in Hammond and will wrap up the first half of the collegiate season.
This summer was definitely one that would not be forgotten. Between ULM narrowly beating LSU on the collegiate tour, LSF going back up the Monroe, Cajun X Cables opening in Lafayette, and the Southern Showcase, this summer was one of the busiest yet! College season is underway and we are already planning events for summer 2014. Although our group is the backbone behind these events, we can not make it happen without the support of everyone who partakes in our events as well as our sponsors! Backside 5, Red Bull 504, Bennett’s Ski School, Cajun X Cables, Rabbit Hole Downtown Lafayette, Dupe flip flops, No Filter Photography (Robert Underwood), Rukus, Slingshot, B&L Marine, Swamp Sports, and anyone else we may have forgotten – we thank y’all for everything that y’all do! Most importantly we thank the wakeboard community for supporting us. We don’t do it for recognition or money, we do it for the love and progression of our sport in our state. Thank you!
